How to Make Beer - Brewing a High ABV Belgian Quad Recipe

Can you make your own beer at home? Yep, you sure can. It's not too difficult and it's also legal in all 50 states. But do you know just how strong you can make your beer and keep you out of legal trouble? We're going to tell you in this vide where we brew the highest ABV beer allowable by law (in North Carolina).
Known for its signature rich, malty flavor, and medium bitterness, and high ABV, the Belgian quad is a subcategory of Belgian strong ale, the quad or “quadrupel” has a long history and very palatable flavor profile. Making it perfect to see if we can push the boundaries of NC legal alcohol % limit.
How to Make Beer: www.clawhammer...
Full Recipe: www.clawhammer...
Equipment:
10 gallon system: www.clawhammer...
20 gallon system: www.clawhammer...
#beer #brewing #howtomakebeer

[@brutusmaximumus]

I brewed a high ABV imperial stout, named Lucifer's Ball Sweat, and I fermented in a 6 gallon bucket with an air lock and the fermentation was so strong that the chud clogged my little weanie airlock and in the middle of the night exploded all over my kitchen. There was a blast radius on my ceiling lol.

[@morpheusgreene2704]

that is a great name

[@Jittalang]

@@morpheusgreene2704 honestly 😂Lucifer’s ball sweat geeks

[@caiusmadison2996]

Yeah! 💥

[@SaintLewisMusic]

That's awesome! You're my hero

[@brutusmaximumus]

@@SaintLewisMusic lol its all fun and games until you are on a ladder scrubbing your ceiling at 3 in the morning :/

[@DjDolHaus86]

My dad used to make beer, cider (hard cider as you'd call it in the states) and wine but had pretty much stopped drinking by the time he'd had kids. He used to make a little run of beer every now and then for friends and family and when I was in my teens I used to steal a few bottles away for parties and whatnot (getting drunk in your mid teens is fairly normal in the UK, getting booze before you're 18 takes some creativity). He'd obviously cottoned on that I was stealing beers so he made a batch to teach me a lesson, it was in the same brown 1 litre bottles with the same caps he always used but apparently it was somewhere in the low to mid teens abv strength. I of course only worked this out after drinking 3 bottles while out with my friends and waking up in a bush in the middle of nowhere covered in cuts and bruises with only second hand tales to tell me what had occured that night.

[@burgerbait]

He did that to teach you a lesson? When I was drinking in my teens that would have been a treat haha

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

Was the lesson to drink the good stuff all the time? Because thats why I drink liquor.

[@DjDolHaus86]

@@burgerbait I think it was perhaps supposed to be a 'too much of a good thing' kind of lesson kind of like when you get caught smoking and you're forced to smoke the whole pack. Either that or he was hoping I'd get unexpectedly shitfaced and embarrass myself? I'm not sure if it was an effective teaching technique 😂

[@DjDolHaus86]

@@Gr3nadgr3gory Well I never got into habitual drinking once I was past the binge drinking phase so I'd have to say no to that one.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

@@DjDolHaus86 yeah, I don't usually overindulge but I never grew to like the taste of beer.

[@MoritzSchorn]

Hey guys, in Germany, there is no ABV limit. As long as it is fermented naturally, it is legal. And to get even higher, you can freeze it :)

[@noelvandenbogaard5509]

You mean ice Bock.

[@0Clewi0]

Though can you even add extra sugar in Germany or are they limited to the 4 ingredients?

[@Stolpskott100]

@@0Clewi0 There are no penalties for refusing to follow the beer purity law (Reinheitsgebot), and the only real issue is that if you are not following that law, you cannot put the Reinheitsgebot label on your beer.

[@the1ultimatet1u49]

@@0Clewi0 you can still brew it, but you legally can't call it beer. you can call it fermented hop juice or whatever you want but the name beer requires the purity law (a few exeptions exist but generally thats it)

[@dddpvt]

Deutschland Uber Alles!!!

