Fuglsang Prima Hvidtøl/Jule Hvidtøl

[Sillybuns]

Hello all of you

I am new to this board, so please forgive me if I am posting in the wrong section of the forum.

I have no previous experience brewing beer, and to be quite honest with you, I have almost zero experience in drinking beer too. If I remember correctly, I've tasted about 5 different beers in my life. One of those beers is the reason why I am here now, asking for your advice. You see, I've fallen in love with that beer, and I've gotten the foolish idea that maybe I could learn to brew a beer similar to it, and have some fun doing so. Here's the problem: I have not been able to find any recipes for this kind of beer, at least not in Danish (I'm from Denmark), and trying to find any in English has proven impossible for me so far, because I am not even sure if this kind of beer exists internationally, and whether it has an international name.

About the beer:

Brewer: Fuglsang (Danish brewing company, establish 1865)

Name of the beer: Prima Hvidtøl (In christmas the label is changed, but the beer remains exactly the same. The beer is then called "Jule hvidtøl". "Jul" simply meaning christmas in Danish. "Prima" can be translated to "prime", as in prime quality. "Hvidtøl" directly translated to English would be "White beer", but this is highly misleading. See explanation later in my post).

Text on the label, translated to English: "White" beer. Ingredients: Water, barley malt, starch and hops, added carbon dioxide and antioxidant: ascorbic acid and dye: caramel. Alc. 1,8% vol.

Description from the brewers website, translate to English:
"One of Fuglsang's oldest recipes is the recipe for "white beer". Although it's called "white beer", it's actually quite dark, because we use dark malts in the production. Together with the malt, a good portion of caramel helps in making the smell and taste sweet.

Thanks to it's sweet, well-rounded taste, "white beer" pairs well with food all year round. Apart from the classic "øllebrød"*, "white beer" can for instance be added to spicy casseroles or pancakes."

Picture of the beer:
http://www.jo-hansen.dk/beer/bryggerier ... 7_2003.JPG

Christmas edition of the same beer:
http://www.jo-hansen.dk/beer//bryggerie ... 6_2002.JPG

This is what the beer looks like poured in a glass (very dark):
http://www.oeldatabasen.dk/pics/thumbs/thumb_1286.jpg

The word "Hvidtøl", directly translated from Danish to English, would be "white beer", but the beer is very black in color. Even more confusingly, it is sometimes referred to as "Mørkt hvidtøl", which directly translated means "dark white beer". Contradicting terms.

The taste is difficult for me to describe, since I have such limited experience in tasting different beers. What I can say is that for someone like me who is not used to drinking beer, this beer is extremely easy to drink, very delicious, and it is sweet. It smells like beer, but not as abrasively as 'normal' beer. When you take a sip, the first thing that hits you is a mix of sweetness and a light beer taste. It is not cloyingly sweet, and it doesn't just taste sugar sweet or like chemical sweetener. The aftertaste is more 'beerlike' than sweet, but of course some of the sweetness is still there. There is close to no bitterness in this beer, if any. It is excellent with many different kinds of food, and here in Denmark we consume it in large quantities in christmas time. So much so, that they are usually completely sold out before we actually reach christmas eve. The rest of the year the beer seems to be largely neglected, but I love it all year round, and it is excellent with lunch or dinner.

Does any of this ring a bell with any of you guys? I have no idea whether this style of beer even exists outside Denmark, or whether it's a style all of our own. Part of me hopes it is not, because I have been unable to find any recipes out there in Danish when searching on the internet. Do you guys know of any beer styles that would be similar to what I've described?


*"Øllebrød" is a dessert made by boiling rye bread with hvidtøl, served with whipped cream on top. Quite delicious.

[Elbone]

I found a Hvidtøl recipe here. Hope that helps.

