Dark · BJCP 26D

Belgian Dark Abbey Beer

Name: Belgian Dark Abbey Beer
Yield: 20 L
Cuisine: Belgium
Ingredients: 2.3 kg Pilsner malt; 2.3 kg Pale malt 2-row; 1 kg Crystal 15L; 1 kg Crystal 60L; 0.15 kg Chocolate malt; 54 g Tettnanger; 34 g Tettnanger; SafAle BE-256

Rich malt, balanced bitterness and a faint burnt-wood finish — a strong abbey beer for sipping.

Rich malt
Dark fruit
Hint of burnt wood

Origin: BelgiumDifficulty: AdvancedReady in: 5 weeks❄ Needs chiller

Recipe source: Castle Malting® — Belgian Dark Abbey Beer · view original ↗ (scaled to 20 L at 72% efficiency)

Against BJCP 26D guidelines

OG1.073

ABV8.2%

IBU28

SRM23.8

Stats calculated from ingredients (Tinseth · Morey) — real results depend on efficiency and water.

Choose your KRS brewer

40L brewer (B40)30 L in the kettle → ~24.5 L beer50L brewer (B50)45 L in the kettle → ~38.5 L beer70L brewer (B70)65 L in the kettle → ~56 L beer

Sized for the 50L brewer (B50): 45 L pre-boil, 90-minute boil (~4.5 L boil-off, ~2 L kettle and chiller loss) → about 38.5 L into the fermenter.

Brewhouse efficiency: 72%All-in-One brewers usually hit 68–75%. Use 70% for a first batch.

OG: 1.073
FG: 1.010
ABV: 8.2%
IBU: 28
SRM: 23.9
EBC: 47

Malt & sugar

Malt & sugar	Amount	Share
Pilsner malt	4.43 kg	34%
Pale malt 2-row	4.43 kg	34%
Crystal 15L	1.93 kg	15%
Crystal 60L	1.93 kg	15%
Chocolate malt	0.29 kg	2%
Σ	13.01 kg

Hops

Hops	Amount	Use	Time
Tettnanger 4.5% AA	104 g	Boil	60 min
Tettnanger 4.5% AA	65 g	Boil	10 min

Yeast

SafAle BE-256 · 4 pack(s) (11,5 g) · Ferment at 18–22°C

Water (estimate for an All-in-One brewer)

Total water: 56.7 L
Mash water: 36.3 L
Sparge water: 20.4 L
Pre-boil volume: 45 L

Estimated ingredient cost for this batch

Reference retail prices from ABV Beer Shop · 24/09/2026

Cost of what you use: ₫1,632,000
Retail purchase: ₫1,690,000
Per litre: ₫42,400
Per 330 ml glass / bottle: ₫14,000

Show cost per ingredient

Ingredient	Amount	Reference price	Cost of what you use	Retail purchase
Pilsner malt	4.43 kg	Weyermann Pilsner · ₫46,100/kg	₫204,223	₫207,450 (4.5 kg)
Pale malt 2-row	4.43 kg	Weyermann Pale Ale · ₫47,200/kg	₫209,096	₫212,400 (4.5 kg)
Crystal 15L	1.93 kg	Weyermann Carahell · ₫60,300/kg(equivalent)	₫116,379	₫120,600 (2 kg)
Crystal 60L	1.93 kg	Weyermann Caramunich III · ₫60,300/kg(equivalent)	₫116,379	₫120,600 (2 kg)
Chocolate malt	0.29 kg	Weyermann Carafa I · ₫67,800/kg(equivalent)	₫19,662	₫33,900 (0.5 kg)
Tettnanger	169 g	Hallertau Tradition · ₫93,500/100 g(equivalent)	₫158,015	₫187,000 (2 × 100 g pack)
SafAle BE-256	4 pack(s)	SafAle BE-256 11,5 g · ₫202,100/pack	₫808,400	₫808,400 (4 pack(s))

Retail purchase rounds hops and spices up to 100 g packs and malt up to 0.5 kg — leftovers keep for the next batch. Excludes power, water, CO₂ and cleaning chemicals. Prices may change.

Mash

63°CBeta rest (drier beer)60 min
72°CAlpha rest (iodine test)20 min
78°CMash-out2 min

Boil

Boil 90 minutes

Carbonation

2.7 vol CO₂

Fermentation

16°CPitch & primary fermentation2 days
21°CFree rise to finish5 days
8°CDrop to 8°C, settle / harvest yeast1 days
1°CCold conditioning5 days

Tips for success

The original bottle-conditions with sugar + F-2 yeast: 6 g sugar/L, 2 weeks warm.
OG a little under the Dark Strong range and darker — as in the original.
Converted from Castle Malting's (Belgium) 100 L recipe — Château malts replaced with equivalents.