Belgian Tripel Extract recipe?

[RedIrocZ-28]

Someone help me out, I can't seem to find a descriptive recipe for a Belgian Tripel using extract. I know thats probably because of the limitation of how high you can get the OG using extract. But some have reportedly done it.


I have come up with this, and this only:
5 gallon
OG ~ 1.070
12-13lb Pilsner LME
1 lb Vienna Malt (steep 40 mins @ 155)
1.5 lb Light Belgian Candi Sugar (final 15 minutes??)

1.5oz Tettnanger (4.5%AA) 60min
1.0oz Saaz (3.75%AA) 30min
0.5oz Saaz (3.75%AA) 15min

Yeast: depending on availability, in order of preference WLP530, WLP500, WLP550.

Then how long do you wait for it in Primary? Do you secondary this one? What should the target FG be?

 

[Shonuff]

Here is the extract recipe for a triple from "Brewing Classic Styles" if you are looking for a recipe.

The primary/secondary thing is debated often. I'm not going to rack mine to a secondary and I'll probably let it sit in the primary for over a month, straight to keg, and let it age for 6 months to a year. I also made a large starter.


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.41 gal
Estimated OG: 1.081 SG
Estimated Color: 5.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 26.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.11 lb LME Pilsen Light (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Extract 87.47 %
0.25 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 1.81 %
2.30 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 24.9 IBU
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (10 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
1.49 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 10.73 %
1 Pkgs Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) [Starter 35Yeast-Ale

Pitch Yeast at 64 F, and let the temperature rise slowly to 70 F over the course of 1 week. After fermentation is complete carbonate the beer to 3 to 4 volumes and allow to lager for 1 month at 45 to 50 degrees.

 

[Nurmey]

You might want to check out Beer Captured (Tess and Mark Szamatulski). It has several tripel recipes. Here is one from their book:

Brugse Tripel
By NV Brouwerji De Gouden Boom, Brugge, Belgian

6 oz Belgian Aromatic Malt
2 oz Belgian Biscuit Malt
9.5 lbs Extra Light DME
1 lb Clear Candi Sugar
1.5 oz Styrian Goldings 60 min
.5 oz Styrian Goldings 15 min
.5 oz Styrian Goldings 5 min
Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey Ale or 1762 Belgian Abbey II
Bottling: ½ cup corn sugar and 1/3 cup Clear Candi Sugar
OG 1.091-1.092
FG 1.017-1.018

Also, several in Clone Brews (Tess and Mark Szamatulski).

 

[DeathBrewer]

Someone help me out, I can't seem to find a descriptive recipe for a Belgian Tripel using extract. I know thats probably because of the limitation of how high you can get the OG using extract. But some have reportedly done it.


I have come up with this, and this only:
5 gallon
OG ~ 1.070
12-13lb Pilsner LME
1 lb Vienna Malt (steep 40 mins @ 155)
1.5 lb Light Belgian Candi Sugar (final 15 minutes??)

1.5oz Tettnanger (4.5%AA) 60min
1.0oz Saaz (3.75%AA) 30min
0.5oz Saaz (3.75%AA) 15min

Yeast: depending on availability, in order of preference WLP530, WLP500, WLP550.

Then how long do you wait for it in Primary? Do you secondary this one? What should the target FG be?

that recipe looks great. i would recommend stepping it up as you go...

1. start with some of the extract, the hops, and the vienna malt on your first day to a total of about 3 gallons.
2. a few days later, once fermentation is at it's peak, boil up the rest of the extract, cool, and add to a total of 4 gallons.
3. a few days later, boil up the sugar, cool, and add to a total of 5-5.5 gallons.

this will help to ensure you get high attenuation...otherwise adding yeast to a heavy original wort can be a PITA.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Ship it.

I would use the WLP530 (WY1388). My second choice would be WLP550 (WY3522). The Chimay strain is really fruity, better for a BSDA than a tripel which you want to be fairly clean.