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/danish-hvidt-l

[Elbone]

Also found this mention by Randy Mosher :

"Dobbelt-Øl While the traditional Paasbiers might have bumped up the 1.8–2.8% alcohol levels of regular Hvidtøl just a tad, evidence exists for stronger types. We’re talking about a sweet, porterish brew, very rich and nourishing. Despite this characterization, Hvidtøl (literally, “white beer”) was brewed with a large proportion of very pale, even undermodified, malt. So start with a base of pilsner malt. Aim for a gravity of 1055 (13.6°P) and subtract the contributions of the other ingredients to figure out how much pilsener malt (or pale extract) you need to make up the difference. Historically, these beers usually contained a certain amount of dark caramel syrup*, so add a pound or so, right into the kettle. A pound of dark crystal malt like Special B adds an inner richness, and a small amount (1/4 to 1/2 lb) of German röstmalz such as Carafa II will add a ruddy depth."

from http://allaboutbeer.com/article/a-spring-fling-thing/

[Sillybuns]

Nice! Thank you so much, and lots of respect for your googling skills, which are quite obviously much better than mine!

You just made my day - now I'll study the links and the text you've so kindly posted for me, and I'll try to see if I can make my own Hvidtøl once I've learned the basics of brewing.

[Sillybuns]

Dobbelt-Øl While the traditional Paasbiers might have bumped up the 1.8–2.8% alcohol levels of regular Hvidtøl just a tad, evidence exists for stronger types. We’re talking about a sweet, porterish brew, very rich and nourishing. Despite this characterization, Hvidtøl (literally, “white beer”) was brewed with a large proportion of very pale, even undermodified, malt. So start with a base of pilsner malt. Aim for a gravity of 1055 (13.6°P) and subtract the contributions of the other ingredients to figure out how much pilsener malt (or pale extract) you need to make up the difference. Historically, these beers usually contained a certain amount of dark caramel syrup*, so add a pound or so, right into the kettle. A pound of dark crystal malt like Special B adds an inner richness, and a small amount (1/4 to 1/2 lb) of German röstmalz such as Carafa II will add a ruddy depth.

Hopping should be modest, say about 25 IBU or so. I like a neutral tasting hop such as Northern brewer for chocolatey beers. Speaking of chocolate, we’re within striking range, so if you want to turn this into the ultimate liquid chocolate bunny, add a pound or so of cocoa nibs to the secondary. Alternately, a few grams of caraway take a cue from aquavit and can add a characteristic Scandinavian touch.

Quantities discussed are for five-gallon batches.

Okay, so I've quoted the full text from your link, and posted it above. Personally I would like to try my hand at making this. But I'm a complete newbie, I've never brewed a batch of beer before, and I've spent all day trying to figure out how to make it into an actual recipe, but I don't understand how.

The facts that I can gather from the text:

5 gallon yield.
I need pilsner malt (amount undetermined).
Dark caramel syrup - 1 lbs.
Special B - 1 lbs.
Carafa 2 - 0,25-0,5 lbs.
Northern brewer hops - (amount undetermined) 25 IBU.

(I don't want to add chocolate, as it's not part of the kind of beer I'd like to replicate)

His description says:
Start with a base of pilsner malt. Aim for a gravity of 1055 (13.6°P) and subtract the contributions of the other ingredients to figure out how much pilsener malt (or pale extract) you need to make up the difference.

I would like to use something called Fuglsang Pilsner Malt if possible. It is made by the same company that makes the beer that I mentioned in my original post, and since it is a company local to where I live, I would like to support them. I don't know what sort of data you need about the product, but this is what I've been able to find:

(I've tried to translate it into English as best I can, forgive me if some of the terms are incorrect).
Danish base malt - 3,7 EBC.
Specifications:
Water content: 4,3%
Extract(dry matter/solids): 81,4%
Wort color: 3,7 EBC
Protein (dry matter/solids): 9,7%

Pardon my ignorance, but how do I calculate how much pilsner malt to add, with the amount of the other ingredients already being determined? How much Carafa 2 would you add? Should I start with the lowest amount of Carafa, and increase later to see what I like best? How do I calculate how much hops to add in weight, and last but not least, what sort of yeast would you use for a brew like this? I would like the end product to be sweet.

I know where to get all of the above ingredients, but right now I need your help to answer these questions. I apologize for being annoying