Pardon thread title puns...
Looking to brew a trippel soon.
Inspiration taken from the very limited commercial examples available to me.
Started to read up on the style: BYO recent article (Trippel Threat), BYO recipe for Westmalle Trippel, Clone Brews book, Brew Like a Monk book, and Brewing Classic Styles Book, plus a few threads here on HBT.
Here is what I've come up with: The different sources are all over the board.
I don't really want to plagarize content, but I do own all the above sources, and want to point out that there are differences between the varied references to the actual Westmalle recipe.
I consider BLAM (Brew Like A Monk - and yes I like BLAM as an acronym) to be probably most accurate, as there is documentation, footnotes, etc, and photos. The specs given match almost identically with BYO specs, differing in the SRM only. Clonebrews is rather far off the mark in comparison. Also the CB grist is off the mark with other sources to a degree.
The Grist seems to be 80% Pils 20% or close to it sugar. No mention of other fermentables. BLAM reports a step infusion mash and France sourced grain.
Hops seems to be variable, and they may blend different batches before bottling, to further confound. Styrian Goldings comes up in several sources as does Tettnang, and Saaz, which are both admitted to in the BYO article by the brewmaster or CEO. A few oddballs mentioned in BLAM that I don't see in other sources: Fuggles, Spalt Select, and unspecified Russian hops.
Fermentation is reported to be mid 60's pitch with rise to high 60's but not above 70's, followed by a secondary/conditioning period of at least 4 weeks depending on the source, and performed at pseudo-lagering temps, below 50º.
Mashing is reported, again, as a step infusion, and its hard to find details as the BYO recipe looks like it was written by a 5th grader with nonsensical numbers that require interpolation to understand. I can probably manage the mash however using the Trippel Threat article which is pretty succinct, but seems a temperature step mash may be adequate as opposed to infusion step mash. Clearly the CloneBrews mash seems out of whack.
What is left then in my planned Trippel brew is the hop additions.
After reading the BYO trippel threat article, seems that a single bittering addition would be appropriate to style. The BYO recipe indicated 15 and 5 minute additions however, and the CB book is concordant to a degree. It seems Styrian Goldings may be the bittering hops used. There may be small tettnang 15 min flavor and saaz 5 min aroma additions. This however is somewhat contrary to the trippel threat article (although the interviewed CEO/masterbrewer reportedly admitted to using Saaz and Tettnang and this is also reported by BLAM. Where and how they use the hosp however is not specified).
I've not brewed a trippel before, so would rather like to get it right. I am worried that my planned recipe might be heavy handed on late hops, and somewhat overly complex in the grist. I was thinking of modelling or clone attempt at the Westmalle brew first before I try mixing it up for in any future brews of this style.
I typically brew batches aimed at collecting 10 gallons of finished packaged beer. I was thinking of limiting any flavor 15 minute hop additions to .5 to .25 oz at the most, and ditto on 5-0 minute aroma hops. I have some Bohemian Floor Malted Pils, as well as "ordinary" german Pils malt (both weyermann) that I was planning to use for the grist, probably just the ordinary pils, plus clear candi syrup for the sugar. I was also planning to use the Safbrew T-58 yeast, though I am not committed to it. I have some mixed yeast slurry (WLP 550 & 500) from a previous Belgian brew that I could also use but with more effort to wash and re-populate. Hops I am looking for suggestions here.
Thanks for any recommendations and advice!
TD
Looking to brew a trippel soon.
Inspiration taken from the very limited commercial examples available to me.
Started to read up on the style: BYO recent article (Trippel Threat), BYO recipe for Westmalle Trippel, Clone Brews book, Brew Like a Monk book, and Brewing Classic Styles Book, plus a few threads here on HBT.
Here is what I've come up with: The different sources are all over the board.
I don't really want to plagarize content, but I do own all the above sources, and want to point out that there are differences between the varied references to the actual Westmalle recipe.
I consider BLAM (Brew Like A Monk - and yes I like BLAM as an acronym) to be probably most accurate, as there is documentation, footnotes, etc, and photos. The specs given match almost identically with BYO specs, differing in the SRM only. Clonebrews is rather far off the mark in comparison. Also the CB grist is off the mark with other sources to a degree.
The Grist seems to be 80% Pils 20% or close to it sugar. No mention of other fermentables. BLAM reports a step infusion mash and France sourced grain.
Hops seems to be variable, and they may blend different batches before bottling, to further confound. Styrian Goldings comes up in several sources as does Tettnang, and Saaz, which are both admitted to in the BYO article by the brewmaster or CEO. A few oddballs mentioned in BLAM that I don't see in other sources: Fuggles, Spalt Select, and unspecified Russian hops.
Fermentation is reported to be mid 60's pitch with rise to high 60's but not above 70's, followed by a secondary/conditioning period of at least 4 weeks depending on the source, and performed at pseudo-lagering temps, below 50º.
Mashing is reported, again, as a step infusion, and its hard to find details as the BYO recipe looks like it was written by a 5th grader with nonsensical numbers that require interpolation to understand. I can probably manage the mash however using the Trippel Threat article which is pretty succinct, but seems a temperature step mash may be adequate as opposed to infusion step mash. Clearly the CloneBrews mash seems out of whack.
What is left then in my planned Trippel brew is the hop additions.
After reading the BYO trippel threat article, seems that a single bittering addition would be appropriate to style. The BYO recipe indicated 15 and 5 minute additions however, and the CB book is concordant to a degree. It seems Styrian Goldings may be the bittering hops used. There may be small tettnang 15 min flavor and saaz 5 min aroma additions. This however is somewhat contrary to the trippel threat article (although the interviewed CEO/masterbrewer reportedly admitted to using Saaz and Tettnang and this is also reported by BLAM. Where and how they use the hosp however is not specified).
I've not brewed a trippel before, so would rather like to get it right. I am worried that my planned recipe might be heavy handed on late hops, and somewhat overly complex in the grist. I was thinking of modelling or clone attempt at the Westmalle brew first before I try mixing it up for in any future brews of this style.
I typically brew batches aimed at collecting 10 gallons of finished packaged beer. I was thinking of limiting any flavor 15 minute hop additions to .5 to .25 oz at the most, and ditto on 5-0 minute aroma hops. I have some Bohemian Floor Malted Pils, as well as "ordinary" german Pils malt (both weyermann) that I was planning to use for the grist, probably just the ordinary pils, plus clear candi syrup for the sugar. I was also planning to use the Safbrew T-58 yeast, though I am not committed to it. I have some mixed yeast slurry (WLP 550 & 500) from a previous Belgian brew that I could also use but with more effort to wash and re-populate. Hops I am looking for suggestions here.
Thanks for any recommendations and advice!
TD
