Simple Belgian tripel recipe

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SkinnyShamrock

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I came up with a very simple Belgian tripel recipe, because after sampling Victory Golden Monkey I decided that I have to make a tripel.

5 gallon batch, 2 gallon boil

8 lbs. light DME
1 lb. wheat DME

1.5 oz Hallertau at 60 min.
.5 oz Saaz at 30 min.
.5 oz Tettnanger at 15 min.
Some Irish moss at 5 min.

WLP500 Trappist Ale yeast

TastyBrew beer calculator says: 1.081 OG, 1.020 FG, 22 IBU, 4 SRM, 7.9 ABV

Not nearly as in depth as some other tripel recipes I've found, but I think it would work. What is the general consensus?
 
If you're looking to brew "to style", the FG is too high, and the IBUs are to the low end of the style - BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 18

Most tripels end up with a low FG because they use simple sugars that ferment out completely. You can add some complexity & lower the FG by using candi sugar. You can also make your own candi sugar - KotMF: Making Candi Sugar
or you can just add some corn sugar.

WLP500 is the Chimay yeast, and can obviously make a fabulous tripel.
I've only made one myself, and followed JZ's suggestion to pitch cool (64F) and let it warm up slowly to 70F max. My understanding is that gives more spicy phenols than fruity esters.

Good luck!
 
Or the appropriate amount of slurry. :D

Anyway, the best Tripel is simple - Pils malt, clear candisugar (or invert sugar), bittering and a touch of flavor/aroma hops, the correct yeast.

I'd swap out the pound of wheat extract for at least a pound and a half of clear candisugar or invert sugar.

Bob
 
I'd swap out the pound of wheat extract for at least a pound and a half of clear candisugar or invert sugar.

Bob

I agree with everything Bob said, but I would replace the wheat extract with 1.5 lbs of table sugar, rather than Bob's suggested candisugar or invert sugar.

Have used clear candisugar, table sugar and made my own invert sugar and I cannot differentiate out the tastes.

Now dark candi syrup is a whole 'nuther story...

Just my $0.02.
 
Leffe Blonde Clone

10 gallon
OG 1.068
IBU 36
SRM 6.3

Grain
20 lbs. Belgium Pilsner
0.75 lbs. Belgium Biscuit Malt
0.75 .lbs Belgium Aromatic Malt
0.50 lbs. Germany Munich Malt
0.25 lbs Honey Malt
1.00 lbs clear candy sugar
0.25 lobs Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt

Hops Boil 60 min.
1.25 oz. Perle pellet alpha 9.00 (Ibu 25.4) @ 60 min.
0.75 oz. Perle pellet alpha 9.00 (Ibu 7.8) @ 30 min
1.00 oz. Styrian Goldings pellet alpha 4.8 (Ibu 2.9) @ 15 min

Irish moss or clearing pill at 15 min.
Yeast: While Labs 570 Belgian Golden Ale

Mash schedule
130F for 10 min.
152F for 70 min.
Sparge out @ 175F for 75 min.

Primary: 10 days
Secondary: 3 weeks

Brewers notes:
I have brewed this 5 times and this is extremely close and better than Leffe. Don't substitute anything, I have already tried with different yeasts, etc.
 
Ya.....you gotta use some sugar to dry it out.

Maybe:

8lbs LME - (or you could do 7lbs+1lb wheat if you really want)
1.5lbs Corn sugar (or cane, or invert, or clear candi...as you wish)
 
I agree with everything Bob said, but I would replace the wheat extract with 1.5 lbs of table sugar, rather than Bob's suggested candisugar or invert sugar.

Have used clear candisugar, table sugar and made my own invert sugar and I cannot differentiate out the tastes.

Now dark candi syrup is a whole 'nuther story...

Just my $0.02.

After going back and forth with the invert/non-invert I decided to ask Randy Mosher. He basically said they use straight sugar for lighter colored brews.

I agree with Bob as well.

A Tripel can be up to almost 20% straight (beet or cane) refined sugar. Add it towards the end of the boil or your color will darken a little.
 
Sounds like a good plan.

My tripel was 70% Pils, 15% Munich, 15% cane sugar, almost verbatim from Radical Brewing but I bumped up the gravity to 1.090 :)drunk:). Using LME will provide similar color and flavor to what I got with the Pils+Munich all grain recipe. It's still young (brewed three months ago) but oh so good when I have sampled it...

Be careful with the ferment using these trappist yeasts. If you don't control the temps carefully using a water bath, the vigorous fermentation can generate heat in the fermenter which in turn causes more vigorous activity .... before long things get out of control and cause massive blowoff and potentially explosions of yeast all over the room! I used a water bath for the first week of my fermentation, without any ice even, and had no problems. The water helps to draw heat out of the fermenter and release it into the room so the heat doesn't stay trapped inside, especially if you are using a plastic pail as your primary.
 
Leffe Blonde Clone

10 gallon
OG 1.068
IBU 36
SRM 6.3

Grain
20 lbs. Belgium Pilsner
0.75 lbs. Belgium Biscuit Malt
0.75 .lbs Belgium Aromatic Malt
0.50 lbs. Germany Munich Malt
0.25 lbs Honey Malt
1.00 lbs clear candy sugar
0.25 lobs Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt

Hops Boil 60 min.
1.25 oz. Perle pellet alpha 9.00 (Ibu 25.4) @ 60 min.
0.75 oz. Perle pellet alpha 9.00 (Ibu 7.8) @ 30 min
1.00 oz. Styrian Goldings pellet alpha 4.8 (Ibu 2.9) @ 15 min

Irish moss or clearing pill at 15 min.
Yeast: While Labs 570 Belgian Golden Ale

Mash schedule
130F for 10 min.
152F for 70 min.
Sparge out @ 175F for 75 min.

Primary: 10 days
Secondary: 3 weeks

Brewers notes:
I have brewed this 5 times and this is extremely close and better than Leffe. Don't substitute anything, I have already tried with different yeasts, etc.


That's not a Tripel, that's a Blond.
 
Be careful with the ferment using these trappist yeasts. If you don't control the temps carefully using a water bath, the vigorous fermentation can generate heat in the fermenter which in turn causes more vigorous activity .... before long things get out of control and cause massive blowoff and potentially explosions of yeast all over the room! I used a water bath for the first week of my fermentation, without any ice even, and had no problems. The water helps to draw heat out of the fermenter and release it into the room so the heat doesn't stay trapped inside, especially if you are using a plastic pail as your primary.

I've heard that they're pretty overactive, I'll take it into consideration. Where I put my fermenter, it sits on a concrete floor in our laundry room/shop, so it's pretty chilly this time of year, but I'll be sure to keep constant watch of the temperature.
 
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