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Brooklyn Brew Shop's Bourbon Dubbel

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Category: Food Groups
Forum Name: Beverages
Forum Discription: A place to discuss beverages in general, from wine pairings to brewing and everything in-between - and just what ARE the 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper?
URL: http://foodsoftheworld.ActiveBoards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=4710
Printed Date: 28 March 2024 at 13:40


Topic: Brooklyn Brew Shop's Bourbon Dubbel
Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Subject: Brooklyn Brew Shop's Bourbon Dubbel
Date Posted: 24 October 2016 at 10:09
Brooklyn Brew Shop's Bourbon Dubbel - Tips and Advice

This is just a quick post to get things started - more details coming as soon as I can.

Yesterday - 23 October 2016 - I brewed a Bourbon Dubbel, from http://brooklynbrewshop.com/ - Brooklyn Brew Shop :

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/



Here is some relevant information:

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/bourbon-dubbel - Description of the beer and product information :

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/bourbon-dubbel

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/directions/Brooklyn%20Brew%20Shop%20-%20Bourbon%20Dubbel%20Instructions.pdf - Instructions :

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/directions/Brooklyn%20Brew%20Shop%20-%20Bourbon%20Dubbel%20Instructions.pdf

https://vimeo.com/31425005 - Awesome, must-see video :

https://vimeo.com/31425005

I also have the recipe for this beer from Brooklyn Brew Shops Beer Making Book, and was able to use that as a resource. The recipe is for 1 or 5 gallons, so if anyone is interested in trying this, please shoot me a PM, and I can email it to you.

Some quick details here - more later.

The brew went well, with no significant issues. Mash, sparge, boil, chill-down and pitching of the yeast were all without incident.

This beer employs Belgian Pilsner, Munich, Special B and Caramel 60 malts. It is, in my opinion, a really magical combination. If the aromas I was getting during the mash are any indication, this is going to be a very special beer. The colour was deep and on the dark side, similar to an English Brown Ale, but richer, in a way. I am pretty sure that it is going to clear out beautifully, and leave behind a fantastic-looking dubbel.

I was able to use Safale S33, which is the recommended yeast for this beer.

This beer uses Styrian Golding hops. The hops schedule in the book was different from the one in the instructions, even though all else was equal; because of this, I went with a middle-of-the-road schedule, with additions at 60, 30 and 5 minutes left in the boil.

This beer also employs clear Belgian Candi Sugar in order to boost the ABV to 7.0%. I briefly considered a darker candi sugar, in order to add some character; but since I don't actually have any on hand, it was just a muse.

The special thing about this beer, of course, is the addition of charred oak chips soaked in bourbon. For this, I chose Big Horn Bourbon, from Willie's Distillery in Ennis, Montana:



Being a life-long Montanan, using a Montana product only made sense:



The bourbon was very smooth and silky, with an enticing aroma that is going to compliment the oak chips and this beer very well:



For anyone wanting more information about his bourbon, you can http://williesdistillery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bighorn%20Bourbon.pdf - click here :

http://williesdistillery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bighorn%20Bourbon.pdf

I'll post more when I am able to, including some stats, a label design and (hopefully) some historical information about Belgian dubbels. For now, this is what I have. Please feel free to follow along, post comments and offer feedback. If you have any questions, let me know and I will answer them as best as I can. If you'd like to try this beer, shoot me a PM.

More as it happens, etc. &c....

Ron

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Replies:
Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 26 October 2016 at 09:54
I've been keeping an eye on this beer as it ferments. The S33 yeast was really doing it's thing the first day; but over the last two days, it has been calming down a bit. Ambient temperatures have been in the mid- to high 60s, which seems to be quite alright.

Tonight, I'll replace the blow-off tube with an air-lock, and will leave it alone for the next couple of weeks, until it is bottled.

I'll try to enter the "particulars" and post stats etc. (based on the recipe) sometime today or this evening, but during the last week of the month, it is usually difficult, so it might be later.

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Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 27 October 2016 at 12:19
As promised, here are a few stats based on entering the recipe into the Brewer's Friend app. The ABV is slightly off, due to the addition of the bourbon.

Original Gravity - 1.069
Final Gravity - 1.020
ABV - 6.42% (should be 7.0 with bourbon added)
SRM - 15.64
IBUs - 21.06

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Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 01 November 2016 at 09:40
Here is the label that I designed for this beer:



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Posted By: gonefishin
Date Posted: 01 November 2016 at 13:37
   Love the label...sounds like it's going to be a nice one!

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Enjoy The Food!


Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 01 November 2016 at 14:43
Thanks, Dan!

I just noticed that I put the ABV as 7.7. It's actually 7.0 but it's too much darn trouble to correct it, so this label will just have to be false advertising! LOL

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Posted By: gonefishin
Date Posted: 01 November 2016 at 16:49
    with the type, it's a collectors item!

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Enjoy The Food!


Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 30 November 2016 at 19:59
This evening, 30 November 2016, I put this beer in the refrigerator to cold-crash. i plan to bottle it this weekend.

I had a real case of yeast rafts floating on top of the beer in the fermenter; in my experience this will not be a problem, but it is always a bit disconcerting to see them.

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Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 04 December 2016 at 01:55
Tonight, 3 December 2016, I bottled this bourbon dubbel. I think it's going to be a very special beer.

The process went quite smoothly; there were no complications and I hardly spilled a drop at all, thanks to my mini auto-siphon and spring-tipped bottling wand. I used two tablespoons of maple syrup for the gallon of beer, and was able to fill 9 bottles, with a little left over for sampling. 

WOW - this is not even carbonated yet, and it really is something...just a bit smoky, very silky and a hint of vanilla to go with a really nice presence from the bourbon. The malted grains and hops work right in beautifully, as well. The colour and aroma were unique deep and rich. The colour was a dark brown with a reddish tinge that was just beautiful - there is no other word for it. The aroma was similarly exquisite; the smoky vanilla was maddening, and combined with the malts and hops, it became something more than the sum of its parts. 

I am thinking that after a month or two of maturing in the bottle, this is really going to be one of my favourite beers.

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Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 04 January 2017 at 09:09
I've sampled this beer twice since bottling, and there are some seriously good things going on with it. I'll provide more as I work my way through the batch, but here are some preliminary impressions.

Thanks to extreme care and cold-crashing, the beer is pretty clear; I expect it to clear up a little more, with the passage of time. The colour is a dark, amberish-looking brown, with hints of red, if I remember correctly. I have no memories - good or bad - of how the head was (keep in mind that both times I tried this, I was also enjoying quite a few other beers and this one was last in line!). Good carbonation, nice mouthfeel.

Aroma is prominent with the bourbon, a little vanilla and a little smoke - perhaps some spicy and earthy qualities, too. The taste is smooth and reminiscent of caramel, with a healthy presence of the bourbon, as well, with the smoky vanilla that is expected from the booze and the oak chips. There might also be a bit of plum and spice in there, as advertised. The two samplings that I had were about 2 weeks apart, and I noticed a definite "smoothing out" and maturation with the second sampling. I predict that it is really going to be something in a month or so.

That's about all I can think of for now; I'll try to provide more impressions with future tastings, and will surely endeavor to get a photo, as well. In the meantime, this beer is absolutely worth a try.

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Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 04 April 2017 at 12:44
This beer keeps getting better as it ages - the last time I tried it, it was so smooth and rich, it was like a bottle of liquid toffee.

Here are a couple of photos -

11 February 2017:



14 March 2017:



I plan to be brewing this again, and often. As I've mentioned before, I do have the recipe, so if anyone wants to try it, please let me know.

Ron

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