CS8 - Belgian Dubbel

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tilt on May 2, 2012 at 12:24pm

Thanks for making the drop off last night Stu - and looking forward now to tasting this one plus the complementary RIS you chucked in the box.  It'll be good to try the three Belgians with three different yeasts to get a feel for what each one brings - thats the beauty of this CS thing I reckon.

Permalink Reply by Stu H on May 3, 2012 at 9:33am

Yeah totally, I'm looking forward to trying all these yeasts.

Thanks for helping to organise the swap!

Permalink Reply by Stu H on May 16, 2012 at 9:21pm

Oh yeah, apologies for being the cheap-ass guy swapping some glass bottles.... I'm a broke student living in Auckland, and around the time of bottling I was especially skint!

Permalink Reply by Tilt on May 17, 2012 at 11:48pm

Having this one as I wind up work for the day - its been a long week and this is helping me glide over the bumps.

Brown copper colour with a 2 finger tan head that slowly eases to a thin lingering layer lasting to the bottom of the glass.  Not much lacing.  The aroma is big and evident at arms length - bready yeast, lively dried fruit and a touch of boozy spice.  First sip I get more of the peppery spice than fruit, richer malt and what tastes to me like a slight saltiness.  The alcohol is definitely there - on the higher end for me - and a big slightly syrupy mouthfeel.  The bitterness is firm and this plus the spice manage the sweetness well then act to finish off  the beer with a dry pleasant ending but no lingering bitterness. 

Having only had a couple of Dubbels previously to compare with I reckon this one is a pretty good representation and true to style - but for my tastes I'd ease a little on the alcohol flavour (when did you add the candi sugar - during the boil or halfway through fermentation?).  Thanks for sharing Stu and great to see so much use of Belgian yeasts in this swap.

Permalink Reply by Stu H on May 23, 2012 at 9:11pm

Hey dude, yeah the sugar went in during the boil... Reckon next time into the fermentor near the end of fermentation?

Permalink Reply by Martin Bridges on June 10, 2012 at 9:21pm

Yeah, I noticed that alcohol flavour so I reckon adding the sugar a couple of days into fermentation would be the go. You want those yeasties to get stuck into the malt and then reinvigorate them with a blast of sugar, rather than letting them go wild on the sugar straight up.

Permalink Reply by Stu H on June 11, 2012 at 11:35am

Great tip, cheers Martin. Do you do that with every beer you add sugar too?

Permalink Reply by Martin Bridges on June 11, 2012 at 11:44am

Generally, yes. If you're worried about sanitation you can hold back a small amount of wort and boil this up with the sugar, then cool it before adding to the fermenter.

Permalink Reply by John H on May 19, 2012 at 9:56pm

Had this one tonight - out on the chilly deck barbequing some nice thick lamb chops, quietly sipping your dubbel in a tulip Duvel glass. Really hit the spot on a winters evening. Overall peppery, fruity and a great mouthfeel. I gotta brew me a Belgian real soon - thanks for sharing.

Permalink Reply by Dan on May 21, 2012 at 4:25pm

For a beer of this strength - it went down smoother than a smooth thing. I've got an itch for belgians at the moment and this certainly scratched it!!

Nice warm copper colour.

Lots of spice on the nose without any noticable alcohol.

Mouthfeel was creamy - almost like I could chew on it. Great carbination level.

Big, spicey, malty, subtle alcohol warmth - well balanced.

Sublime! I wouldn't change anything.

Cheers mate - loved it!

Permalink Reply by Stu H on May 23, 2012 at 9:11pm

Hey glad you liked it Dan!

Permalink Reply by Adrian Tayler on May 23, 2012 at 6:21pm

Okay, I have to be honest... I just put down a brew and during that time I was putting away an IPA I had made.. then I had one of my CS porters... then I cleaned my palete and tried this beer and at first my mouth turned inside out and made me come directly to the recipie to see why...

At first I did not like it,  it seemed too strong in the malt and not enought freshness in the aroma and flavour or mouthfeel... but after a slow and fair tasting process, I fell in love with this brew extremely..

Beatiful flavours, it wreeks of history, style and perfection... I would love to have another case or two of this and will surely light a fire under my ass to explore this style some more...

thanks for the swap mate. cheers.

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