belgian dubbel

BELGIAN DUBBEL

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Belgian Dubbel

Belgian Dubbelby the numbers

OG: . . . . . . .1.062–1.075 (15.2–18.2 °P)FG: . . . . . . . . . .1.008–1.018 (2.0–4.6 °P)SRM: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10–17IBU: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15–25ABV: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6–7.6%

fondly remember my very firsttrip to Belgium. I was alreadypassionate about homebrewingand great beer, and I wandered

from city to city, brewery to brewery,bar to bar, and bottle shop to bottleshop seeking out new experiences andtastes of classic examples. I was par-ticularly interested in finding examplesof Belgian dubbel. It took quite awhileto find any examples at all. Whenasked, most people had no idea what Imeant by dubbel. Sometimes theythought I possibly meant Duvel.

Back then, the rest of the worlddid not have as much of a focus onbeer styles as we did in the UnitedStates. I am not certain, but I wonderif beer styles are more of a “youngcountry” type of phenomenon? Whenyou brew and sell beers by name for afew hundred years, and then someonelists it as a classic example of a styleon the other side of the world, do youreally start referring to that beer asFlanders red or do you still call itRodenbach? The same goes for manyother beer styles, although you wouldthink when there are many classicexamples, such as Westmalle Dubbel,that say “dubbel” right on the label,you might expect that asking for“dubbel” would not be met withempty stares.

Well, apparently, all of us beergeeks asking again and again haschanged the landscape. I find it mucheasier these days to ask for beer bystyle. When in Europe, I still try to askfor beers by brewery name, but moreand more you can ask by style and thebartender or bottle shop seller willknow what you are asking for.

Belgian dubbel ranges from 6 to7.6% ABV with a rich and complexmalt character, some initial sweetness,and moderate fruity esters. Someexamples have spicy notes from fer-mentation, but this should be relative-ly subtle or completely absent. Anyalcohol character should be subtle andsmooth. If the first thing you notice is

alcohol, that is a bad example ofBelgian dubbel. Your first impressionshould be malt character along with alittle malt and possibly alcohol sweet-ness. While the malt character canhave hints of caramel, chocolate ortoasted bread, those should not over-whelm the malt character. Fruityesters that come from fermentationand the malt of raisins, plums, cher-ries, pears, figs, and more should beevident. The body should be medium.Although good examples will havesome malt sweetness up front, thebeer should finish moderately dry.Even though hops play a role in bal-ancing the overall character of thisstyle, bitterness or hop charactershould not extend into the finish.Fermentation is really the centerpieceand a dry enough finish helps balancethe beer, keeping it from being overlysweet. The color is dark amber tocopper, often with ruby highlightswhen held up to the sun.

The base malt for this style, likemost Belgian beer, is continentalPilsner malt. Pilsner malt lends aslightly sweet, grainy malt characterto the beer. If you can source it,Belgian Pilsner malt is ideal. If youcannot, do not worry, even theBelgian brewers use other continentalPilsner malts. If you are an extractbrewer, try to use an extract madefrom Pilsner malt. Recipes for thisstyle range from very simple to overlycomplex. I have made award-winningexamples using both. If you want togo with a simpler, more traditionalrecipe, Pilsner, caramel Munich, anddark Belgian candi syrup is all that you need.

Overly complex recipes can betoo malty and the flavors are muddy.Yet, despite that, judges often scorethem quite high. Specialty malts suchas aromatic, melanoidin, caramelMunich, Special B, and biscuit are allfair game in this style. The trick is tobuild a rich malt character with a bal-anced malt sweetness, while avoiding

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by Jamil Zainasheff


Belgian Dubbel(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)

OG = 1.065 FG = 1.012IBU = 20 SRM = 19 ABV = 7%

Ingredients11 lbs. (5 kg) continental Pilsner malt

(2 °L)1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) caramel Munich malt

(80 °L)1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) dark Belgian candi

syrup (90 °L)4.4 AAU Tettnang pellet hops (60 min.)

