Pour 19.3 liters of water into your kettle and set the heat to 50°C.
Add your grains and stir well to avoid lumps.
Hold this temperature for 10 minutes.
Fabrice uses this protein rest at 50°C for several reasons. The first, linked to the presence of wheat, is to promote the release of ferulic acid — the aromatic precursor of clove, very characteristic of Belgian yeasts. This rest also helps break down beta‑glucans to make lautering easier, improve the final clarity of the beer, and enhance head retention.
Then raise the temperature to 65–66°C. Leave it for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 15.5 liters of water to 77°C, which you will use for the sparge step.
Once the 30‑minute saccharification is complete, raise the temperature to 75°C for a 10‑minute mash‑out.terminée, faites monter la température à 75°C pour un Mash-Outde 10 minutes.
Step 2:
When the mash‑out is finished, move on to lautering and sparging.
Step 3:
Then bring your wort to a boil for 90 minutes.
Wait the first half hour, then add 30 g of Hersbrucker hops.
At 15 minutes from the end, add 500 g of white candi sugar and 370 g of wildflower honey. This will maximize the fermentability of the beer without overloading it with malt and will make the yeast’s work easier.
If you cool with an immersion chiller, place it in your boil kettle now to sterilize it.
At 10 minutes from the end, add 15 g of Styrian Golding hops.
The peppery and spicy profile of this hop pairs perfectly with coriander, bitter orange peel, and the phenols of the Abbaye yeast. Its floral side is ideal with the honey aromas.
When only 5 minutes remain, add the coriander seeds and bitter orange peel.
Step 4:
Once the boil is finished, cool the wort to 20°C. Take the gravity (which should be around 1.072) and transfer to the fermenter.
Don’t forget to pitch the Lallemand Abbaye yeast.
For this type of yeast, 20°C is ideal to let it express its esters and phenols without them getting out of control.
Let everything ferment for 4 weeks.
You will also add 190 g of wildflower honey during the last week.
Step 5:
Once this time has passed, the final gravity should be around 1.010.
You can proceed with classic bottling by priming with 7 g/L of sugar.
For the iso‑team, aim for 2.3 to 2.5 vol. CO₂.
A word about Fabrice and the Hupblon brewery:
Behind the Brasserie de l’Hupblon, located in Saint‑Clément in the Cévennes, is Fabrice, a brewer with an exceptional background. A research director in his daily life, he has turned his passion for brewing into a small‑scale craft adventure rooted in his village.
His brewing story is a true journey across the globe: born in Belgium at the heart of Trappist tradition, he then absorbed the Californian craft culture, brewed his first batches in Costa Rica, and finally set up his equipment in the Cévennes.
Of Belgian origin, the Belgian Golden Strong Ale is a category Fabrice masters perfectly. It is this double culture — Belgian tradition combined with the precision of passion‑driven brewing — that he shares with you today through this recipe adapted for homebrewers.
Fabrice’s Belgian Golden recipe:
This is a special beer. A Belgian Golden. Strong like a bear (watch out for the 8%!) with wildflower honey from the Ségala added in the boil and in fermentation. Treat it with respect by pouring it gently into a chalice (or a large red wine glass) to fully capture the aroma you’ll find in its bright white foam. Ursamajor is a tribute to the Brillant brothers (co‑brewers and beekeepers) and to the bear, a species that resembles us so much and is slowly reclaiming its territory in the Pyrenees.
