451: Dimitri Staelens of Adept Throws out the Rule Book in Brewing Distinctive Belgian Ales

Dimitri Staelens spent 15 years directing quality across a range of breweries owned by Duvel Moortgat in Europe and North America. Along the way, he built a deep understanding of ingredients and process across a diverse range of styles and recipes. In 2020, however, he chose to scale down, launching Adept—a small brewery in Winksele, Belgium, attached to a restaurant and meeting space not far from where he lives. Now, he brews with the locals in mind, exploring unorthodox ingredients in his Belgian blond ale—wuch as Simcoe hops and flaked rice—while pushing the envelope of malt flavor with imperial raw ales that often spend time in spirits barrels.

In this episode, Staelens discusses:

• designing Belgian ales for diverse occasions
• whirlpool-hopping with Simcoe and blending with Noble hops
• building expansive grist bills with wheat, flaked rice, Munich malt, pils malt, and sugar
• sourcing Belgian-grown and -malted barley
• challenges in 2023 with changing gelatinization temperatures
• brewing no-boil raw ales, both dark and light
• avoiding DMS in raw ales
• the importance of carbon dioxide in Belgian beers

And more.

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