1 of 2 beers 1 brewed, donated and poured during the dessert course of Gilead Community Services
Quizine for a Cause” fundraiser event on November 1, 2015.

This Belgian-style Golden Strong Ale was brewed as the counter-balance to the Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout also being poured at the event.  The plan was to have a beer that would pair especially well with pastries and fruity desserts.  The intent with Golden Strongs is to have a beer much dryer and cleaner (though still complex with yeast esters) than what people typically associate with Belgian beers.

Historically, most Belgian Golden Strong Ales have had some reference to the devil as an homage to the original, Duvel (the Dutch word for Devil).  Geest is loosely translated as the Dutch word for Demon.

Batch Size:  5.5 Gallons
Measured Original Gravity: 1.076 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
IBUs:  71.3
ABV:  7.6%

Recipe:

Mash at 148F for 75 minutes then fly sparge until desired volume of wort is collected:

14 .5 lbs of Pilsner Malt
8.0 oz Cara-pils
6.0 oz Caravienne Malt
6.0 oz Aromatic Malt
2.0 oz Honey Malt

0.50 oz Warrior [15.00%] – Boil 90.0 min
1.00 oz Saaz [3.75%] – Boil 10.0 min

1 lbs Candi Sugar, Clear – Boil 10 min
8.0 oz Corn Sugar – Boil 10 min

1.0 pkg Belgian Stron Ale (Wyeast Labs #1388)

Ferment 14 days at 72F then cold crash for 14 days at 33F.

Tasting Notes:

I think this was a great example of the style.  It’s crisp and dry, but complex.  Tart, but not bitter.  Great fruity esters and a hint of yeast-derived and Saaz spice.