DeathBrewer's idea is a good one. I added some fermentables to my 9-9-9 barleywine at full krausen, it gave the yeast a nice kick start and I ended up with a very vigorous and complete fermentation after that.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

Wow, interesting idea Deathbrewer. Thanks guys. I think I'll have a go at this one next since the first and second batches of beer have turned out quite well.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

You won't get much out of steeping Vienna malt. If you really want the character of the Vienna malt, and not have to do a mini mash, you may be able to get Vienna extract.

Just a thought.

 

[DeathBrewer]

he'll get a lot out of it if he steeps it in 2 quarts of water at 155°F, basically doing a mini-mash.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

Ok, so, lets say I do this following Deathbrewers method. I don't know how long it would take to ferment out since the largest OG I have ever done was 1.050. This is orders of magnitude above that so it would take how long in the primary before I should move to secondary (I know, trust the hydrometer)? Or should I bottle with no need to secondary? I was under the impression that a Tripel needed more time to precipitate and flocculate than a standard beer where clarity wasn't necessarily an issue.

 

[big supper]

Make sure to make a starter too!

 

[DeathBrewer]

Ok, so, lets say I do this following Deathbrewers method. I don't know how long it would take to ferment out since the largest OG I have ever done was 1.050. This is orders of magnitude above that so it would take how long in the primary before I should move to secondary (I know, trust the hydrometer)? Or should I bottle with no need to secondary? I was under the impression that a Tripel needed more time to precipitate and flocculate than a standard beer where clarity wasn't necessarily an issue.

i'd leave it in the primary a month, even if you reach final gravity in the first week. letting those yeast clean up after themselves in a high alcohol environment takes time.

 

[gxm]

+1 on primary for a month.

As for secondary, I have only been using the secondary if I have some yeast in suspension after primary. This has only been an issue for me with some of the Belgian yeasts.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

Thus far I haven't seen anything that would indicate leaving the beer in a secondary for another month or 2 before bottling would be bad in any way. Would there be enough yeast in suspension after 2-3 months in fermenters to carbonate the beer?

Edit, BTW, Deathbrewer, should I take your route, do I do 60 minute boils respectively on each section of the wort?

 

[DeathBrewer]

definitely good to leave it in the secondary WITH NO HEADSPACE for an extended period of time (2-3 months would be fine.) i would add some yeast at bottling.

as for the 60 min boil, absolutely not. you only need to boil about 10 minutes for the last additions. the 60 min boil is only for the hops...extract and sugar need only be pasteurized.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

See, now we're getting in a little over my head.

"A little yeast at bottling"

ok, a pinch out of a dry yeast packet? A few cc's out of a liquid yeast vial?

Also, would I boil all the hops in the first of the 3 mini-wort-batches?

 

[DeathBrewer]

just use your hops in the first run. don't use hops in the second and third additions.

you will get higher utlization out of your hops due to the lower gravity, but i don't think it will matter much (i'll check on promash at home later)

sure, dry yeast would work fine, but i would make a starter with the same yeast you used for the original beer and mix that into your bottling bucket. you don't have to worry about that for a few months anyway

 

[CampbellBrewing]

I purchased the ingredients for this brew tonight, and plan on brewing this out tomorrow. I'm going to make my belgian candy sugar using the recipe here:
http://www.brewcookpairjoy.com/2009/02/diy-belgian-candi-sugar/

Would this beer do better with age? I planned on bottling this beer, but I don't plan on drinking it until at least Christmas time.

I plan on following DeathBrewer's idea of the staggered feeding, and I will post the results once I have them.

Let me know if you have any other ideas before brew time (24 hours or so from now).

Thanks!

 

[beergolf]

Would this beer do better with age? I planned on bottling this beer, but I don't plan on drinking it until at least Christmas time.

Belgians in general do a lot better with age. If you can wait until Christmas you will have a great brew. The more patient you can be with Belgians the better.