I brewed a custom Tripel crossed with a Belgian Wit that sat in secondary for over 4 months, and just kegged it last week and tried it tonight. WOW! this beer is a fruit bomb, even over the 9.6% ABV!
I am not that great at describing the subdued fruit flavors but I smell and taste a lot of white grape, raisins, plums, caramel, and other flavors undetermined at this point.
This yeast was a real champ and started to referment around 2 months in secondary, I attribute that to rising ambient temperatures.
Here is my recipe if anyone is interested, I have also uploaded it to iBrewMaster:
Tripel-Wit
Style: Belgian Tripel
Type: Partial Mash Calories: 242
Rating: 0.0 Efficiency: 70 %
IBU's: 19.13 Boil Size: 7.13 Gal
Color: 5.7 SRM Batch Size: 6.25 Gal
Boil Time: 60 minutes
Estimated Actual
Brew Date: - 03/24/2011
OG: 1.074 1.075
FG: 1.018 1.002
ABV: 7.34 % 9.56 %
Serve Date: 08/11/2011 / /
Fermentation Steps
Name Days / Temp Estimated Actual
Primary 14 days @ 68.0°F 03/24/2011 03/24/2011
Secondary 60 days @ 68.0°F 04/07/2011 06/13/2011
Bottle/Keg 21 days @ 72.0°F 08/12/2011 07/21/2011
Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
3.00 lbs 21.74 % Pilsner (2 Row) Bel 60 mins 1.036
0.75 lbs 5.43 % Oats, Flaked 60 mins 1.037
0.50 lbs 3.62 % Caravienne Malt 60 mins 1.034
0.25 lbs 1.81 % Rye, Flaked 60 mins 1.036
0.25 lbs 1.81 % Wheat, Flaked 60 mins 1.035
0.25 lbs 1.81 % Spelt 60 mins 1.036
0.25 lbs 1.81 % Barley, Flaked 60 mins 1.032
4.00 ozs 1.81 % Aromatic Malt 60 mins 1.036
2.00 lbs 14.49 % Candi Sugar, Clear 60 mins 1.036
3.00 lbs 21.74 % Extra Light DME 60 mins 1.044
3.30 lbs 23.91 % Pilsner LME 60 mins 1.036
Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
1.00 ozs 13.10 Styrian Goldings 60 mins 5.40
0.25 ozs 2.43 Saaz 60 mins 4.00
0.75 ozs 3.61 Saaz 15 mins 4.00
Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.0 pkg Forbidden Fruit Wyeast Labs 3463
Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
0.50 oz Coriander Seed 00 mins Boil
1.00 oz Orange Peel 00 mins Boil
1.00 tsp Irish Moss 15 mins Boil
4.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient 15 mins Boil
Mash Profile
Medium Body Infusion In 60 min @ 152.0°F
Add 5.00 qt water @ 164.0°F
Carbonation
(none)
Notes
**Please read through all directions before you start your brew session, so you have everything ready and prepared.
A. **recommended** Make a yeast starter at least one day before pitching.
B. It is much cheaper and and very easy to make your own Belgian Candi sugar than it is to buy it. I recommend making this a day before your brew day or right before your brew session. It would be ideal if you have a friend make it while you tend to the kettle because you must not take your eyes off the boiling sugar as it can burn easily and the temperatures are very sensitive to the degree of caramelization required.
I have provided a link below for these instructions.
C. For a lower gravity ale, omit the 3 lbs of extra light DME.
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1. Collect and heat 5 quarts of water to 164F in mash kettle.
2. Place crushed grains in nylon mesh bag and place in kettle. Crush and set aside coriander.
3. Adjust temperature, temp should be within 1-2F of 152F. Adjust by heat source or with hot cold water.
4. Place lid on kettle and wrap with blankets or towels (HEAT SOURCE OFF) and let rest for 1 hour.
5. While mash rests, collect and heat 5 quarts of sparge water in a second pot. Heat to 170F and hold at this temp until mash is finished.
6. When 1 hour mash is complete, return kettle to heat source (WITHOUT TOWELS!) apply very low heat to raise temperature of mash to 170F. Be careful not to scorch the grains.
7. Remove the bag of grains carefully and do not waste any of the liquid coming off. Place grain sack in a colander or strainer over brew kettle and slowly and carefully pour 1 quart of 170F sparge water over the grains.
This rinses out many usable sugars and gives you better efficiency. When finished you may throw the grains away. (if you have a reusable nylon bag remember to just dump the grains and wash thoroughly)
8. Add first wort hops. Add 1 Oz of Styrian Goldings. Add more water if necessary to achieve final boil volume with evaporation loss calculated in.
9. Bring to a boil (be careful of boil-over at this point. A clean water spray bottle works great for keeping the 'hop foam' under control.)
- Add 0.25 Oz Saaz hops. Boil 60 min.
At last 15 minutes of boil:
- Add 0.75 Oz Saaz hops,
- 3.3 lb Pilsner LME,
- 3.0 lb of extra light DME,
- 2.0 lb of clear Belgian candi sugar (homemade, see link below for recipe),
- 1 tsp Irish moss,
- 4 tsp yeast nutrient.
Note: If you are using an immersion wort chiller, now is the time to place it in the boiling wort to sanitize it. Another method would be to soak it in a StarSan solution.
10. At flame-out, add 0.5 Oz of crushed coriander, and 1 Oz of orange peel.
11. Chill your wort to between 60F-75F if possible. It is better to have a cooler wort and pitch cold and let the fermenter warm up than to have it warm and produce fusel alcohols in the early stage.
12. Pitch your pre-smacked Wyeast package or yeast starter into the cooled wort. Add a blow-off tube or airlock and place in an appropriate temp, dark place.
Note: I would recommend a yeast starter a day or two before the brew session due to the high gravity.
13. Primary ferment for 7-14 days. A consistent gravity reading over 3 days will tell you when it is time to rack to secondary.
14. Secondary ferment for 2 months to condition.
15. Keg or bottle as usual and allow a minimum of 3 weeks aging/carbonating before consuming. This beer will get better over time and will develop character.
Homemade Belgian candi sugar:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/basicbrewing/sugarguidelines.pdf
www.iBrewMaster.com Version: 2.752
