Cloning Westmalle? I’d start with the yeast
I have a little trouble getting my bearings when it comes to clone recipes, so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. These things, after all, are facts:
- People buy “Brew Like a Monk” or “Brewing with Wheat” because they want to make a beer just like Chimay White or Schneider Aventinus, and I like it when people by my books. Although they don’t contain clone recipes, they have pretty much all the information you need to write your own.
- The least favorable review of BLAM at Amazon.com comes from a reader who was disappointed the book didn’t include clones recipes.
- Books like CloneBrews, 2nd Edition: Recipes for 200 Brand-Name Beers
I don’t expect that to change, so please don’t consider what follows sour grapes. The other day I flipped through the second edition of CloneBrews at the bookstore, curious what beers are included and about the recipe details. OK, and to see if they perpetuate the myth about clear candi sugar, a discussion we don’t need to revisit.
I was really surprised to see the yeast strain suggested for fermenting Westmalle Tripel is Wyeast 1214, for the simple reason that strain came originally from Chimay (a long time ago, so the Wyeast and Chimay versions wouldn’t be quite the same today). After all, Wyeast sells a strain that originated with Westmalle (3787). I was even more surprised to see Wyeast 1762 suggested as the second choice, since that one came out of Rochefort and its characteristic flavors and aromas are quite different.
(The quick and dirty technical details: Both 3787 and 1214 produce both more of the ester isoamyl acetate — banana and other fruits — and the phenol 4-vinyl guaiacol than 1762. Details.)
The bottom line is that were I trying to clone Westmalle Tripel I’d use Wyeast 3787, White Labs WL530 or see what I could talk Brewing-Science Institute out of.
And as long as I am at it, a few other suggestions. CloneBrews version would produce a 9% abv beer, although the Westmalle label says it is 9.5% and a bottle checked in a lab in 2004 was 9.6%. The CB recipe suggests aiming for a beer with 27 bittering units, while the lab-tested version had 39. And the recipe stipulates a starting gravity between 1.086 and 1.088, a finish at 1.015-1.016.
However, Westmalle begins at 1.081 (19.6 ºP) and finishes at 1.008 (2 ºP). That’s a lot drier, particularly coupled with the additional hops, and a lot more digestible.
I prefer the Westmalle approach. You might like a little sweeter (less attenuated) beer, which is OK. And which reminds me why I don’t mess with clone recipes.
August 17th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Amen! Still, the only beer I ever wanted or tried to clone was Orval. I prefer to view commercial classic as inspiration points. Take characters you enjoy, but then add your own twists. For example, I like the character of a little aromatic, about 2%. Plus I’ve been enjoying Sterling hops in these beers lately.
Like you say, “Brew like yourself…”
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:34 am
I decided to never buy that Clone Brews book when I heard of a Duvel clone that included a pear extract!!?
One of many things I love about Brew like a Monk is that it encourages readers to make their own recipes, giving ideas on how to do it in the belgian fashion.
October 13th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Stan,
I borrowed my Dad’s copy of brew like a monk and was very impressed with the research you did. I tip my hat to you. I definitely enjoyed the tables around yeast and esther production.
I’m actually curious do you know which Trappist and Abbey style beers use their yeast in bottle conditioning? A friend of mine and I are planning to start a “yeast bank” and it would be good information to have on hand which yeasts we could cultivate from the bottles. I know a lot of them use a different yeast in bottle conditioning, but don’t know where to go about getting that information. Any hints?
Thanks for the help and again for putting together such a great book.
October 18th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Brian – Most monasteries use the same yeast for bottling as for fermentation. Orval uses a little of the primary, but also Brettanomyces, both dosed inline.
July 13th, 2011 at 9:00 am
Hi Stan,
I have a problem with the term ‘clone’ when it comes to brewing. So much of brewing outcomes is about the individual’s process. Two or more brewers can be furnished the same clone recipe and the same ingredients and the results may be similar to a particular style, however, the beers themselves will be very different due to so many additional variables. No two people’s process is the exact and therefore the end results will reflect that.
In addition to that, I have tried many people’s clone brews and though some of them came close to the style range and/or characteristics of their intended targets – none of them were what I would consider a clone.
It would be virtually impossible to make a small batch of beer identical to that of one produced on a much larger system – it is just not feasible.
Monk
PS: Your book is my most well-thumbed book in my collection. I refer to it constantly. Thanks for all of the remarkable research.
March 2nd, 2013 at 10:18 pm
Stan – you should see my Brew Like a Monk book, different color sticky tabs all through it, going to have to buy another before the binding finally gives on it. It is my main resource for Belgian Strongs. I prefer essential stats, ingredient percentages and detailed methodology, that’s why I love this book. I was out to make a Duvel clone when I started with it. I brew a strong golden about every other batch, but I don’t know that I am out to “clone” Duvel anymore…all of these beers have turned out great, and now I am out to make them even better, couldn’t have done it without you. Btw, my clone books are still In mint condition, if anyone wants one, cheap.