[@jimjewell9438]

As most of us probably know bottling your boozy brew and cellaring it for 24 to 36 months will mellow that boozy burn and allow your brew to develop an even more complex character. Anyone that has tased a properly aged beer can attest to the miraculous benefits that can only come with time. Great video. Worthy of both a like and subscribe. Cheers!

[@gregisbased5205]

I have brewed a modest Imperial Stout, I anticipate it ending up in the 8% range and around 60 IBUs, by Christmas it will have 4 months of age in the bottles. Are you suggesting this more for barely wines or would it be a good idea to keep this brew racked for another year?

[@hlessiavedon]

That depends greatly on the style of beer. Super hopy beers are usually going to be better when young, and lose their fruity and floral notes withing 3 months of bottling.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

If it truly is in the 8% range a further year of storage will smooth it out providing you have a cool storage through the heat of summertime.

[@donaldneill4419]

Lived in Belgium for two years and became addicted to Chimay Bleu. My hat is off to you gentlemen, you've done a wondrous thing!

[@Spetulhu]

I prefer the red one. Tasty brew and the voltage isn't so insane that I end up on the floor after having two of them. But to each his own.

[@Marco_Onyxheart]

I like Chimay Blanche better, the white one. Tastes more earthy. But all Chimays are very good.

[@coreytaylor1673]

Just ordered a system! Sold my old clunker this morning. Went to work and thought about it all day. Came home, drank beer, watch video, place order. Super excited!!!!! 🍻🍻

[@ClawhammerSupply]

Hahaha. Nice!

[@danc3693]

The video did its job!

[@RickyDeaguero]

Just ordered a system! Sold my old clunker this morning. Went to work and thought about it all day. Came home, drank beer, watch video, place order. Super excited!!!!!

[@frazierinsuranceagency]

been waiting for another Belgian brew. Great Job! I've had this idea for a few months imma gonna send it and give it a go.

[@jakobperkin7417]

VERY HYPED TO SEE YOU GUYS POST A ACTUAL BREW DAY VIDEO AGAIN!!!!!

[@ClawhammerSupply]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4TFqYZ6isaMpqs

[@ben10mama]

Honestly video feels like something from the discovery channel or sometime, great quality!

[@deanwilliams2374]

Brewed one of these last year... I call it my COVID Quad as I had covid when it was fermenting. So actually missed the original bottling date, so it was left for an extra week. Still an amazing beer thought. Hit 11.2% ABV. It's really big in flavour and one is more than enough. A year later and the beer is still good

[@ptdlg8698]

it will be good in 2025 too.

[@davidrogers6262]

I brewed a quad in December and let it secondary ferment for 6 months. I ended up with a 11.5%. I don't know if I will wait 6 months for a homebrew ever again but patience did pay off. I compared it to a Boulevard quad and both are quite boozy but what dark fruit flavor! It did take a yeast starter of harvested Imperial Double/ Trippel and a pack of abby ale yeast. The only downside to the final pour was a lack of carbonation. I think all the yeast dropped out completely before bottling.

[@daviddraper6468]

Love the idea and really dig the Conan shirt! Can't beat that caveman battle doom!

[@graefx]

I remember at the end of college we had transitioned out of our ipa triple hop hipster phase and I got exposed to high grav beer. The malty and darker the better. This penta sounds like something I could only dream about.

[@TheBruSho]

Loved the timelapse on the fermentation, that was fascinating to watch!

[@wastedbottle175]

haha you didn't catch the last peek of the foam getting out😂

[@happyhourk12]

Having been to the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont for a conference of Abbots with my former abbot maybe 10 years ago when I was a junior (I was his helper/luggage guy for the trip )….I can say that TRUE monk made and table reserved beer is amazing.

