Aging my Tripple

So, I put a tripple in the keg about a month and a half ago. It is still VERY, VERY green.

At this point, I am starting to think it might be ready for comsumption some time next football season (okay, maybe exadurating a bit, but maybe not). That puts me in a pickle: I don't want to lose the keg capacity for that long.

So, my qustion is this: would it have been just as effective to leave it in a secondary / tertiary carboy for a year and then keg to carb a week or two prior to consumption?

In the mean time, I'm probably going to bottle this stuff up to condition for a long, long time.

I suppose you could, but then you'd be tying up the carboy for that long instead. Methinks you need more cornies.

Yeah, you could leave it in a carboy. I like kegs better for long term, bulk aging, though. They are more dependable, they are easier to store, and I don't have to worry about checking an airlock every so often. I can check the pressure, but if I forget for some reason, it's not likely that any air got through the itty, bitty leak.

If you want to free up the keg, go ahead and bottle. Or, you can get another keg.


TL

Hi, forgive me if I'm wrong and someone please correct me if I am but I've understood that a Tripel doesn't need such an extended conditioning time. What is it about the flavor that tastes green?

I'm a novice when it comes to high gravity beers, this tripple is actually my first.

All I can say about the green taste is there is a slightly sweet/sour taste that is always present in my pale ales that usually goes away in about 3 weeks.

My tripple tastes exactly like that. That flavor is so overpowering, that is about the only thing there is to taste. It really hasn't dissapated that much over a month, but it definately did not get worse, so I'm just planning on aging it for quite a while, tasting it at the top of every month.

Give it time. You would be amazed at how the flavors change. I almost tossed a keg of honey dubbel....now I'm sittin' on a goldmine. I'd plan on at least 6 months before you see some real improvement.

velorider said:

Hi, forgive me if I'm wrong and someone please correct me if I am but I've understood that a Tripel doesn't need such an extended conditioning time. What is it about the flavor that tastes green?

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Tripels do need a good conditioning time. With their high alcohol and complex flavors, they need some time to smooth out and come together. However, often, tripels aren't always aged as long as some other Belgian styles, since age may cause the desireable esters and phenols to fade.

That said, if you ever want to lay a tripel down for a year or two (or more), you probably will not be disappointed.


TL

My tripel was ready after 1.5 months in the bottle. I still have some to age though. Tripels are supposed to have a strong, pronounced flavor from the yeast and malts. Slightly "tart" or fruity is suspected and appreciated. Have you compared yours with any commercial examples?

It WILL get better with age though. Like I said, I've probably gone through half of my bottles by giving them away and samples, but I've put a few more away to try once a month or so. I think your best bet is to bottle any beers that will need aging, that's what I do, and I keg the ones I'll be able to tap in a few weeks.

The only tripple I am really familiar with is Cinq Cents from Chimay, and I really like. That said, I would like for this to be something that I can brew 2 to 3 times a year, but that will leave me with a lot of tripple laying around aging.

This weekend, I'm going to buy 2 or 3 commercial versions for a taste comparison. Hopefully I will be able to taste some of the same characteristics through the youth. Then I will decide if I should tweak/try again.

After that, I'm pretty sure I will transfer this beer into bottles, and forget about it for a while.

You gotta try the Westmalle.


TL

TexLaw said:

You gotta try the Westmalle.


TL

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I second that! I have a case of Westmalle waiting for my week off at Christmas.

TexLaw and I are on the same page. All of my Tripels I let age for quite some time. I have found that with most Belgian styles, they all benefit from time in the bottle/keg. I have even let some go over a year and they turned out to be some of the best beer that I have ever brewed. Give it at least 6 months (preferably a year) and you won't be disappointed.

OK, so I am working on a consulting case that has a Belgium company in it, so I decide to draw a glass of my triple after months of aging to try it out.

Notes:

1) The green taste has definately dissipated, but I can definately taste esthers. Is it possible to have a triple that is too fruity? If possible, I'm pretty sure mine is in that category.

2) A lingering off taste still haunts the finish. Maybe a phenol type taste? It is kind of mediciny, and not pleasent, but doesn't hit you until 1/2 a second after you swollow. It's not so bad that it makes the beer bad, but definately a downside.

3) This stuff is CLEAR! Amazingly clear.

4) This stuff is POWERFUL! One goblet and I'm loosy goosy.

All in all, not a bad try for my first go round. It is pretty enjoyable. I need a pro to taste this stuff and weigh in on the off flavor so I can modify for round two.

I hate that the R&D cycle is so long.

TexLaw said:

You gotta try the Westmalle.


TL

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I will Third that! The stuff is incredible!!

Greg

BeerAg said:

I hate that the R&D cycle is so long.

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Tell me about it. Only solution is to brew more often and tweak.

Yeah, but how do you know what to tweak if it takes you 6+ months to get a good feel of what the final product is going to be like?

Maybe some people can learn to taste through the youth in the beer, but I am far from being there as of yet.

BeerAg said:

Yeah, but how do you know what to tweak if it takes you 6+ months to get a good feel of what the final product is going to be like?

Maybe some people can learn to taste through the youth in the beer, but I am far from being there as of yet.

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Just time and experience will solve that problem. How I approach it, is I simply look at what I want more or less of in the beer. And I make that judgment when I feel the beer has reached its peak of conditioning (within reason).

BeerAg said:

All in all, not a bad try for my first go round. It is pretty enjoyable. I need a pro to taste this stuff and weigh in on the off flavor so I can modify for round two.

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I wouldn't call myself a pro, but I know my belgians. :fro:

It took 9 months for mine to be good. Let her sit, get more kegs (they are not much more then a carboy) and brew again...

My tripel seemed really un-integrated (green, I guess) after a few weeks in the primary. A few weeks in the keg didn't do a whole lot to mellow it all out but then I got impatient and found that carbonating the beer really helped. I have been sampling off and on and it's really excellent after 6 weeks. It's a low ABV tripel though (~6.5%) and this may have something to do with it.

I left my trippel in secondary for 5 months. Mainly because I was lazy. Has been in the keg for a month now and is extremely delicious.