Name: Malibu Brewing Companys OVERLY AMBITIOUS Recipe
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h
Yield: 53 servings
Cuisine: Belgian
Ingredients: 9 lbs Belgian Pilsner malt; 2 lbs Belgian Munich malt; 1 lbs Belgian Aromatic / Special B; 0.75 lbs CaraMunich (or CaraAroma); 0.5 lbs Dark Crystal / Crystal 150; 0.25 lbs Chocolate malt (light, not roasty); 2 lbs Belgian Candi Syrup, dark (syrup or invert); 0.5 lbs Sucrose / table sugar (to boost ABV); 1 oz Styrian Golding hops (or East Kent Goldings substitute); 0.5 oz Saaz hops (finishing); 1 tbs Coriander seed, crushed; 0.5 tsp Grains of paradise (optional, crushed); 1 packet Belgian strong ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1762, White Labs WLP530, or Safbrew T-58); 1 tsp Yeast nutrient; 1 tsp Irish moss (or Whirlfloc) - fining; 6.5 gal Brewing water (adjusted to moderate sulfate:chloride ratio ~ 1:1); 4 oz Priming sugar (for bottling)

La Trappe Quadrupel

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Heat 4.5 gallons (17 L) of brewing water to about 162°F (72°C). Add the crushed grains (Pilsner, Munich, Aromatic/Special B, CaraMunich, Dark Crystal, Chocolate) to the water while stirring to avoid dough balls. Target mash temperature: 152°F (67°C). The thicker mash and moderate temp balance fermentability and body for a strong Belgian dark.

Mash-in

Hold at 122–131°F (50–55°C) for 10 minutes only if using a lot of under-modified malts; otherwise skip. This recipe does not require a protein rest for typical modern malts.

Protein Rest (optional)

Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Stir gently once halfway through. Check mash pH if possible (target 5.2–5.4).

Saccharification Rest

Raise the mash temperature to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering.

Mash-out

Lauter and sparge with enough water at 168°F (76°C) to collect ~6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort into the kettle (target pre-boil volume). Keep runoff gentle to avoid tannin extraction.

Sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil and boil for 90 minutes total. This longer boil helps dark, complex character and concentrates gravity for 9.9% ABV.

Boil Schedule

At 60 minutes remaining: add 1.0 oz Styrian Golding hops and 1 tsp Irish moss (or Whirlfloc per package directions at 15 min as noted below). At 20 minutes remaining: add crushed coriander (1 tbs) and grains of paradise (0.5 tsp, optional). At 10 minutes remaining: add 0.5 oz Saaz hops. Add yeast nutrient with 10 minutes left.

Hop and Spice Additions

Add Irish moss or Whirlfloc with 15 minutes remaining to assist cold break formation. Continue vigorous boil for remainder of time.

Boil Fining

At the end of boil, chill the wort quickly to 68°F (20°C) using an immersion or plate chiller. If using dark candi syrup, add the syrup to the kettle during the last 5–10 minutes of the boil or dissolve it in some hot wort and add post-boil; you can also add the sucrose in the last 10 minutes of the boil so it fully dissolves and sterilizes. When wort is cooled, transfer to a sanitized fermenter and top up with water to reach 5.25 gallons (19.9 L) total if needed. Aerate well (shake or oxygenate) — this high-gravity wort needs good oxygen for the yeast.

Cool and Transfer

Pitch a healthy, large yeast starter or 2 packets of dry yeast (or 2× liquid yeast packs) to ensure a strong fermentation for 9.9% ABV. Target fermentation temperature: 68–72°F (20–22°C) for primary. Add yeast nutrient at pitching if not added during the boil.

Pitch Yeast

Allow primary fermentation for 7–14 days at 68–72°F (20–22°C). Expect vigorous activity for the first 48–96 hours. Monitor gravity; when it has dropped consistently for 2–3 days and is near terminal gravity (depending on attenuation, target FG ~1.018–1.024), proceed to conditioning.

Primary Fermentation

Rack to a secondary fermenter (optional) after 7–10 days to clear and mature flavors. Condition for an additional 2–4 weeks at 60–65°F (15–18°C) to allow dark, ester, and phenolic complexities to harmonize. Longer conditioning (6–12 weeks) will further smooth a strong Belgian dark.

Secondary/Conditioning

When fermentation is complete and beer is clear to your liking, dissolve 4 oz (113 g) priming sugar in 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water, cool, and add to a sanitized bottling bucket. Siphon beer onto the priming solution, mix gently to distribute without aeration, and fill and cap sanitized bottles.

Prepare for Bottling

Allow bottles to carbonate at 68°F (20°C) for 2–3 weeks. Because this is a high-gravity beer, check carbonation after 2 weeks; full conditioning and flavor development will continue for months. Alternatively, keg and force-carbonate to 2.2–2.6 volumes CO2.

Bottle Conditioning

Age bottles at cellar temperature (55–65°F / 13–18°C) for at least 1–3 months for optimal integration of alcohol and flavor. This style benefits from extended aging (3–12 months).

Aging

Serve slightly cool (50–55°F / 10–13°C) in a tulip or goblet glass to showcase the dark color, rich malty aroma, and Belgian esters. Expect a deep mahogany to near-black color, pronounced malt complexity, dark fruit esters (raisin, plum), light roast, and warming alcohol at 9.9% ABV.

Overly Ambitious Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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