Recipe Critique: Hoppy Tripel

I'm trying to finalize the recipe for a hoppy tripel for my next brew. The first draft that I sketched out is below, any and all comments are welcome (though I am pretty set on using Galaxy hops):

14lbs Pilsner Malt
1.25lbs Sugar
.5lbs Aromatic Malt
.5lbs Flaked Wheat

1oz Galaxy @ 20 minutes
1oz Galaxy @ 10 minutes
2oz Galaxy @ flameout
2oz Galaxy @ dryhop

Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity

OG: 1.082 (65% efficiency)
FG: 1.011
ABV: 9.5%
IBU: 37.1

I just discovered Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin this year and am loving both of them. I think it sounds good. Should have a nice passion fruit aroma.

What temp are you planning on fermenting at? too low and the tripel flavor will lose out to the hoppiness, too high and it might get a lil too fruity. its all relative tho, I like fermenting my tripels high towards the last 1/3 of the primary.

Formito said:

What temp are you planning on fermenting at? too low and the tripel flavor will lose out to the hoppiness, too high and it might get a lil too fruity. its all relative tho, I like fermenting my tripels high towards the last 1/3 of the primary.

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I get plenty of fruit from the Trappist HG fermenting in the low 60s. I too raise the temp (70F) when activity begins to die down, but I believe the esters and higher alcohols have already been produced in the growth through high krauesen phases. What kind of schedule do you use and what kind of results do you see?

I hate IPA's, but....a local brewery made a DIPA exclusively with Galaxy and I must admit, it
s pretty good stuff. The passion fruit/pineapple flavors from Galaxy put into a Trippel intrigues me. I have to know how this turns out.

jtejedor said:

I just discovered Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin this year and am loving both of them. I think it sounds good. Should have a nice passion fruit aroma.

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Yeah, Alpine's Nelson and Hill Farmstead's Galaxy single hop imperial IPA turned me on to those two hops respectively in the last year or so. I've got a double IPA with all Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy hops that's getting dry hopped tomorrow, and the rest of the Galaxy hops are going into this brew.


As far as fermentation temps, this is one thing I was hoping would come up in this thread. My original plan was to pitch and let it ferment in the mid to high 60s for the first couple days, bring it to 70 for a day or two, and slowly creep into the low-mid 70s at the tail end of fermentation, but I don't really have any prior experience with this yeast, so I don't know.

I will suggest more bitterness. I like my Tripel in the 60 IBU range.

As far as temps for belgian strains, I pitch in the low 60's and put them in a warm room. They will go into the upper 70's on their own. After initial fermentation, I move them to a cooler room where they finish the remaining weeks in the mid to low 60's. Depending on the time of year and locale, you may need temp control at this point.

I've got nothing. I have a very similar recipe with a very similar theoretical bitterness.

60IBUs? Are you being serious? That seems real high for a tripel. Victory Golden Monkey is one of the hoppier versions I've had of the tripel style and that's only around 40 I think. Seems like it wouldn't be balanced, or it's just simply a blend of styles sort of like Raging *****. So at that point I think it'd depend on the hops used and when they're used....

smokinghole said:

60IBUs? Are you being serious? That seems real high for a tripel.

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There's a lot of sweetness to balance out. You're going to age out a lot of the hoppiness. Check out a De Ryck Arend Tripel. It's one of my faves.