Tom Thompson's Belgian Dubbel

5 Gallons 

 
Malts:        13 lbs     Belgian Pale Ale Malt
               .5 lb     Belgian Aromatic Malt
               .5 lb     Belgian Special B
               .5 lb     Rolled Wheat
Adjuncts:      2 lbs     Dark Belgian Candi Sugar
 
Hops:          1 oz      Cluster or Perle        90 min
 
Yeast:                   Wyeast 1056, 1728 or 1762 (see brewer's notes)
Starting Gravity:        1.085
Final Gravity:           n/a

Brewer's notes:

  1. Use a yeast starter! Have at least a half gallon of starter.
  2. Use 21 quarts (5 ¬ gallon) water at 161 or 162 degrees, for a mash temperate of 150 to 152 degrees. Hold at mash temperature for 2 hours. Sparge off 6 gallons of wort.
  3. Bring wort to boil, boil for one half hour. Remember this much malt gives a very viscous wort, subject to huge boil overs. Use as big a pot as possible.
  4. Add hops. Boil for one hour ten minutes
  5. Add Candi sugar and ¬ Teaspoon Irish Moss. Boil 20 minutes.
  6. Chill to 72 degrees, aerate well and add yeast.
  7. Ferment warm, between 72 and 78 degrees.
  8. Rack into a secondary fermentor. Top up fermentor with boiled water to within one inch of the airlock. The low hop acids can invite oxidation. Wait until fermentation is complete in two to three weeks.
  9. Age in carboy for additional two weeks. Chill to 38 degrees for two days.
  10. Bottle with three quarter cup of brown sugar and a new yeast culture. Store warm for two weeks, keep as close to 80 degrees as possible.