With all its malt and hoppy goodness, does it get any better than sipping on a pale ale lounging by the pool in summer? I say no, and this Belgian pale brings so much to the pool party with its spicy, peppery, earthy, estery deliciousness.
My heritage ties me to Belgium, and I can’t wait to finally make it back there. But when I think about the place, the first thing that springs to mind is beer followed by chocolate. I’m definitely more interested in the first option, however, while the wife is all about the second!
As you look around the world, it’s pretty obvious that each country has its own beer style that’s unique to it – like, as you’ll find out in our Kölsch articles this issue, Cologne in Germany. And Belgium is right up there with being famous for some of the best beers in the world – like their Abbey and Trappist ales. One of the reasons Belgium’s are so unique is the yeast strain used.
Belgian yeast brings flavour profiles such as cloves, peppercorns and bubblegum. These characteristics can be quite pronounced or equally as subtle depending on the brewer and the method. It’s also a very versatile yeast as it has higher alcohol tolerance levels making it great for Belgian Strong Ales, Trippels, Dubbels, Quads and the like.
Substituting regular ale yeast for a Belgian yeast brings so much more to the beer and you could even go ahead and adopt Belgian yeast to any brew to take it up a notch. One of the most outstanding beers I have had in the last few years was Pirate Life’s Belgian Black IPA. Sadly, I don’t think they brew this anymore but that was an absolute belter. By now you will know I’m a huge fan of the Black IPA, and due to last issue, where I think there were two or three recipes, I thought I had better not do it again! But that Belgian yeast took an awesome BIPA to a new level.
So go ahead and brew your favourite beer with a Belgian yeast, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Pimping the classic
We all love a US pale ale. They have been the staple for many craft drinker for years, and they really were the first style to introduce craft beers to the Australian market. We have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, then Little Creatures Pale to thank for that. That was a long time ago, and there have been hundreds of US pale ales brewed by different breweries since then and I am sure you have had your fair share of them. I love the classics, and the US pale is an awesome beer. But when things get pimped, and they’re taken up a notch, I like them even more. After you have had thousands of pale ales, you want something a little different and the Belgian pale delivers.
The characteristics of esters, phenolic and spicy depth that the Belgian yeast brings is superb. Married up with the small amount of rye I used, makes for a very different pale.
Brew Day
As this is a pretty standard beer, we just need to concentrate on the fundamentals and make sure you give the yeast the best chance to showcase its wonderful characteristics. Belgian yeast like things a little warmer than other strains, so let’s aim for 20°C during fermentation. Some Belgian beers ferment warmer and some cooler depending on the ester characteristics you are after.
Obviously the warmer, the more pronounced these flavours will be. If you decide you like your Belgians a little more punchy, then go ahead and increase the ferment temperature accordingly.
Get your brewing water set to US pale parameters, that is fairly low in carbonates and higher in calcium levels. Check your local water profile before adding any brewing salts, but usually a teaspoon or two of Gypsum or Calcium Chloride is going to get you near what you want.
It’s pretty much an open book for music on this brew day. Something easy listening, funky, oh and of course metal! I am not sure this even exists. Anyway, enjoy brewing this pale and let me know how you went with it.
Belgian Pale Ale
All grain (expected figures)
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.010
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 42
Volume: 19 litres
Ingredients
2.5kg Pale malt
1.5kg Munich malt
500g Wheat malt
100g Rye malt
23g Galaxy hops
20g Vic Secret hops
20g Centennial hops
15g Cascade hops
1 pkg White Labs WLP550
Belgian Ale Yeast
Method
1. Heat brewing liquor to 72°C to hit a mash temp of 68°C.
2. Mash in and maintain mash at 68°C for 60 minutes.
3. Re-circ, sparge, and run off into kettle.
4. Bring to a boil and add Galaxy hops for a 60 minute boil.
5. With 15 minutes left on the boil add the Cascade hops.
6. At flame out add Vic Secret hops and whirlpool.
7. Chill wort to 18°C and transfer into fermenter.
8. Aerate or oxygenate wort well prior to adding yeast.
9. Pitch the yeast and ferment at 20°C.
10. On day five add Centennial hops.
11. Keg or bottle as usual.
Extract with specialty grains (expected figures)
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.010
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 42
Volume: 19 litres
Ingredients
1.9kg Pale malt extract
1.2kg Munich malt extract
500g Wheat malt
100g Rye malt
23g Galaxy hops
20g Vic Secret hops
20g Centennial hops
15g Cascade hops
1 pkg White Labs WLP550 Belgian Ale Yeast
Method
1. Heat six litres of water in your brew pot to 72°C.
2. Add specialty malts in hop or grain bag and mash at 68°C for 40 minutes.
3. Remove bag from wort and allow to drain, increase the heat.
4. As the water heats up, add half the extract and stir to dissolve.
5. Once boiling, add all the Galaxy hops for a 60 minute boil.
6. With 15 minutes left on the boil add the Cascade hops.
7. At flame out add Vic Secret hops and whirlpool.
8. Remove from heat and set the pot in a cold/ice water bath to cool for 15 minutes then strain into a fermenter.
9. Add remaining extract and top up with cool water to the 17 litre mark and stir vigorously.
10. Check the temperature and top up to the 19 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if necessary) to hit 18°C.
11. Aerate or oxygenate wort well prior to adding yeast.
12. Pitch the yeast and ferment at 20°C.
13. On day five add Centennial hops.
14. Keg or bottle as usual
For all the other recipes in our continuing weekly series, head here. If you have a recipe you’d like to share with us, email Deb on djackson@intermedia.com.au.
