Let's talk Belgian yeast for a tripel

I used 1762 (rochefort) yeast in a tripel recently, and some slight lacked the spiciess that I was looking for once it aged. Now, I do like my tripel on the full bodied/sweeter side of things, so I'm not looking for the spicy phenols that Westmalle's tripel has. Let's say if we drew a line between 1762 and 3787, I'd want my tripel to be 25-33% to the right of 1762 in spiciness.

What would you recommend for something a step up from 1762 in spicy complexity without losing too much of the fruity/full-bodied flavor that I got with 1762? Would the 1214 Chimay yeast get me there, or would that be too estery? How does the 3522 Achouffe strain stack up with 1762?

I think 3538 would would be prefect it is a seasonal though :-/

stevehollx said:

How does the 3522 Achouffe strain stack up with 1762?

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I don't use it myself, but I've tasted 3522 in others' beers, and it might work well for you. I'd also suggest 1388 for the flavor profile, but only if you work to keep attenuation down. That stuff can chew through malt like almost nothing else.

Coincidentally, at this very moment, I'm sipping an attempted Chimay Cinq Cents clone made with WYeast 1214. Used Belgian Pilser malt, barley flakes, and a little wheat flour, boosted with a bit of dextrose to 9.0% abv and finishing at 1.010. A little over-sweet for my taste, quite spicy - more than with Chimay - with the strong clove or nutmeg phenolics typical of Belgian blonds such as Leffe, and almost none of the esters one gets in a Belgian Strong with WYeast 1388. Fermentation was conducted at fairly warm temperatures, about 22-23 C.