At what point does a dopple become a tripple

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Donasay

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Hey everyone, I am having trouble figuring out at what point a dopple bock becomes a tripple bock. I mean is there some sort of threshold in the BJCC guidelines or is it by taste? I am modifying a dopple recipe that I like and am wondering if adding some extra grain or extract will put it into the tripple category. What standards do you guys usually use?
 
BJCP guidelines don't include a "tripple bock".... if you read the description of "dopplebock," the upper end of the OG range is something like 1.094+, indicating that there really isn't an upper end.
 
If they don't include a tripple, then how do people get away with calling beers tripples? Does that not mean that essentially all tripples are just strong dubbles.
 
"Tripple" is a Belgian style (as are "dubbels"); very strong in alcohol, light in color, not very hoppy.

Bocks (including dopplebocks) are German lagers - extremely malty. There are some commercial "Triple Bocks," but that's not an official style at least as per the BJCP.
 
Because the world doesn't revolve around BJCP beer categories. :)

You can call your beer anything you want (excepting local legal requirements)
 
Ahh Dubble vs. Tripel. Actually the big difference is that a Tripel should be light in color and body with a dry finish. Although they do tend to have a higher %abv, the Tripel is not that nice amber brown color, nor does it have that caramel malty finish. Totally different animals, if you choose to brew 'in style'. You can't just add more fermentables to a Dubbel recipe and make a Tripel. They are different from the ground up. A good Tripel is basically Pilsner malt and some sugar, possibly a tiny amount of some other grain that fits. Dubbels have a much broader range of acceptable malts included in the grain bill.

By comparison a Belgian Golden Strong Ale is much closer to a Tripel.
 
zoebisch01 said:
Ahh Dubble vs. Tripel. Actually the big difference is that a Tripel should be light in color and body with a dry finish. Although they do tend to have a higher %abv, the Tripel is not that nice amber brown color, nor does it have that caramel malty finish. Totally different animals, if you choose to brew 'in style'. You can't just add more fermentables to a Dubbel recipe and make a Tripel. They are different from the ground up. A good Tripel is basically Pilsner malt and some sugar, possibly a tiny amount of some other grain that fits. Dubbels have a much broader range of acceptable malts included in the grain bill.

By comparison a Belgian Golden Strong Ale is much closer to a Tripel.

But again, neither a Dubbel nor a Tripple is a bock. Completely different beasts. OP, are you referring to big Belgian beers or to big German lagers?
 
"Triple Bock" isnt a category so much as a marketing tag created by Sam Adams (AFAIK, they have the only beer sold as such).

According to BYO:

According to current German law, doppelbocks must have an original gravity of 18¡ to 28¡ Plato (1.074 to 1.112 specific gravity) and an end alcohol content of 7.5 percent to 13 percent by volume.

So I guess if you get your OG above 1.112 and your ABV above 13, you can't really call it a doppelbock any more, or the Germans will be angry :D

At that point, call it what you want -- triplebock, superbock, infini-bock.
 
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