[@aphexart]

I love quads! My favorite kind of beer! It's so incredibly rich in flavor, sweet and delicious.... Once i bought a bottle bottle of westvleteren out of a cellar find, and. Nobody knew how old it was... So i got in contact with the westvleteren brewery and by looking at the Etikett they thought it was about 40 or more years old! We opened it up... No gas of course... But it tasted incredible! Like a portwine or sherry... Unfortunately the taste evaporated quickly after the air touched it... But it was an amazing experience nonetheless... Who can say they drank a 40+ year old beer!? I have some more westvleteren in my cellar and it's coming up on 15 years... That is going to be a treat!!!

[@Marco_Onyxheart]

40 year old Westvleteren? I am jealous! Westvleteren is already tough enough to come by, but an aged Westvleteren? That's something else altogether. I have aged Gulden Draak before. Made it a bit more vinous. Interesting flavour development.

[@hddm3]

I love this type of beers. So beautiful

[@frankwaldeck2359]

I remember waking up on my front porch once. I still can’t recall those 4 days before. I remember leaving one place and 7:00am waking with a cement pillow.

[@noahcarver6072]

This was pretty interesting. You are some wild and crazy guys.

[@paddlelikemad3584]

When the passion breeds madness! Well done gentlemen.

[@adityanadgauda]

Whoever makes your thumbnails deserves a raise.

[@ausfoodgarden]

Here in Australia afaik there's no alcohol limit on home brew beer so long as it's "brewed" (no distilling or making ice beer) There's even a commercial beer available here that is over 29% but I've no idea how they make it. (Pirate's Life Eisbock) I'm guessing ice beer (freeze distilling) A very entertaining video guys 👍

[@rw-xf4cb]

Fortified beer? Like ports are sweet wines with added alcohol...

[@DavidMiller-dt8mx]

It's freeze-distilled. That's exactly what an eisbock is. :)

[@ausfoodgarden]

@@DavidMiller-dt8mx Well the name should have told me. Tks mate, was just a senior moment I guess.

[@DavidMiller-dt8mx]

@@ausfoodgarden All good. I have them every day. :)

[@kenwortht6809]

Beautiful color and I bet is smells heavenly

[@sheitane]

Dude, it has to be the most entertaining video you ever made. I think you should have your show on netflix at this point 😂 This is fine editing too! and I'm kind of interested in this style of beer now, but not so much but maybe.... at least more than before "I should look at the recipe I DESIGNED" "Yeah, what did it say?" "I designed a 13% beer" At this point I was kind of literally rolling on the floor 🤣 Love you Clawhammer.

[@iansberg850]

What did you carbonate to? About to brew one and high carbonation in bottles makes me nervous

[@BroswithBeerandPants]

I always add the candi sugar after fermentation is almost done. Usually 3-4 days into fermentation when the majority of the grain sugars are consumed by the yeast. This allows the more complex grain sugars to be eaten before the simple sugars are added. Works a charm every time, yeast seem to have no problem with it.

[@kevinmcewen1760]

First video of yours I’ve seen and it’s a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing your passion

[@kerbygator]

I'm addicted to St. Bernardus Abt 12 quad.I see it on the shelf, I buy it.

[@joebonaiuto5554]

Try a gulden drank, it is a step above. Love the st Bernard's abt 12 though!

[@derkp1146]

"I don't count the other channels" 😂 you guys are fun to watch

[@ManOfTheWildWoods]

Awesome Conan shirt!

[@benjaminhurmx]

Oh Emmet how I wish I could lay you in my lap and brush your beard. Ross, so sad to hear your leaving. Best of luck in your future endeavors!

[@paul6719]

What? Not seen that?

[@Duci1989]

Ross leaving? Wasn’t in the vid.

[@benjaminhurmx]

It was in the podcast last week. I think its called Hoppy Hour.