(1.1 oz./31 g at 4% alpha acid)Irish moss (15 min.)White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) or

Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II) yeast2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by StepBelgian Pilsner malt would be the naturalchoice for the base malt, but I use what Ihave on hand, which is Best Malz Pilsen.The caramel Munich 80 I use is fromMalteries Franco-Belges. Feel free tosubstitute any high-quality malt of a simi-lar flavor and color from a different sup-plier. The dark Belgian candi sugar I useis D-90 from Candi Syrup Inc. My hopsare in pellet form and come from HopUnion, Crosby Hop Farm, or Hopsteinerdepending on the variety.

Mill the grains and dough-in target-ing a mash of around 1.5 quarts of waterto 1 pound of grain (a liquor-to-grist ratioof about 3:1 by weight) and a tempera-ture of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold the mash at150 °F (66 °C) until enzymatic conversionis complete. With the low mash tempera-ture, you may need to lengthen the resttime to 90 minutes or more to get fullconversion. Infuse the mash with near-boiling water while stirring or with a recir-culating mash system raise the tempera-ture to mash out at 168 °F (76 °C).Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water.Mix in the candi syrup as you collect thewort. The pre-boil kettle volume shouldbe around 6.5 gallons (25 L) and thegravity should be 1.051. If you prefer toadd the candi syrup later in the boil, thepre-boil gravity with just the mash wouldbe 1.045.

The total wort boil time for thisrecipe is 90 minutes, which helps reducethe S-Methyl Methionine (SMM) presentin the lightly kilned Pilsner malt andresults in less Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) inthe finished beer. Add the bittering hopswith 60 minutes left in the boil. Add Irishmoss or other kettle finings if you wouldlike with 15 minutes left in the boil. Chillthe wort rapidly to 68 °F (20 °C), let the

break material settle, rack to the fer-menter, pitch the yeast and aerate thor-oughly.

You will need two packages of liquidyeast or, alternatively, you can make a2.5 qt. (2.5 L) starter from 1 package.Pitch yeast at 68 °F (20 °C), aerate oroxygenate, and let the temperature riseslowly to 72 °F (22 °C) by the last 1⁄3 offermentation. Ferment until the yeastdrops clear. With healthy yeast, the bulkof fermentation should be complete in aweek, but do not rush it. It is importantfor the beer to attenuate fully. When fin-ished, carbonate the beer to approxi-mately 2.5 volumes and serve at 45-50 °F (7-10 °C).

Belgian Dubbel(5 gallons/19 L,

extract with grains)OG = 1.065 FG = 1.012

IBU = 20 SRM = 19 ABV = 7%

Ingredients7.7 lbs. (3.5 kg) Pilsner liquid malt

extract (2 °L)1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) caramel Munich malt

(80 °L)1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) dark Belgian candi

syrup (90 °L)4.4 AAU Tettnang pellet hops (60 min.)

(1.1 oz./31 g at 4% alpha acid)Irish moss (15 min.)White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) or

Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II) yeast2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by StepI use a Pilsner-type liquid malt extractcustom made for my homebrew shopfrom 100% Durst Pilsner malt, but feel free to substitute any high qualitymalt extract of a similar flavor and color.Always choose the freshest extract that fits the beer style. Freshness is vital for a great beer. If you cannot getfresh liquid malt extract, it is better to usean appropriate amount of dry maltextract instead, since it does not oxidizenearly as fast and tends to be fresher. Mycaramel Munich 80 comes from MalteriesFranco-Belges. Feel free to substituteany high-quality malt of a similar flavorand color from a different supplier. Thedark Belgian candi sugar I use is D-90from Candi Syrup Inc. My hops are inpellet form and come from Hop Union,Crosby Hop Farm, or Hopsteinerdepending on the variety.

Mill or coarsely crack the caramelMunich and place in a grain bag. Avoid

packing the grains too tightly in the bag,using more bags if needed. Steep thebag in about 1 gallon (~4 liters) of waterat 160 °F (71 °C) for about 60 minutes.Lift the grain bag out of the steeping liq-uid and rinse with more warm water.Allow the bag to drip into the kettle for afew minutes while you add the maltextract. Do not squeeze the bags. Addthe candi syrup, malt extract, andenough water to the steeping liquor tomake a pre-boil volume of 6 gallons(23 L) and a gravity of 1.054. Stir thor-oughly to help dissolve the extract andbring to a boil.

