Dupe-All Golden Ale
(Belgian Strong Golden Ale: Duvel, Lucifer)

Moortgat Brewery's Duvel is the best beer on earth. There, we've said it and now we're in trouble. But even if you disagree with us, you'll have to acknowledge that this brilliantly pale beer, with its frothy white head and effervescent carbonation, invites tasting, and that the wonderful sweet aroma, enfolded by a spicy, resiny hoppiness, gives a heady rush; but the taste, ohh, the taste—light yet bold, penetrating yet subtle, crisp yet warming—the taste is what drives men to the edge of madness.

For the most part, Duvel is simply made, using Belgian pils malt and some sucrose. Its complexity derives from the yeast used—or, rather, the yeasts. Originally Duvel was fermented with 20 strains of yeast, but these were eventually refined to two strains; naturally Moortgat isn't talking about which two they chose. For each batch of Duvel they split the wort, ferment the two portions separately with the different yeast strains, and then blend them. They also add sucrose (yes, table sugar) to the secondary fermenter to increase the strength of the beer without changing the colour. The result is a beer as light as pilsener, with a sweet, pear-like aroma, and 8.5% alcohol . . . yeehah!

 

Ingredients for 19 litres:
1 Brew House American Premium Lager kit
500 grams CaraPils malt
500 grams white table sugar (oh, be quiet!)
28 grams Kent Goldings hops
28 grams Saaz hops
Wyeast 1388 Belgian strong ale yeast

 

TIP: Be sure to prepare your liquid yeast culture well ahead of time. While the smack-pack pouches alone may be enough to ferment your beer, a culture of at least 2 litres will ensure a professional pitching rate and a clean, thorough finish.
  1. Crack your grain and place it in a grain bag.
  2. Place the grain bag in a 12 litre (or larger) pot with 4 litres of cold water and 4 litres of wort from the kit. Place over medium heat. Bring temperature to 75°C (170°F) and hold for 20 minutes, stirring the grain bag occasionally.
  3. Remove and discard grain, add Kent Goldings hops and sugar, and boil for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat, add Saaz hops and steep for a further 5 minutes.
  4. Cool the liquid and use it to make up the 19 litre volume. Top up with water if necessary. Do not forget to add the pH adjustment package.
  5. Pitch your yeast culture and ferment at 18–24°C (65–75°F).
This beer will require long ageing (at least three months in the bottle) before it develops the smooth, delicate fruitiness and complexity that are the hallmarks of Duvel.

Variations on a theme:
'Dupe-All' is an authentic example of a Belgian strong ale, but there are many variations within the style. Heavier, more robust varieties use dark candi sugar to increase the colour and fermentable extract without increasing maltiness. Many Belgian beers include spices and herbs for further complexity.

  • Proceed with the recipe as normal, but include three tablespoons of fresh-crushed coriander and one tablespoon of dried curaçao orange peel in the boiling liquid. (If you can't get whole coriander seed and crush it yourself, don't bother: the volatiles in coriander oxidise within minutes of being exposed to air. Also, don't use regular orange peel. It metamorphoses into an odd canned-ham smell). The spice will mark the beer with an authentic Belgian touch. Alternately, you could carbonate your bottles with curaçao liqueur: about 40 ml per litre will be sufficient (and will add a lovely kick). If you don't feel like coming up with a half bottle of expensive liqueur for a batch, try priming a few bottles this way and use corn sugar on the rest.
  • Instead of using table sugar, substitute ½ litre of golden treacle. This is sold in British shops and is available in British Columbia as 'Rogers' Golden Syrup.' You are using it as a substitute for Belgian candi sugar, a form of sucrose included in many Belgian beers. (Malcolm, the chief sugar-research guy at Rogers', who is a durn fine brewer himself, confirmed that the processes used for making golden treacle and candi are virtually identical. One-half litre of golden treacle is approximately equal to 500 grams of sugar.) This form of sugar will add an indefinable perfume to the beer and increase alcohol content without increasing maltiness.