Belgian Tripel: Somewhat high FG. Problem?

Hi all, been reading topics on the forum like a fully realized addict, so I thought I'd sign up.

I brewed a BB Belgian Tripel and had an OG of .086. After a month in the primary (a tip I picked up here, thanks!) the FG was steadily at .022, which was high, but it wasn't moving. So I bottled.

When I visited my LHBS the other day, the guy seemed to think this might be a problem for me. Will I have bottle bombs, and what are some precautions I might take to avoid that? I have the bottles in the dark at 70 degrees right now (I plan to let them condition for a month before I try one). Any help would be appreciated.

Your plan sounds reasonable to me. Not out of the ordinary for extract brews to finish near 1.020. If it was stable, you are most likely fine. How does it taste?

A little strange, sweet. With hints of apple that I'm hoping will wear off with some lengthy bottle conditioning.

Not exactly what I expected it to taste like (I used to live in Belgium), but not bad either for flat beer.

Sounds like acetaldehyde. Did you pitch the right amount of yeast? What were your temps?

Yeast was dry and came in a sachet. Pitched all of it. There was a period of intense fermentation when I accidentally let it get up to 77 degrees. After that time I took it back down to 68 degrees, and then slowly (a degree every few days) back up to 72.

Do you remember which one? Acetaldehyde should improve with aging. Going forward use something like Mr Malty to determine proper pitch rates. 5 gallons of 1.086 needs more than one packet of dry yeast. It will be fine with time, but pitching optimal yeast numbers improves your beer.

I don't think you have a problem at all, it is not unusual for these big beers to have that FG.

Can't remember which one. Next time Ill probably get a liquid Abbey yeast or something. Would you suggest getting multiple vials? Also, about how long will it take for flavors to mellow out?

RigorHillRyan said:

Can't remember which one. Next time Ill probably get a liquid Abbey yeast or something. Would you suggest getting multiple vials? Also, about how long will it take for flavors to mellow out?

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A big beer like that will age well. I usually don't touch my bigger Belgians until 4 months but I also have quite a pipeline built up and can afford to age them.

As for liquid yeast, there are some very good Belgian strains available, some directly from the Abbeys themselves. I suggest learning how to make a yeast starter (really quite simple) if you plan to use liquid yeast. It will save you a lot of money not having to buy multiple vials/packs.

I think I'll age that beer out for a month before I try one, and then see if I can record the taste differences over time. In the meantime I'll get some more brews in the pipeline. Got an IPA going right now. Thanks for the help guys.

RigorHillRyan said:

I think I'll age that beer out for a month before I try one, and then see if I can record the taste differences over time. In the meantime I'll get some more brews in the pipeline. Got an IPA going right now. Thanks for the help guys.

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All Centennial, all the time.

Tried one of these after 3 weeks in the bottle. Already tastes pretty good. Carbed up nicely. A little hot alcohol bite, but the flavors im used to in a tripel are starting to come out. Couple of months and it should be perfect.