Trying another new recipe & style, Belgian Abbey Ale. I brew small batches since I'm the only beer drinker in the house, so I have to adjust recipes accordingly, I use several methods to calculate grain/grist content and SG, hop bitterness and so forth but anyway....
(1 US gallon batch)
2 lbs Belgian Pale Malt
1/4 cup Molasses
5 oz 40L Crystal Malt
5 oz Belgian CaraVienne Malt
5 oz Belgian Special B Malt
0.25 oz 11%AA Galena Hops (Boil)
0.125 oz 7%AA Perle Hops (Flavor) Pinch of Irish Moss Wyeast Liquid Trappist Ale Yeast
Big Batch SG: 1.035 (Should have been upwards of 40/45 with the Molasses) Little Batch SG: 1.015 (Again, should have been 20/25)
Single temp infusion, 5 QT sparge, 90 minute boil, cool, yeast, airlock, nothing unusual aside from forgetting the MOLASSES!!!! GAAH!!
I also remashed the grist and took a 2nd runnings batch at a lower SG, I'm fermenting both batches seperately and planning on blending them when finished. Also forgot the MOLASSES!!! GAAAAH!!
Anyway, after 2 days into secondary there was almost 1 full inch of sediment at the bottom of the fermenters, but the beer itself is still very, very cloudy (9 days total in fermentation). I racked it into clean fermenters but haven't checked it yet this morning. I did notice the Big Batch (1st runnings) had a noticeably hoppy aroma to it (Galena!) and the Small Batch (2nd runnings) had a VERY pronounced banana scent to it...very nice. I did use the same amount of hops in both batches. There is also a significant color difference between the two, the Big Batch is a muddy brown whereas the Little Batch is a light sand color.
Is this cloudiness normal for a Belgian Ale? All the pictures I see of mugs full of Abbey Ale appear to be clear with a little bit of cloudiness to it, perhaps I haven't waited long enough and it just needs more time to settle.
Either way, this is a pretty good recipe and both runnings have a medium body, would have been better with the MOLASSES but my time machine is in the shop so....
Thanks!
Kent