The total wort boil time is 60 min-utes. Add the bittering hops when thewort comes to a boil. Add Irish moss or other kettle finings with 15 minutes leftin the boil. Chill the wort rapidly to 68 °F(20 °C), let the break material settle, rackto the fermenter, pitch the yeast and aer-ate thoroughly.

Follow the fermentation and packaging instructions for the all-grainversion of this recipe.


an overall muddy, generic maltiness.Good fermentation helps with this,but keep the total specialty maltsdown below 20% of the total grist.

Caramel malt adds some residualmalt sweetness and is an importantpart of this style, but you do not wanta distinct caramel flavor. You shouldavoid the mid- and lower-colorcaramel malts (the ones that are 10–40 °L), which can add too muchcandy-like caramel character. Instead,darker crystal malts (80–150°L) add adark fruit, raisin-plum note and do notseem as candy-like. It is a good com-plement to the fermentation characterand helps fill out the malt profile ofthe beer. In general, your crystal maltamounts are going to range from 5 to10% of the total grist, although excep-tions are possible.

I have brewed Belgian dubbelusing a wide range of mash tempera-ture, from 148 °F to 158 °F (64 to 70°C). When brewing a bigger versionof this style I target a lower mashtemperature to create a more fer-mentable wort. When brewing asmaller version, I use a higher mashtemperature to ensure the resultingbeer does not end up too thin in char-acter. A mash temperature around150 °F to 154 °F (66 °C to 68 °C) is agood starting point. For extract brew-ers, most light colored extracts atten-uate well enough. Whether you arebrewing all-grain or extract, you canuse a portion of simple sugar such astable sugar or a Belgian-type candisugar. Keep in mind that you still wanta medium body, so do not overdo it onthe simple sugars. Generally, 5 to 10%of the grist is plenty. If you want touse lots of Belgian dark candi syrupfor character, then you might alsoneed to raise the mash temperature to compensate.

The balance and dry finish ofmost Belgian ales comes from a com-bination of alcohols, phenols, carbona-tion and minimal hops. I prefer to stickwith noble hops such as Saaz,Hallertau, or Tettnang. Traditionally,breweries also use Styrian Goldingsand in a pinch, other varieties such asMount Hood, Liberty, or KentGoldings are fine as well. I prefer a

single large charge of low alpha hopsnear the beginning of the boil. The fla-vor of that early addition can carrythrough and will provide a subtle hopcharacter. Nowadays more brewersare experimenting with increased hopcharacter in all beers, but I wouldavoid going with late additions in thisstyle. The bitterness-to-starting gravi-ty ratio (IBU divided by original gravi-ty) ranges between 0.2 and 0.4,although most brewers will want totarget approximately 0.3 unless you are getting a very dry finish from fermentation.

The characteristic fruity/spicy fla-vors and aromas of this style comefrom fermentation, not from the addi-tion of fruits or spices. While somebrewers may try to fake a Belgiandubbel by fermenting with their stan-dard house yeast and adding spices,the problem is that spices will neverreally take the place of proper yeastselection and fermentation. You can-not fake the subtle complexity thatcomes from fermentation with spiceadditions. It is better to focus on per-fecting fermentation.

There are several great yeaststrains for brewing this style, but twoof my favorites are White LabsWLP530 (Abbey Ale) and Wyeast1762 (Belgian Abbey II). Other excel-lent choices are White Labs WLP500(Trappist Ale), WLP540 (Abbey IVAle Yeast), WLP545 (Belgian StrongAle), WLP550 (Belgian Ale Yeast),Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity),and Wyeast (1214 Belgian Abbey).You cannot go wrong with any ofthese yeast strains. When selectingyeast, keep in mind that this style ismore about the fruity notes than spicyphenols. Whatever strain you use,remember that your fermentationconditions affect what flavors and aro-mas the yeast produce. Pitching rate,oxygen level, nutrients, and tempera-ture are like dials on your controlpanel of fermentation flavor. Gettingthe right settings is your job as abrewer.