[@thegingerpowerranger]

Ahhh that sucks. Ross is my favourite

[@Stolpskott100]

Great to see home brewers aiming for beers in the 13-15% region, which is where things really start to get difficult unless you are freeze-distilling, which cuts WAY down on the amount you can physically produce in a home-brew setting. I have tried a few very strong beers, and despite Belgium having a (well deserved) reputation for strong beers, they do not even crack the top 10 as far as I know for the World's Strongest Beer. The list is actually dominated by Scotland, with Germany (neighbour to Belgium), The Netherlands (also a neighbour to Belgium), and Italy making the list. The strongest Belgian beer that I can think of would be Black Damnation VI, from De Struise Brouwers, which comes in at a lightweight and easy-drinking 39% ABV. It tastes really nice, but it is an Imperial Stout, and I am not sure I have ever tasted a bad one. And yes, it is about as alcoholic as Jack Daniels Old No. 7. The strongest beers in the world are nowadays up over 60% ABV, with Snake Venom from Brewmeister in Scotland being the strongest that I know of, at 67.5%, and there is no way in hell that I would order a pint of that. My personal favourite though, is the one that really started the beer brewing arms race a bit over a decade ago. Brewdog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which these days is almost alcohol-free, at a pretty low 32% ABV.

[@sdtok527]

What is the dutch one?

[@Stolpskott100]

@@sdtok527 "Start the Future" which is 60% ABV, and "Obilix" which is 45% ABV, both from Koelschip. Although Obilix was a very limited edition, which was a shame because I only managed to snag a single bottle and it was nice enough that I wanted more :) Not tried Start the Future yet, but I am told it is also a nice one.

[@oasismike2]

Thank you, once again for brew day p*rn. Very satisfying. Notes from the peanut gallery: Beano...if mouth feel doesn't matter. Not that any enzymes'll convert unfermentables, but.... Also, why add the sugar up front? (If sugars exceed 15% the yeast yada yada, better to add later)

[@TroubleBrewing]

Never brewed a Quad before, if I did I definitely would keep it to a 3 gallon batch. A good winter sipper! Cheers!

[@johrschejung]

Great video as always :) For all those high abv belgian beers, I am wondering why people actually add the syrup+table sugar right into the boil, instead of into the primary, just after the fermentation started to slow down. I mean, from theory, this should bring some advantages, shouldn't it? (1) Yeast is not so stressed out. (2) You need less yeast, which saves some money. (3) You make sure that the yeast eats the longer chain sugars from the mash, before it actually gets to eat the monosaccharides that are much easier to break down. Is there any study on that? I've been happy so far with my belgians that got their sugar into the primary...

[@Kaleb.D.Watts97]

been waiting for another Belgian brew. Great Job! I've had this idea for a few months imma gonna send it and give it a go.

[@shadowspy81]

I have done a few high abv beers and I was able to pull off 18%+ by doing a 2 part boil. Spilt the grain bill into 2 mashes and combine after the fact for a 2hr boil. Doing this will give you a better chance at higher efficiency from the grain. Next I used WLP099 yeast and propagate it to 4 times the standard batch. It fermented very violently and took 6 months. Is it boozy? yep. I was trying to make my own version of dogfish 120.

[@joee9027]

I use a starter that has flocculated, decant most of the fluid, and add new wort. Then repeat.

[@RussInGA]

nice.. Gotta step up the mill (I totally went overboard on my mill setup.. loll.. keep it up!)

[@RussInGA]

yay WLP500.. love that yeast. in all my belgians this season.. one packet for I think different beers. maybe 7. :P yeast management for the win! I hope.

[@pabrowncoatbrewer7154]

Here in Pennsylvania, I brew a Sami Claus clone that I named after a brew in Firefly…. Mudder’s Milk. It’s also quite bumped up with sugars so I get an 18% ABV Doppelbock in the end and it takes a year from brew day to bottle day. Literally no one cares about your home brew ABV here. Cheers y’all!

[@GentleGiantFan]

You guys should do a part two and see if you can hit the limit. I've got faith in you guys. I think you can do it.

[@gregjobes9138]

They can't because there is no limit, it's clickbait. Colorado has no limit on ABV for homebrew. Most states don't have any limit, some have insane high limits like 80% in Nevada and 60% in California.

