After trying to think of a notable black Belgian to make another celebrity pun-named beer, I realized the only well known Belgian person is the Mussels from Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Sure, he's white, but I can bring this thing all together with the following clip that came forward from the depths of my memory:
Since I found an excuse to bring up the great Jean-Claude in a beer blog, I might as well post a clip of his finest work; a fight to the death with a penguin-suited mascot in the 1995 classic Sudden Death:
The Beer:
I wanted this stout to be big at 7.5% ABV but with a dry mouthfeel of a Belgian ale. The recipe has big stout characteristics with oatmeal, roasted malts, and a high O.G, but is mashed low at 148 and dried out further with table sugar and D-180 Dark Candi Sugar Syrup.
D-180 Dark Candi Sugar syrup. Taste is really sweet, with a dark, fig-like sweetness that tastes distinctly Belgian. |
For hops, I decided to add a small amount of Serebrianka for the fruity, tobacco complexity I blogged about before. I used just a small amount, so if I can adjust the level through dry-hopping when I keg it. The yeast is Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey, which I used last week for my Belgian Pale Ale.
Recipe (5.5 gallons):
Malt/Fermentables:
9.5# Belgian Pilsner Malt (67%)
1.5# Torrified Wheat (11%)
12 oz. UK Chocolate Malt (5%)
8 oz. Roasted Barley (4%)
8 oz. Oats (4%)
1# Candi Syrup 180-D (7%)
8 oz. Table Sugar (4%)
Mash:
Single Infusion, 148 degrees, one hour. 1.25 qts/lb.
I always love drinking the first runnings of a dark beer. |
Hops (41 ibu's)
.75 oz. Nugget, 15.1% AA @ 90 minutes
.25 oz Nugget, 15.1% AA @10 minutes
.5 oz Serebrianka, 3.5% AA @10 minutes
Yeast:
Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey re-pitched from previous batch.