Stephen & Hayley’s Winter Warmer 2011 - Belgian Dark Strong Ale - 2012 National Homebrew Competition Winner

Ingredients

For 6.5 Gallons (24.61 L)

    14.1 lb (6.41 kg) Pilsner malt
    2.7 lb (1.22 kg) Special B malt
    2.3 lb (1.08 kg) dark caramelized table sugar
    2.0 oz (57 g) Wyermann Carafa® III malt
    1.0 oz (28 g) Challenger pellet hops, 7% a.a. (60 min)
    0.5 oz (14 g) Cluster pellet hops, 7% a.a. (60 min)
    0.5 oz (14 g) Willamette pellet hops, 4.8 % a.a. (20 min)
    0.5 oz (14 g) Willamette pellet hops, 4.8 % a.a. (10 min)
    Wyeast 3739 Flanders Golden ale yeast and Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity ale yeast (1.5 cups harvested slurry)
    1 qt canned wort to carbonate
    1 tablet WhirlFloc (20 min)
    0.5 tsp gypsum
    0.5 tsp calcium chloride
 

Specifications

    Original Gravity: 1.088
    Final Gravity: 1.009
    ABV: 10.37%
    IBU: 24.1
    SRM: 25
 

Directions

    Mash in at 131° F (55° C) and hold for 15 minutes.  Raise to 140° F (60° C) and hold for 15 minutes.  Raise to 145° F (63° C) and hold for one hour.  Mash out at 158° F (70° C) for 15 minutes.  Table sugar was mixed with 1 cup water and boiled on stove until dark, smoking, and almost burnt, then added to the boil.  Aerated for two minutes with pure O2 before pitching, and for one minute 12 hours after pitching.  Pitched at 68° F (20° C) slowly allowed to get to 80° + F (27° C) over three days, held at 80° + F for two more days, brought back down to 68° F (20° C) over two days.  Racked and conditioned two weeks at 68° F (20° C).  Lagered at 38° F (3° C) for three days, then bottled