There are many homebrew recipes out there that aim to imitate Duvel—acts of the sincerest form of flattery. Here is one more inspired by the world-beating archetype, using everything we know, a few things that we think we know, and a sprinkling of straight-up guesses.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.069
FG: 1.005
IBUs: 33
ABV: 8.5%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
9.7 lb (4.4 kg) Belgian pilsner
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
1 oz (28 g) Styrian Goldings at 90 minutes [17 IBUs]
1 oz (28 g) Styrian Goldings at 30 minutes [12 IBUs]
1 oz (28 g) Saaz at 5 minutes [4 IBUs]
2 lb (907 g) dextrose (corn sugar) at flameout
YEAST
White Labs WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale, Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale, or Fermentis SafAle WB-06
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains, mash in at 127°F (53°C), and rest 10 minutes. Raise to 144°F (62°C) and rest 25 minutes, then raise to 162°F (72°C) and rest 20 minutes. Finally, ramp to 172°F (78°C), rest 5 minutes, and mash out. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. Dissolve the dextrose completely in hot water and add at flameout. After the boil, chill to 68°F (20°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Allow a gradual temperature rise up to 79°F (26°C) over 4 days, or until primary fermentation is complete, then rack to secondary, crash to 28°F (-2°C), and lager for 20 days. Package in thick, sturdy champagne or stubby bottles, priming for 4.5 volumes of carbonation (optionally, add a small amount of fresh yeast). Store at room temperature for 2 weeks to condition, then refrigerate for 4 more weeks and enjoy.
BREWER’S NOTES
Optionally, to further limit Maillard reactions and keep the color as pale as possible, you could limit the boil to 60 minutes and add the first hops at the start of the boil. Ensuring a vigorous boil over the final 10 minutes should help eliminate any risk of DMS.