Belgian Dubbel Hops

[BluesHarp]

Here is my recipe:

A ProMash Brewing Session - Recipe Details Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 2.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.22
Anticipated OG: 1.078 Plato: 18.85
Anticipated SRM: 25.7
Anticipated IBU: 19.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 30 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.16 lbs. Chocolate Malt Great Britain 1.034 338
0.31 lbs. Biscuit Malt Belgium 1.035 24
0.50 lbs. CaraMunich Malt Belgium 1.033 48
0.75 lbs. Candi Sugar (dark) Generic 1.046 275
7.50 lbs. Muntons DME - Extra Light England 1.046 4

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.00 oz. Styrian Goldings Pellet 4.00 19.6 40 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz Whole 2.50 0.0 10 min steep (off heat)


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 Tsp Irish Moss Fining 15 Min.(boil)
8.00 Oz Malto Dextrin Other 60 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP530 Abbey Ale

OG - 1.078
FG - 1.021

My question is...the beer has been in secondary for two weeks; it tastes quite good, but seems a bit "bland" like it needs just a bit more hop flavor.

Should I dry-hop with a bit more Saaz or Styrian Golding?

I realize this style isn't heavily hopped, but it just needs a bit of seasoning, sort of like a soup that needs just a bit of salt.

I wonder if all will be well once it conditions a while longer and gets carbonated...

Any thoughts???

[YamahaXS]

i would let it go as is. that said, i would think more saaz would be a good thing.

sorry for the conflicted reply.

[axis714]

IMHO Saaz is a delicate hop. Im not familiar w/Belgians as I have never brewed one,but its never a bad thing to want hop flavor to shine through...I would consider adding a hop tea(as per style) to accomodate your own personal taste. It seems to me that with the candi sugar and malto dextrine , along with the late addition Saaz,you may not have picked up all the flavor and aroma youre looking for. Especially if you used whole leaf saaz, Ive recently had to adjust my saaz hops to almost twice my recipe amount as I believe this to be late in the season and the hops have degraded in storage enough to throw off my IBUs a little. Just a personal observation,from my supply from LD Carlson.

[I'mRocketMan]

I used 1 oz Fuggles for bittering and 1 oz of Saaz for aroma and really liked to way it turned out.. The only problem is that it is gone... sniff sniff..

Cheers! Rocket

[S.F.B.]

My thoughts on this is let it go as is. It may come through. I brewed a Belgian Strong that was pretty bland until it was kegged, carbonated and sat for a few months.

I am not a big believer in tweeking once a beer is this far along. Take what you learn from this brew and try something different next time. Maybe different hops all together or just longer in the boil. By style a Dubbel only uses hops for bittering and aroma.

[HogieWan]

Once carbonated, you'll get more aroma and therefore more percieved flavor

Tell me how it turns out - I'm going to do a belgian soon and this recipe seems pretty good.

[BluesHarp]

Thanks guys...
The recipe is pretty much straight from the book "Beer Captured"; it is a Westmalle Trappist Dubbel clone.
I tweaked it just a bit due to hop Alpha differences; I let Promash tell me when I had hit the SG and IBU numbers the recipe referenced.
I think maybe leaving it alone is the thing to do.
Two things lead me to this conclusion:

1) S.F.B.'s experience with a similar beer; and

2) I've been brewing mostly big malty, hoppy beasts lately...so my judgement of the flavor of a green "delicate" beer may just be off.

[S.F.B.]

Let us know how this comes out.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by S.F.B.
Let us know how this comes out.

I certainly will...
I may keg this weekend, and sample the end of the month.
The beer has cleared pretty well.