[@TononoGuedes]

The video was great, but the fail with the recipe makes it even better!

[@berthzy537]

The plot twist, lol! Love it.

[@johnbutterworth1369]

I have one of your pots and I live in WNC. I also lived in Nuremberg Germany in the eighties. That beer you just made will grow in your gut and can clear a dance floor.

[@burtmacklin6443]

Legal limit in Ohio is 22%, 13% is pretty impressive but not barley legal and lays well within our threshold. Clickbait aside this was a fun video. Cheers!

[@JUKPlaysGames]

Have you ever heard of Buckfast Abbey? Its about 15 miles down the road for me and the monks there do wonderful work and have been doing so for over a hundred years. Grab a bottle of Bucky I promise you will not regret it.

[@ethanandrews_360]

"more alcohol, is more fun" these are the words of a wise man.

[@knoetzel8818]

Favorite ones with Eislager brews

[@CGrahamWorks]

There is a beer from the Madlin islands in Québec that is a 19% beer

[@madmonkeycycling9098]

Use bordeaux wine yeast for refermentation, it'll help with higher abv

[@iknomorethanu]

Love Belgium Quads. D-180 is candy.

[@dddpvt]

Laws where the Least of what I worried about when I was a home brewer.

[@jtap4874]

You should edit this title to BARLEY Legal.

[@ronsbeerreviewstools4361]

A very good brewing video. Yipes quite the ABV, its a good looking brew, thumbs up I subscribed, cheers !

[@bobbybooshay8641]

Law? You're telling me I can't make any kind of alcohol I want at home?

[@ajmarshall1021]

It's a thing of beauty !

[@jasperm740]

Reppin' that Conan shirt, nice!

[@modernbrewlife]

I love monestary yeast. I use it for my yearly pumpkin pie dessert ale

[@aaronwadzinski5761]

Quads are my favorite. I was an exchange student back in '94 and hot hooked on the trappist quads and dubbels.

[@jeremyyoung9051]

I have not seen this channel before, was my first video to watch. I have to ask, was the "Allowable by Law" just clickbait? I am not aware of an ABV limit for homebrew nationally, and locally in TN I have not found that defined either. However I will readily admit I only did basic searches for this, so would be interesting to know what that legal limit is and by what governing authority. I've brewed Dogfish Head 120 IPA clone before at 19% (different fermentation methods than outlined in this video), so you had me wondering if I home-brewed an illegal beer. However I'm not seeing evidence that I did anything illegal (based on my state). I should also say this was a well produced video, very good quality and pace.

[@Tanktanium]

Can you guys do a video on a reiterated mash (making massive beers like this easier on 10gal systems efficiency-wise)? Thanks!

[@anthonysamuel4790]

Amen to this comment

[@rustedrootbeer]

Ross with the Buck 110 yeast opening tool 💯

[@seanyeeea4558]

what is the reason people say not to squeeze? i see this a lot as well for brew in a bag

[@NicholasDMcCoy]

Try using the alternate abv formula with this beer. Brewers Friend has an easy option to make the switch. I think you will be happy.

[@moody5271]

Awesome vid im subscribe real quick

[@josephmolion4345]

Question: Why didn't you guys start w/ about 1/2 the water, then wash the wort with the 2nd half? I bet you left a lot of nice sugars in the squeezed grain.

[@gregmorris2022]

Here is my opinion, thanks for asking. I started brewing in 2007. I have lit’ traly never had a perfect brew. Thats why it’s home brewing. I am not a professional, some say I’m an idiot… Point being this video represents a brew day as it should be simply because Ross and Emmet had fun brewing and being perfectly goofy. This brew could not be more “perfect”. Cheers Lads.

[@petercarparelli]

Emmitt is the oracle, the great one, the wisest wizard.

[@thesaltysergeant4103]

This looks good!!!

