Belgian Starter Beer
I recently bought a vial of White Labs WLP530 for use in a Belgian Trippel. Since this would require a pretty major starter, I decided to just make a 5 gallon batch of a light Belgian style ale as a starter…using that much extract I might as well bump it up and have something to drink from it!
Pretty basic…Pilsner and Extra Light DME, some Hallertau for bittering and Saaz at finish. Started fermentation at 65F and ramped up to 70F.
I boiled harder than expected again on my 5 gallon pot, so came out 4 points higher on the OG (1.044). I will make some adjustments to the equipment entry for this pot in Beersmith to accommodate (evaporation percentage).
Also, I used Fermcap for the first time. Very impressed so far. Boiled hard, and didn’t have to babysit the pot at all while the boil was starting. Could be very useful for large batches.
Here is the recipe for the starter:
| Belgian Starter |
| Belgian Specialty Ale |
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Type: Extract |
Date: 7/17/2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Batch Size: 5.50 gal |
Brewer: Dave Blue | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Boil Size: 6.66 gal | Asst Brewer: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Boil Time: 60 min | Equipment: Brew Pot (9 gal) and Igloo Cooler (12 Gal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 | Brewhouse Efficiency: – | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Taste Notes: | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Ingredients |
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Beer Profile |
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Est Original Gravity: 1.040 SG |
Measured Original Gravity: 1.044 SG | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG | Measured Final Gravity: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.94 % | Actual Alcohol by Vol: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bitterness: 17.2 IBU | Calories: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Est Color: 3.0 SRM | Color:
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Blue's Brews 