adromo
Active Member
Hi All, I am planning to brew a Belgian Tripel tomorrow and thought I would post my planned recipe and procedures for review and to solicit any advice you might have. This will be my first attempt at a Tripel.
I am using Jamil's recipe from Brewing Classic Styles, so I am not to worried about the recipe itself. That beings said, I will include it below for context
O.G. 1.081
IBUs 34.4
12# Belgian Pilsner
.25# Belgian Aromatic Malt
2# Cane (Beet) Sugar
2.00 oz Tettnang (60 min)
.50 oz Sazz (10 min)
WLP530 - 2L starter
Mash @ 149F 90 min.
90 Minute Boil
I do have a couple of specific questions dealing with the mash and the fermentation temperature but any other general advice is also welcome and encouraged.
THE MASH QUESTIONS:
1) Protein Rest: should I do a protein rest with this recipe? I have read conflicting reports as to whether or not a protein rest is necessary with Pilsner malt.
2) Mash Out: Should I do a mash out with this recipe or not? As I understand it the mash out serves two purposes: (1) to denature the enzymes and lock in the mash profile; and (2) to increase the mash temperature and decrease viscosity to improve runoff.
I have never had a runoff problem and do not anticipate that being an issue for this brew. Thus, it really comes down to this: How important is it to lock in my mash profile? Especially since I am going for very fermentable wort anyway?
I am thinking of omitting the protein rest and the mash out. I have a 7.5G brewpot so I like to have a starting boil volume of about 6.75G to have a manageable hot break and prevent boil overs. According to Beer Smith, if I do a protein rest and a mash out with a target boil volume of 6.75G I will only sparge with 0.70G. This seems as if it would negatively effect my efficiency.
Any suggestions or advice? Should I omit both the protein and the mash out? or just one, and if so which one?
FERMENTATION QUESTIONS:
After reading Brew Like a Monk and some on this forum, it seems that having the proper fermentation temperature profile is crucial for getting the proper attenuation with a Belgian. I plan to try and follow the procedure proscribed in Brew Like a Monk. That procedure is as follows.
1) I will use my Lager refrigerator to chill the wort down to 62-64F and pitch at that temperature.
2) I will let the temperature rise over the first 24 - 36 hours but not above 70 - 72F.
3) After the first 2 days, I will use a space heater to heat the fermenting beer to 78-80F for the remainder of the fermentation.
Does anyone have any experience with the above procedure or with WLP530? Can you speak to whether the above procedure will work or offer an alternative?
Thank you all for your advice.
I am using Jamil's recipe from Brewing Classic Styles, so I am not to worried about the recipe itself. That beings said, I will include it below for context
O.G. 1.081
IBUs 34.4
12# Belgian Pilsner
.25# Belgian Aromatic Malt
2# Cane (Beet) Sugar
2.00 oz Tettnang (60 min)
.50 oz Sazz (10 min)
WLP530 - 2L starter
Mash @ 149F 90 min.
90 Minute Boil
I do have a couple of specific questions dealing with the mash and the fermentation temperature but any other general advice is also welcome and encouraged.
THE MASH QUESTIONS:
1) Protein Rest: should I do a protein rest with this recipe? I have read conflicting reports as to whether or not a protein rest is necessary with Pilsner malt.
2) Mash Out: Should I do a mash out with this recipe or not? As I understand it the mash out serves two purposes: (1) to denature the enzymes and lock in the mash profile; and (2) to increase the mash temperature and decrease viscosity to improve runoff.
I have never had a runoff problem and do not anticipate that being an issue for this brew. Thus, it really comes down to this: How important is it to lock in my mash profile? Especially since I am going for very fermentable wort anyway?
I am thinking of omitting the protein rest and the mash out. I have a 7.5G brewpot so I like to have a starting boil volume of about 6.75G to have a manageable hot break and prevent boil overs. According to Beer Smith, if I do a protein rest and a mash out with a target boil volume of 6.75G I will only sparge with 0.70G. This seems as if it would negatively effect my efficiency.
Any suggestions or advice? Should I omit both the protein and the mash out? or just one, and if so which one?
FERMENTATION QUESTIONS:
After reading Brew Like a Monk and some on this forum, it seems that having the proper fermentation temperature profile is crucial for getting the proper attenuation with a Belgian. I plan to try and follow the procedure proscribed in Brew Like a Monk. That procedure is as follows.
1) I will use my Lager refrigerator to chill the wort down to 62-64F and pitch at that temperature.
2) I will let the temperature rise over the first 24 - 36 hours but not above 70 - 72F.
3) After the first 2 days, I will use a space heater to heat the fermenting beer to 78-80F for the remainder of the fermentation.
Does anyone have any experience with the above procedure or with WLP530? Can you speak to whether the above procedure will work or offer an alternative?
Thank you all for your advice.