One question that many brewershave about Belgian beers is fermenta-tion temperature. Often homebrew-ers will say, “Brewery X ferments

their beer at XX °F, so that is the fermentation temperature I use.”However, that most likely will not bethe right temperature for you, if youare trying to make a beer like theirs.Temperature is only one of many fer-mentation parameters. For example,fermenter height plays a role in flavordevelopment, with very tall fermen-ters (like big commercial cylindroconi-cal types) suppressing ester and fuselalcohol production. The shape of thebrewery’s fermenters, their pitchingrates, their oxygen levels, their yeastcollection and repitching methods mayall be different from yours, whichchanges the production of esters, fuselalcohols and other aspects of fermen-tation. When you use the same fer-mentation temperature in your brew-ery with disregard for the other para-meters, you may end up with fruitsalad dissolved in paint thinner. Well,maybe not that bad, but pretty darnclose. Do not let “how the classicbrewery does it” determine yourprocess unless you are using the sameequipment and methods. Instead, getto know the beer style intimately andwork on adjusting your process untilyou are making an outstanding exam-ple. It might take many tries and avastly different process for you toachieve those results, but that is thefun of homebrewing.

With most of these yeasts I rec-ommend pitching at a rate of 0.75 mil-lion cells per milliliter per degree Plato(see the pitching rate calculator atwww.mrmalty.com for help in calcu-lating this for your beer). Pitch theyeast and allow 12 to 36 hours for themajority of yeast growth, then rampup the temperature for the rest of fer-mentation to ensure good attenua-tion. For example, pitch the yeast at68 °F (20 °C) and at the end of thenext day slowly begin raising the tem-perature each day. Try to end up at 72 °F (22 °C) by the last 1⁄3 of fermen-tation. Depending on the yeast strainand other parameters, you may find ahigher or lower temperature or afaster or slower rise in temperaturegives you the ideal result, so do not be afraid to tweak things until you getit right.

One concern with any Belgianbeer, especially if you use a high per-centage of specialty malts, is gettingenough attenuation to avoid a finishthat is too sweet. Many brewers gowith lower and lower mash tempera-tures in an attempt to achieve this, butthat is not always the problem. It is notan issue of long chain dextrins. Thosedextrins are not very sweet and theycan be present in a dry beer. Theimportant thing is to make sure youferment out as much of the simplersugars completely.

If you leave a lot of unfermented maltose, then the beer is going to tastesweet, even though it might attenuatewell. The key to getting enough atten-uation is starting with a healthy pitchof yeast, aerating or oxygenating prop-erly, and controlling fermentation tem-peratures.

Oxygen is important to yeasthealth and is necessary for fermenta-tion to reach terminal gravity in a reasonable amount of time. However,too much or too little oxygen can haveunintended consequences, so addingthe right amount of oxygen is impor-tant. That is difficult for many home-brewers, but you should try to controlthe amount of oxygen added by mea-suring timing and flow rate. Theamount of oxygen required is a balancing act and can result in exces-sively high or low esters and fusel alco-hols. If you are using air, there is nochance of over-aerating your wort, butthere is a chance of under-aerating. Ifyou are using oxygen with a sinteredstone, a good starting point for 5 gal-lons (19 L) is a flow of 1 quart (1 L) perminute for 1 minute. You might go upor down from there, as experienceshows you what is right for your brew-ing. Over aeration can result in sol-vent-like flavors. Under aeration oftenresults in a lack of attenuation, result-ing in too sweet a finish.

If you are having trouble getting abeer with simple sugars in the recipe toattenuate enough, one trick that mighthelp is waiting until fermentation isnearly done before adding the sugar.Waiting until fermentation has startedto slow is like telling your kids to finishtheir dinner before they can havedessert. If you do not do that, some-

times they will fill up on dessert firstand have little desire to eat their dinnerafterwards. When I do this I dissolvethe sugar in just enough boiling waterto make a syrup. Once it cools, I add itto the beer. The yeast will consumesimple sugars first before they consumemaltose. Adding the simple sugars laterensures that the yeast consume asmuch maltose as possible before thesimple sugars.

If your beer is attenuating properlybut still tastes sweeter than it should,it might be fermentation-related com-pounds that are making it seem toosweet. If that is the case, then youneed to revisit your fermentation para-meters and/or try a different yeaststrain.

Related Links:• Yeast strains play a defining role inshaping the character of Belgian beers.Learn how to select the right yeaststrain and take control of your fermen-tation by varying your pitching rate,aeration level and fermentation tem-perature: http://byo.com/story1664

• Want more recipes? This story fromthe November 2000 issue recreates sixlegendary Belgian beers:http://byo.com/story576


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