Belgian IPA

Belgian IPA

 

What is a Belgian IPA, you ask? Easy, it's essentially an American IPA fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. It's also one of the newest beers styles around. Emerging from homebrewers and craft breweries in the early 2000s, it hasn't really grown in popularity as quickly as other IPA variants, especially in Belgium where it is almost never consumed.

The Belgian IPA has its roots in the old gruit beers of the Middle Ages. The herbal mixture had a many uses, from flavoring the beer to being a preservative for exported beers. The gruit tended to have an aroma and flavor that is similar to the hops that we use today, which are stronger than the varieties that were available in the 1500s.

As hops became more and more popular, the gruit beers faded away, and new styles were developed. Among them was the IPA, which we have talked about before. The American IPA came along relatively recently, and even later mass experimentation has evolved the style into new and interesting specialty beer. The Belgian IPA is one of those evolutions.

There is nothing, really, in the Belgian IPA that makes it different than an American IPA other than the yeast that is used. Belgian yeast strains have very different characteristics than the American strains. Where American strains are generally pretty moderate and clean, Belgian strains offer a multitude of aromas and flavors that just don't occur in many domestic yeasts. Often called Farmhouse Ales, beers like the Belgian Saison have a peppery and floral trait that is uniquely Belgian. American beers, of course, have attempted to clone these flavors and cultivate yeasts to impart the same characteristics, with varying degrees of success. 

Belgian IPAs as a style are well hopped, and often have a fruity flavor from the American hop additions. Spice and floral aromatics are imparted from the Belgian yeast, balancing out a mellow maltiness. It can be hazy or clean, depending on the whims of the brewer and takes to both traditional carbonation and a nitro tap well (we can verify this from experience). When drinking a Belgian IPA, a tuliped glass is preferable because the shape of the glass itself releases the hop and yeast scents like a bouquet in a way that really highlights those properties. 

OUR RECIPE

8 lbs 2-Row Pale Ale Malt
1 lb 20L Caramel Malt
1/4 lb Special B 
1/4 lb Aromatic Malt

1 oz Columbus Hops
1 oz Perle Hops
1 oz Saaz Hops

Belgian Abbaye Ale Yeast

1 lb Belgian Candi Sugar

1 tsp Irish Moss

Malts We Use

2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A traditional American base malt, this won’t impart too much color or flavor. It is a clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and most beer styles. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter in color than their English counterparts and less flavorful as Munich or Pilsen base malts.

20L Caramel Malt: This specialty malt will contribute not only a fair amount of sweetness, but also a beautiful color that makes this beer stand out from its cousins.20 is in the lower range of Caramel malt, which is milder in flavor and color than the darker versions with higher numbers.

Special B: A uniquely Belgian malt, Special B is dark and very flavorful. It is responsible for color and sweet flavors such as caramel and raisin. Most darker Belgian beers have some amount of Special B included in their malt bills. 

Aromatic Malt: Living up to its name, Aromatic Malt adds malt aroma and some deep colors as well. It should be used sparingly, however as it is very effective at its job.

Hops We Use

Columbus: A high alpha acid bittering hop, Columbus is often combined with Tomahawk and Zeus to make a blend called CTZ. On its own, Columbus is a versatile hop capable of providing a big punch of hop bitterness or a delicate herbal aroma with hints of lemon and black pepper. Columbus is often used in West Coast IPAs and other American styles. 

Perle: Perle is a German hop that has a high Alpha Acid than its noble hop cousins. Perle is very versatile and can be used at any point in the brewing process. It's aromatics are very traditional to it's parent Hallertau hop, giving off grassy and floral scents.

Saaz: Brewers in the Czech Republic have been using Saaz for over 700 years. It's a classic noble hop with a herbal spice and mellow bitterness. Saaz has a low Alpha Acid, making it one of the quintessential aromatic hops. 

Yeast We Use

Belgian Abbaye Ale: A dry yeast, the Abbaye can be used in any type of Belgian beer. It offers spice notes as well as fruity aromatic, but is most noteworthy for its ability to ferment higher octane beers just as easily as a smaller ale. 

Adjuncts Used

Candi Sugar: A traditional additive to Belgian Beers is Candi Sugar. Derived from beets, Candi Sugar adds sweet flavors and some color, but it's main job is to spike the ABV of a beer and in larger quantities dry out the finish. 

Irish Moss:We use Irish Moss as a clarifying agent. These negatively charged seaweed particles attract proteins and other free radicals in your boil kettle and drag them to the bottom once cooled, thereby removing haze from your final product. Whirlfloc tablets are another option for this process. Regardless of your preferred methods of clarity, it is important that beers of this style are clear. Lagering can do this as well, but most home brewers don't have that capability, so adding Irish Moss (or something similar) can work wonders for cleaning up the beer.