Looking to Make a Hybrid IIPA and Triple, Bad Idea?

I am not sure if there is a proper term for this, I am sure there is but I couold not find it. Here is my thought (and please feel free to tell me it is a bad idea):
1) Week 1 brew a nice strong IIPA and use a moderate started. Batch size would be about 3 gallons

2) Week 2 brew a triple, again about 3 gallons. The triple would then be mixed with the IIPA in a single fermentor and a high gravity yeast would be added, most likely wyeast 3787.

3) the mixture would ferment/sit for about 3 months.

The thought is to get a layered flavor by letting the IPA partially ferment but then intriduce the trappist yeast to compliment the falvor. The biggest risk I see is introducing an infection.

Any thoughts?

Why not just use the hop schedule from an IIPA and the yeast and grain of a trippel?

Then you'd only have to ferment one batch. I think you'd also get more yeast character that way, which maybe wouldn't get overwhelmed by the hops.

Sounds like a cool experiment to me. Although I think the risk of infection would be lower dumping the 2nd wort into the 1st which will have alcohol present.
Next, you obviously wouldn't want to oxygenate once combined, but I don't know what kind of affect it would have on beer #1 if you added an oxygenated wort (beer #2) to it. Or don't oxygenate. Again the risk of infection would be lower so a slower start may not be as much of a concern.
Lastly, would the second yeast attenuate well if added to an already ~9% alcohol brew. I think that will all depend on how strong you're going to make the tripel. You may want to run it by the boys at Wyeast and see what they think.
Or you could brew them both separately and blend them?
Or you could just do what Nateo said.

Dalime -
Dang, didn't think about O2. I think I will aerate the wort with an O2 tank and diffuser and then siphon into the IIPA. Great catch.

My thinking with the tripel is to introduce it in before the IIPA gets too far into fermentation. My hope is the IIPA yeast would impart a flavor then the tripel would layer a different flavor on top. Perhaps the IIPA is the wrong type for experiment because of the hops. Maybe something where the malt and yeast are more prominent and the desired layering effect works. Although I don't like this combination - something like a hefeweizen + tripel combo.

Nateo - This was my original intention, but my hope is to end up with in a sense three beers integrated into one. They would be the IIPA, the trappist yeast influence on the IIPA and then the tripel. You may be asking what I am smoking at this point, which is a fair question.

Why not try something like this:


Belgian IIPA



Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 8.50 gal
Boil Time: 90 min


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM) Grain 63.16 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 5.26 %
1.00 lb Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 5.26 %
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (90 min) Hops 27.0 IBU
2.00 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (30 min) Hops 20.6 IBU
2.00 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (20 min) Hops 16.2 IBU
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (10 min) Hops 8.6 IBU
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 4.7 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
5.00 lb Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 26.32 %
1 Pkgs Trappist High Gravity (Wyeast Labs #3787) Yeast (yeast cake or starter)



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.113 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.023 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 11.77 %
Bitterness: 77.2 IBU
Est Color: 10.5 SRM


Mash Profile

Double Infusion, Light Body
30 min Protein Rest Add 12.60 qt of water at 132.1 F 122.0 F
30 min Saccrification Add 11.20 qt of water at 187.9 F 150.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 11.20 qt of water at 210.3 F 168.0 F

You could brew and pitch them both in one day and rack one onto the other partway through primary (figure 2-3 days). That would limit both the O2 and the contamination risk.

IIPAs are a showcase for hops, usually brewed with neutral ale yeast. Trappist ales are malty and yeast forward. I doubt you'd be able to taste any of the IIPA's yeast or malt contribution, and that's not what IIPAs are about anyway, so I don't see the point in blending from two ferments.

If you want an interesting, layered flavor, pitch a Trappist and an English yeast, like S-04 or something, at the same time. I'd add a little bit of coriander to get some trippel character, and use citrusy hops.

eljefe said:

Dalime -
You may be asking what I am smoking at this point, which is a fair question.

Click to expand...

Not at all. There are some really good Belgian/IPA commercial examples out there. Although I think they use a more neutral Belgian strain like Ardennes (less banana/bubblegum) so the hops can shine through. I guess it would be more of a really hoppy Golden Strong.
You're just taking a different approach to it. Nothing wrong with experimenting.
Ravenshead has a good point to consider.
I guess you just have to ask yourself what kind of flavor you're looking for and do you think your approach achieve that? Only one way to find out right? :rockin:

Personally, I think a hoppy and complex tripel sounds like a great idea, and I am excited to hear how this turns out. I think having a highly hopped tripel will give you the same results. All that the IIPA is bringing to the table is high gravity, minimal grain profile, and clean yeast flavor.....besides the hops course. So, the hops are going to dominate.

If you are going to brew two batches, then I would ferment the Belgian first so that the yeast is allowed to dominate the flavor profile of the original wort. Then, I wouldn't even use a different ale when I dumped the IIPA into the Belgian. Just let the Belgian ale do all of the work because most IIPA yeasts don't do much in the way of contributing much flavor.

Most of the flavor in a tripel is the grain and the yeast. They need to be dominant if they are going to shine through the hops.

I can't wait to hear how it turns out.