Belgian Tripel Recipe?

Okay I'm branching out from IPA's Russian Imperials, British Bitters, and trying a Belgian tripel for the first time. I'm using ingredients on hand and a few adjuncts I picked up. Here is my recipe. Any thoughts? Too much candi sugar and when should I add it? Bitter or sweet orange peel (planning on sweet)? Timing for adjuncts? Comes in a little dark for style but thought I would use up my Munich.


Est Original Gravity: 1.083 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.53 %
Bitterness: 31.9 IBU
Est Color: 7.9 SRM

12 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 73.53 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 8.82 %
1 lbs Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
1.00 oz Tradition [6.00 %] (75 min) Hops 16.4 IBU
0.50 oz Hersbrucker [2.32 %] (60 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
0.50 oz Saaz [3.80 %] (60 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [3.80 %] (20 min) Hops 6.0 IBU
0.50 oz Saaz [3.80 %] (5 min) Hops 1.0 IBU
0.50 oz Hersbrucker [2.32 %] (5 min) Hops 0.6 IBU
0.35 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.50 oz Licorice Root (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2 lbs Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 11.76 %
1 Pkgs Trappist High Gravity (Wyeast Labs #3787) (Big Starter)

Mash at 150, batch sparge and 75 minute boil.

I've been to Belgium, enjoyed their beer (maybe too much), but never brewed it. Thanks in advance.

I don't think you want biscuit in a tripel.

smalliewader said:

I don't think you want biscuit in a tripel.

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Agreed.

Thanks for the opinion. I saw this in a few others but questioned it. Any other suggestions for the grain bill?

I like Caravinne, would use 1.5-2 Caravinne instead of Biscuit...


Otherwise I am drooling !

For your first tripel I would keep it simple. A simple tripel is great.

Drop the biscuit and even consider dropping the spices. Pilsner, munich and some sugar plus some hops makes a very good tripel. You can up the sugar to replace the biscuit or even up the sugar to 20% to dry it out some.

Consider pitching the yeast in the low 60's and slowly let the temp rise up. Let it ferment for a long time. 4-6 weeks. And then once bottled think months instead of weeks to condition.

Enjoy.

Great suggestion . Sometimes simpler is better and easier to identify flavors in final product, maybe I'll scale back the adjuncts. I do have some Belgium aromatic, special b and caramel 40, I could use anyone of these based on suggestion. I will report back on final recipe and results. I consider this recipe a fun trial based on group feedback.

Some people like to add some specialty malts and spices and such, but the best triples I've had have all been dead simple recipes. Pilsner, maybe a touch of wheat or aromatic (4-6oz tops), or light munich (1lb tops), sugar to dry it out, enough hops to balance, and the rest of the flavor comes from the yeast. Basically, provide a nice and subtle platform for the yeast to do and show its thing, and you'll have a great beer. Then again, that's just one guy's opinion. Do what you think is best.

If you're looking for a straight simple tripel just use base grain and no spices. I've seen spiced ones but for you're first I'd recommend simple. You can also mash as low as 146. I do that regularly and get very attenuated and dry tripels. Also candi sugar is the same as table sugar so save you're money. Just use under 20% of you're fermentables with table sugar.

tpahnke said:

Thanks for the opinion. I saw this in a few others but questioned it. Any other suggestions for the grain bill?

Click to expand...

Definitely ditch the biscuit, it will add a bready, nutty/chocolate like flavor. Replace with another lb of base malt or plain table sugar. In fact, rather than pay for clear candi sugar, I just use table sugar since clear really doesn't add any flavors. Mash low and it should finish out pretty low for a nice, dry Tripel. I do mine at 148-149 for 90 minutes and get FG's below 1.010.

I agree with the others, simple is better in a Tripel. They are all about high ABV and getting the flavor from the yeast rather than grains. Save the biscuit, aromatic and Special B for doing abbey style dubbels where you want that flavor profile.

A wee bit of coriander can add a twist, think Tripel Karmeliet. I've had great success with the following Mash schedule, 113 for 30, 131 for 30, 144-148 for 60, 154 for 20. Creates a nice fermentable wort. I used this for Tripel, OG 1.086, and ended up with a final gravity of 1.00. A little over 11%ABV.

I do agree with the others, ditch the Biscuit. I might even reduce the Munich to less than a pound and add more Pils.

Get some high quality pils and simple sugar. I try to use Castle Pils in almost all of my Belgian beers. As for sugar I like to use jaggery, but I can find that in many South Asian grocery stores in my city, might be harder to find elsewhere.

Here's a tripel I brewed last summer. In retrospect I would cut down the sugar to 2 lbs, but otherwise this recipe worked out for me.

I cank-up sugar into candi myself, but for tripels there seems to be a consensus that using plain sugar is fine... @$8 a pound for belgian candi syrup, I never came across any-one that actually buys it for tripels.

Simple is great. Just made one with Pils Extract and a little wheat with 2 lbs homemade candi. Still fermenting in secondary week 5 but OG was 1.090. Touch of Coriander and bitter orange (by wife request). Will let all know and post recipe if worthy.

Yeast is the big deal here. Pitch the right amount, oxygenate, and control temperature. Start at 64 and ramp to 70 over a week. Let it hit FG and then lager at 50 for a month. These are the instructions from Jamil and the recipes on Cani Syrup Inc. for trippels. I'd start here and alter the schedule to taste if you have accurate temp control.