Abbey Double

This medium- to full-bodied, dark amber to brown-colored ale has a malty sweetness and nutty, chocolate-like and roast malt aroma. A faint hop aroma is acceptable. Dubbels are also characterized by low bitterness and no hop flavor. Very small quantities of diacetyl are acceptable. Yeast-generated fruity esters (especially banana) are appropriate at low levels. Head retention is dense and mousse-like. Chill haze is acceptable at low serving temperatures. Dubbels, or "doubles," are darker in color, sweeter in flavor and weaker in alcohol content than their counterparts, the Tripels.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Belgian Cara-Munich malt

• 4 ounces Belgian aromatic malt

• 2 ounces chocolate malt

• 1-1/4 pounds light DME

• 6-2/3 pounds light malt extract syrup

• 2 ounces Tettnang hops

• 1/4 ounce Styrian Goldings hops

• 1/4 ounce German Hallertau Hersbrucker hops

• 1-1/2 pounds Belgian clear candi sugar

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey ale yeast

• 1-1/4 cup wheat DME

Instructions:

1. Place the crushed specialty grains in a nylon hop bag and steep them in 1 gallon of preheated 150º water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain and discard the spent grains.

3. Bring at least 3 gallons of liquor to a boil, remove the brew kettle from the heat source then stir in the extract, the candi sugar and the Tettnang hops.

4. Boil for 45 minutes, then add the rest of the hops and the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 15 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

6. Once the wort has cooled to below 77º F, take an original gravity reading, pour the wort into a primary fermenter through a funnel with a strainer and add enough cool water to create 5 gallons.

7. Once the wort has been transferred to the primary fermenter, pitch the yeast, stir the wort vigorously and seal the fermenter with an airlock and ferment at 68º-75º F for 7 days or until fermentation slows.

8. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

9. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the wheat malt extract and bottle and condition as usual.