Belgian Tripel Sugar Options

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

chr1st0ph3r

New Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2015
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Hi:

I am new to the forum and new to Belgian ales. I am planning to brew a Tripel and have "made" a candi sugar from raw cane sugar. I intended for it to be light but it turned out to be closer to amber. So, a couple of questions:
1. Would a darker sugar have a negative impact on a Tripel? What impact, if any, would it have on flavour?
2. At what point during the boil should I typically add the sugar?

Thanks!
Chris
 
darker sugar will add a darker color to the end product. It will also add different flavors if it is too dark. I make my own candi sugar as well. I have used light amber in my Belgian tripel but use dark amber for Belgian dubbels or dark ales as they tend to add more toffee notes and even dark stone fruit flavors. You can play with when to add them. I usually do 30 minutes but sometimes at 10. I have also added syrup candi sugar into secondary.
 
I agree with Derek.. For a tripel just use plain sugar. I sometimes have used turbinado. It adds a very slight flavor difference but not much.

Save the darker sugars and syrups for Dubbels and BDSA's.

For a tripel I usually add the sugar at the end of the boils so it does not darken. If you want you can even add it after a few days of fermentation.

For a good simple tripel. Use 80% pils, 20% sugar. Hop to a BU:GU ratio of .375. 2/3 of the IBU's at 60 and the other third at either 30 or 20. Hop using noble hops. I like saaz.

Then let the yeast shine. Each different yeast will give you different flavor. I like 3787, 1388 or. 1214.

Mash low for good attenuation. 148-150

Make a good healthy starter, aerate well with Oxygen if you have it. Pitch in the mid 60's , hold it there for a day or two and then let the temp rise to finish out.

Give it enough time to finish. Bottle. If you have the heavier Belgian bottle you can carb it a little higher. Let them bottle condition for a few months and you will have a very nice tripel.
 
definitely dont use a dark sugar or syrup if you want a real tripel. I either use regular table sugar or honey. I usually like to add it directly into the fermentor so the yeast is not as stressed in such a high OG environment before they get rolling. This works eespecially well with honey since it retains the most aromatics.
 
Is it OK to add directly to the fermenter? I was concerned about not using an inverted sugar leading to a more difficult fermentation.
 
Sure you can add it to the ferrmenter. Just add a little water and boil slightly to dissolve the sugar. Like a simple syrup. Cool,it down and add it. Don't worry the yeast will chow it right down.
 
I either use regular table sugar or honey. I usually like to add it directly into the fermentor so the yeast is not as stressed in such a high OG environment before they get rolling. This works eespecially well with honey since it retains the most aromatics.

FWIW, here's what Palmer says about the use of honey in priming:

"The gravity of honey is different jar to jar. To use honey, you will need to dilute it and measure its gravity with a hydrometer. For all sugars in general, you want to add 2-3 gravity points per gallon of beer to prime."
 
1. Would a darker sugar have a negative impact on a Tripel? What impact, if any, would it have on flavour?
2. At what point during the boil should I typically add the sugar?

I'm not entirely sure how dark we're talking here. If it's a light amber, I say go for it. If it's darker, maybe save it for a dubbel. The darker the syrup, the more caramel character you'll get (from the caramelized sugar... hence darker), along with raisiny flavors.

As for when to add it, for strong Belgian ales, I add sugar adjuncts after primary fermentation has peaked. This gives the yeast a chance to work on the more complex sugars before introducing a bunch of simple sugar. We don't want those yeasties to get lazy and decide they're done before they've worked on the wort.
 
In my Tripels, Saisons, and other ligher Belgian ales, I'm very fond of the "Simplicity" blonde candi syrup. It's just as fermentable as sugar, but adds a really cool floral-honey flavor. It's more expensive than table sugar though. For my Tripel, I use both candi syrup and corn sugar, approximately equal amounts of each.
 
Back
Top