[@paul6719]

1 view 1 comment, 100% engagement baby

[@wastedbottle175]

haha it's funny to see you guy explaining squeeze the grain is fine. cause I do that ALL THE TIME! and my beers are just fine~

[@tommanning7337]

Still…..AWESOME!!!!!!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🔥

[@MorbiusTheMenace]

Belgium baby!

[@7777-z2e]

is there any risk of making methanol instead of ethanol by just using water, sugar and yeast?

[@bcgm3]

3:28 Speaking of barely legal... Isn't it illegal to drop acid?

[@coeusveritas6690]

Remember this comment I’m opening a brewery in Asheville in 4 years. Hope I see you there

[@bigdealbrewing8439]

Great work lads. I’m wondering if anyone knows what refractometer and all they are using, and what glasses are they using ?

[@SemibetterthanEzra]

Last time I squeezed the grains I got a visit from the annunaki in my kitchen.

[@Weezulguy]

Had er sitting in the secondary for about two months now, reckon I can keg it?

[@danielreiss3443]

I think some of your last comments were the best: try to achieve a balance. Being new to brewing, for this type of beer what would be a good balance target?

[@AndrewJohnClive]

Nice!👌🏽🤘🏽

[@christianriel8040]

You should have cryo concentrate to bump up to 15% abv.

[@cwwisk]

Now the real question we are all asking on brew day... "Where the hose at?"

[@xecoq]

Not a fan of the tv over editing but cool to see the process

[@dougkenney1348]

What is the logic of having a legal limit on ABV for beer?

[@ipage9288]

Great thumbnail

[@wldtrky38]

"More alcohol is more fun" 👍👍 Yep 😁

[@bobfells]

Good stuff, dudes! I have found that yeast are lazy. They go after the easiest sugars to eat first which are the simple sugars like honey, and other basic sugars. If you add these later in fermentation you'll get better attenuation since the yeast will eat the sugar from the grain first before the simpler sugars. Cheers, bros.

[@iansberg850]

I had good results from adding some of the sugar mid ferment too (high krausen). Will continue to do that going forward

[@Lundis919191]

Imperial Dark by Gouden Carolus is probably my absolute favorite.

[@gammaraygaming3306]

Funny this came up in my recommendations, as yesterday I started a 13.5% pale ale with mandarina Bavaria and cascade hops. Here's hoping I won't end up on somebody's porch with no pants 😆

[@JTBCOOL1]

Maybe if you drink more than a couple back to back. But one bottle should keep you from losing your pants

[@thecaptain3773]

Since we break all kinds of laws just going around town, I'm not worried about brewing a quad. I've already gotten a 18% mead, and I doubt the alphabet bois will worry about me.

[@theblobfish9614]

Its not like you cant squeeze your mash, its just that sparging is that much better for your efficiency.

[@danielreiss3443]

There is so much fiber left in these grains; can the used ones be repurposed into bread?!

[@ClawhammerSupply]

Yes

[@SynthRockViking]

Can you not add a pinch of straight sugar?😅

[@SynthRockViking]

Oh lol..Candy syrup🤙

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

I've taken EC-1118 yeast to over 20ABV for my Mead. 18 lbs of honey in 5 gallons water in 3 feedings. IF 1118 won't ferment it, I don't want to drink it.

[@JTBCOOL1]

I love beer and never had mead but the abv, history, lore behind mead makes me want to make some and drink to my bellys content. Ever hear of Skyrim mead. I want to make some of that. I think it's called a cyser mead.

[@martinerhard8447]

We recently got up to 46%!!! We made what we call Eisbock in germany using liquid nitrogen

[@ryanblystone5153]

Thank you

[@planktonweed727]

nice conan shirt

[@Xalderon]

I love Trappist beers!

[@johnathanpenczek5499]

I ordered a Belgian triple thinking it was a normal Belgian white ale. I was rosy cheeked after 2

[@michaelbracy212]

You have go with a honey wheat double bock I get my up to 17 Abv 5gal run

[@robertmooney1492]

As a home brewer, these knuckleheads always crack me up 😂