Belgian Style - Flanders Red Ale

The Power of Wood

The Flanders Red Ale is a sour, fruity, red wine-like Belgian style ale with interesting supportive malt flavors and fruit complexity. The dry finish and tannin completes the mental image of a fine red wine. Long aging and blending of young and well-aged beer often occurs, adding to the smoothness and complexity of the beer.

Specifications
OG: 
13.5°
AFG: 
2,5°
EBU: 
5
ABV: 
6.5%
EBC: 
40

Ingredients

Extract yield: 
± 80%

Ingredients

Malt

Malt ingredients for Belgian Style Flanders Red Ale
 MALT TYPE  % Kg/hl
 PALE ALE MD  40 8.0
 MUNICH 15 MD  20 4.0
 CARA 20 MD  15 3.0
 CARA 50 MD  10 2.0
 AMBER - AROMATIC® MD  10 2.0
 SPECIAL B  5 1
 TOTAL  100  20 kg
Hop

Hop ingredients: a mix of bitter and aroma hops (mass depends on the % alpha acids)
 HOP  g/hl
 Bitter: Hallertauer, Magnum, Willamette  
 Aroma: Styrian Golding, East Kent Golding, Saaz  

 

Yeast

First fermentation in steel tanks with Nottingham or other clean dry yeast

Second fermentation in wooden barrels dominated by Lactobacillus

Third fermentation in wooden barrels dominated by Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and acetobacter

Extra

You can add up to 10% maize or unmalted wheat to your brew, to create some more complexity due to different starch chains.

Brewing Process

Programmed infusion process; pH 5.3

  1. 60 ‘ at 63 °C
  2. 35 ‘ at 72 °C
  3. 1’ at 78 °C;  sparging at 80 °C
  • boiling: 90 min;
  • first hop:  60 min before the end; 
  • second:  Whirlpool; 
     

Rest of process

  • Whirlpool or centrifuge
  • Fermentation for 1 week with a Saccharomyces yeast in a inox tank
  • Maturation on wooden barrels with Lacto and Brett yeast culture
  • Maturate for at least 1 year
  • You can blend serveral beers together of different age
  • Bottling
  • Refermentation in the bottle:  10 – 15 days at 21 – 22 °C (warm dark room)

 

Remarks: 

The amount of sugar to add before bottling is in relation with:

  1. residual sugar from main fermentation
  2. residual CO2
  3. the desired CO2 content e.g. 6‐7 g / lit. CO2

The amount of hop is also related to the isomerisation yield in the brewery.

Download recipe: 
PDF icon Flanders Red Ale _ Dingemans malt.pdf
Disclaimer: 

This recipe is a guideline provided by Dingemans Maltings. Some modifications may be required depending the used ingredients and the technological conditions of the brewery. Dingemans cannot be held responsible for the final beer quality.

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