Belgian Ale

This book is insightful and helpful withthe Belgian beer style. It is a good guide to get you started in make Belgian beers. Gives you a little history and geographically info then gets into the design of the beers.

I thought this was a fairly decent, and above-average offering, from the Classic Beer Style Series. My problem is not so much with the author, or the book, as it is with the somewhat underambitious slant of the series as a whole ... it aimed (back when it was first published) a bit lower than it could have. Although a bit too brief, the author of this particular volume (book 6 of the aforementioned series) does overview the basic elements of the region: the history of abbey brewing, the primary yeast & microflora strains, specialty ingredients (candi sugar), the role of temperature in stimulating the production of esters and phenols, etc. The author also includes some information on certain advanced techniques: such as dual-strain use (1 for fermentation, one for bottling) for high gravity styles, as well as helpful appendices including a glossary of technical terms, a series of basic no-frills recipes for each of the major Belgian sub-styles, and brief survey of commercial examples. It's a good, if unspectacular, book. [Addendum] I read this book back around 1996, and I've made more than a handful of Belgian sub-styles so far ... none of them taken directly from this book, but I definitely relied on it for some general guidance when constructing my recipes (in accordance with stylistic parameters), and also in controling my fermentation temperatures.

Rajotte's book may not be the ideal book for the beginning homebrewer, but I don't believe it's intended to be. For that, check out Palmer and many others. Rajotte's book gave me insight into what makes up these enigmatic brews. I brewed his saison recipe and was very pleased with the results, in fact, the beer was very favorably reviewed at a competition as being representative of the style. All in all, this book is a valued part of my brewing library.

I have been a homebrewer for five years. I have read a lot of brewing literature. I own eight of the "Classic Beer Styles Series" and have read several others. I will be frank: the Series' quality is not consistent.Pierre Rajotte's Belgian Ale is one of the best in the series. I have brewed five of the recipes in the book and all have turned out well. When brewing other Belgian recipes I always use the mashing program found on page 83 in the valuable chapter four, "Brewing with a Belgian Brewmaster."If you are contemplating brewing a Belgian, (not spontaneously fermented that is found in the book "Lambic" of the Series) then get your hands on this book, particularly if you are going to attempt a high gravity Belgian.

I am a big fan of all of the Styles Series books, but this is by far my favorite. Nearly every brewing book covers British ales and continental lagers in detail, yet offer only the briefest of comments on Belgian ales. Pierre Rajotte did extensive research for this highly readable book and he covers the history, styles and brewing techniques in just the right level of detail. Of particular value are his tips for working with high gravity beers.If you brew and you love Belgian ales, I highly recommend this book.