First Trappist Ale - Any Tips?

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danbrewtan

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I have ordered the ingredients to brew a Dubbel Trappist from Austin Homebrew Supply. I ordered the "AHS Belgian Trappist Ale Dubbel" package. Anywho, I've brewed a couple ciders and a few beers so I still consider myself new at the art. Are there any tips or useful factoids that I should know before diving into this brew? Thanks in advance!
 
Fermentation temperature control is important for Belgians (well all beers, but...). I don't know which yeast strain you're using, but typically you pitch at a temp in the mid 60's and slowly let it rise for the first couple of days. Maybe let it get to 69-70. Then as fermentation is nearly complete raise the temp a few more degrees to help get the last few points. Belgian yeast are often slow to finish. They will start out strong, but the last few points can take as long as the first 75%. Also, extended aging does wonders for the taste of most Belgian beers. The last dubbel that I did was bulk lagered at 50F for 4 weeks after primary fermentation was complete and then its flavor improved as it aged in the bottle. It's 6 months in the bottle now and tastes better than ever.
 
It will likely be a high gravity beer, so you'll want to make a big starter to pitch the correct number of cells to make sure your beer finishes dry enough. Use the mrmalty.com calculator to determine how much starter you'll need and don't forget the age of the yeast! Also, be sure to oxygenate the heck out of your wort before pitching. Good luck!
 
+1 Pitch the proper amount and temperature control.
 
At this stage in the game, I really don't have a way to regulate the temperature other than my AC setting. Is there any easy way to do this that I'm not considering? My first thought is a water bath that I can check 2-3 times per day and drop a few ice cubes in there if it's too warm.
 
Thanks for the calculator link. The yeast I am using is White Labs Trappist Ale WLP500, which is a liquid yeast if I remember correctly.

So this calculator can help me determine the amount of yeast starter to add with 1 vial of yeast. The starter amount is reported in Liters. Is the starter something I dissolve in water and pitch in along with the yeast? Since it's given in liters, my guess is that there is a standard concentration of yeast starter?

Thanks for the tips so far!
 
Belgian dubbel sounds like a good plan (I’ve got one fermenting now ;-). I used a fairly standard starter of 200g DME in water making a 2l solution (which gave a gravity of 1.040). They suggest to have the starter a little warmer (24C) to promote yeast growth.
Good luck.
 
I just did a dubbel and fermented at room temperature (~68-70). After 3 weeks in primary I naturally carbonated/aged 3 weeks in a corny it came out amazing. Probably my best beer according to style that I have made.

This was using WLP530 in a 2 liter starter, decanted to 500 ml and pitched. It was 1.072 OG if I remember correctly.
 
Just transferred it to the secondary today. It had a gravity of 1.023 (OG was 1.082) which rings this up at about 7.8% ABV. Of course I took a little sample and it was delicious! Can't wait to bottle this baby :mug:
 
I have my first Trappist yeast brew ready for the secondary tomarrow morning. My temps started out 82 degrees overnight (pitched @70) took temps down to 74 and slowly, in two weeks, took it up tp 84. Much warmer temps than I've ever tried. It is a saison and I will see how the esters developed. Let us know how what yours was like after bottle conditioning!
 
billingsbrew said:
I have my first Trappist yeast brew ready for the secondary tomarrow morning. My temps started out 82 degrees overnight (pitched @70) took temps down to 74 and slowly, in two weeks, took it up tp 84. Much warmer temps than I've ever tried. It is a saison and I will see how the esters developed. Let us know how what yours was like after bottle conditioning!

*confused*

Is there a Trappist Saison yeast? I was under the impression that pretty much the only thing that defines the loose category we're calling Saison was the yeast. I would think if you're fermenting wlp500 or 530 that hot, you'll end up with a fusel-hot ester bomb.

Then again, I'm no master on the subject and I hope it turns out great!
 
I have my first Trappist yeast brew ready for the secondary tomarrow morning. My temps started out 82 degrees overnight (pitched @70) took temps down to 74 and slowly, in two weeks, took it up tp 84. Much warmer temps than I've ever tried. It is a saison and I will see how the esters developed. Let us know how what yours was like after bottle conditioning!

I think you are confusing "Trappist" with "Belgian." Trappist beers are produced by a small number of very small monasteries in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, and cover a range of styles. The trappists belong to a small offshoot of the Cistercians, and are a cloistered, contemplative monastic group.

Not all Trappist abbeys produce beer- there are only eight recognized ones. Other non-Trappist abbeys produce beer, and we generally just call those beers Abbey ales because Trappist doesn't really apply.

Since we're typically not monks, we don't live in abbeys or follow Trappist guidelines for our lives, nothing we make is "technically" a Trappist beer. We can make some darn good approximations, though, using their yeasts, ingredients, and techniques though. Trappist-style or Abbey ale would be more "accurate."

Saison is a Belgian style, but not one generally produced by the Trappists. It's a summertime beer fermented hot, traditionally given to farmworkers out in the sun. Originally a low-gravity table beer, it would have been the typical sanitary alternative to water, but examples nowadays tend to be stronger.

There you have it: a primer on Trappists, Abbey Ales, and Saison. Enjoy THAT wall of text! :ban:
 
Thats a mouth full. I only used the the Trappist Wy3787 yeast because the Wyeast 1214 and the WLP565 were not availiable. It turned out to be a good choice. I placed it into a secondary today and will store it for about 4 weeks at 40-45 degrees (Its sometimes good to live in Montana). I tased about 30 oz. that were left over from the secondary and unless the quality goes down a great deal, I'm thinking this will be a fine ale. It has a lot of fruity notes, not much for hops and thats OK thats what I was hoping for after making so many IPA'S (my favorite style of ale!) I was concerned about the fusel oils at such high temps however, the high esters and other complex flavors given by this yeast seems to have limited this affect.
 
I bottled 45 Trappist-style ales over the weekend. Excited to try this in 2-3 weeks!
 
At this stage in the game, I really don't have a way to regulate the temperature other than my AC setting. Is there any easy way to do this that I'm not considering? My first thought is a water bath that I can check 2-3 times per day and drop a few ice cubes in there if it's too warm.

+1 on the water bath.

To keep my carboy at more a constant temp (65-68) I bought a big navy blue plastic tub with rope handles at Target for around $7 (I think its main intent is for storage of kids toys, and then bought an aquarium heater (strong enough for 5-10gallons) for around $20. Its worked like a charm so far. Carboy has been at a more steady range than just sitting out in the ambient air. Plus with the aquarium heater, you can easily ramp up the temp so you can finish those Belgians better before bottling/kegging.

Also I'd recommend getting a few of the tubs. The come in handy for letting your equipment soak in PBW after your done brewing.

Cheers
 
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