Homebrewed Belgian Wit

I've been on the road a lot lately, but with a little help from friends, was able to get my Belgian Wit kegged and carbonated. It was my first stab at the style and while it's fairly tasty, and I've only gotten positive feedback (it's hard to get people to complain about free beer), I think I fermented it too hot. It's been a sweaty summer and I'll stick to Belgian saisons again next August since they can take 80F days without any off-flavors. There's a very slight, but burnt sulfur note I could do without. I also think it came off a little too bitter for the style, but I can always live with extra hops.

Here's the recipe. Next batch I'll try a little coriander, vanilla, and citrus. I wanted to try a clean beer this round. This was also my first wheat beer with rice hulls. Based on previous lauterings, that half pound saved me 20-30 minutes by keeping the mash from sticking.

5 gal batch

5# Belgian Pils
4# Flaked wheat
1# Flaked oats
.25# Belgian Munich
.5# rice hulls

1 oz. Liberty (4.9% AA @ 60min)

Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit yeasr

OG: 1.044
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.5%

As always, thanks to everyone at ELF Gardens and the Jungle Room for your help.

Drinking & Reviewing Olvalde Farm & Brewing

I'm back in Minnesota for the holidays and have a lot of catching up to do on 2011's new breweries in the state. On the way back from the airport, I swung by St. Paul's Wine Thief and Ale Jail, which has a great craft beer boutique section that will Minneapolis beer lovers of the Four Firkins. Among other fancy beers, I picked up both offerings from Rollingstone, MN's Olvalde Farm & Brewing Company: Ode To A Russian Shipwright and The Auroch's Horn.

Not many breweries brew beers honoring Peter the Great, and even few name Belgian ales after extinct wild cattle (wiki auroch), but Olvalde is far from your average midwestern brewery.

The Auroch's Horn
Olvalde Farm & Brewing Company
Belgian Strong Pale Ale | 10.00% ABV

3.95/5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer doesn't quite jump out of the glass, but it's an impressive US-made Belgian. For the strength, it seems a touch muted, but there's a wonderful mix of soft pale malt and spicy Belgian yeast. Hops add a mild citrus undertone and balance to sweet, toasty grains. Check this out, it's a great example of a subtle Belgian ale.


Ode To A Russian Shipwright
Olvalde Farm & Brewing Company
American Porter

4.15/5
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An imperial stout porter? Well it certainly doesn't taste like your average imperial stout. For a strong, dark beer, it's a little lighter in body and dials back the big roast. Instead, there's a more interesting mix of cocoa and mild mocha with the spicy rye and herbal spruce. Nothing's overpowering, and nothing's normal - I like that. My only complaint is that I'm pulling a little rubber phenol out of the beer, but it's a minor knock on an otherwise awesome beer. Go find this and enjoy.

Homebrew: Belgian Amber Ale

After some interesting results I've had recently with my Belgians recently - a spicy pale ale and a funky lambic - so I decided to give the genre another shot with a beer inspired by a recent favorite of mine, Flat Earth Belgian Pale Ale.

Here's the recipe:

7# Weyermann Pils
12 oz. Victory
12 oz. Biscuit
12 oz. Wheat
12 oz. Caramunich

1 oz. Challenger @ 60
1 oz. Saaz @ 30
1 oz. Saaz @ 5
1 oz. Herbsrucker @ 5
*Muslin bag used

Wyeast Activator Ardennes
OG: 1.059
FG: 1.008
IBU: ~40
ABV: 6.4%

Tasting Notes - 1/28/08 - Transfer to Secondary
Sweet and fruity with odd herbal flavors. This could get good or bad. The beer's been moved into the attic for two weeks of cold lagering.

Tasting Notes - 2/10/08 - Bottling
After two week of lagering in the 45-50F attic, this beer is fairly clear and the flavor has smoothed over to a nice, spicy mix of flavors including grassy hops and toasted malt. Yum. Should be ready to drink before the end of the month.

Beer Review: Houten Kop

Here's a delicious Belgian amber I got from Santa (thank god he has good taste).

Houten Kop
Belgian Pale Ale
Brouwerij Strubbe

B+ / 4.2
appearance: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 5 | drinkability: 5

Poured into my Hennepin stem glass it's a mostly clear amber with a fluffy white head. The aroma reminds me of a chardonnay (but better) at first with a slightly acidic and sweet biscuit aroma - nice in a different sort of way. The flavor is a subtle and well-balanced mix of caramel, apple sugar candy, bubblegum, white grapes, herbal/perfume-like hops and yeast. Really, this is what Belgian beer is all about. It's a little funky, but finely balanced with an array of aromas and flavors. A must-try for Belgian pale ale fans.