Belgian Tripel Time!

[permo]

I am about to brew my first belgian tripel. I would like to thank everybody for helping my with my strong ale, it was a success! 1.104 to 1.018!

Now I am going to brew a Tripel. I currently have a 1 gallon chimay yeast starter just waiting. Here is my plan.

13.5 pounds pilsen
.5 pounds dextrine
.5 pound carravienne
.60 summit at 60
1 oz willamete at 1 minute
chimay yeast

3 pounds invert sugar added incrementally to fermenter in 1# increments after primary maltose fermentation starts to wind down.

Pitch yeast at about 60 degrees and let fermentation start cool at 60 degrees ambient. Afte fermentation starts to take off i will move to 70 degrees ambient and let it take off. When it starts to slow I will add 1# of sugar, after that slows down another #, and after that slows the third pound.

Does this sound like a good plan?

it will end up OG = 1.080 or so, and I am hoping FG = 1.010...I think with the incremental sugar that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[s3n8]

Make sure you mash nice and log so it dries out. Those hops aren't typically used in Belgians, but if thats what you got, roll with it. I am not sure invert sugar is better/worse/required, not bad, but not sure its worth the work or expense.

 

[permo]

Make sure you mash nice and log so it dries out. Those hops aren't typically used in Belgians, but if thats what you got, roll with it. I am not sure invert sugar is better/worse/required, not bad, but not sure its worth the work or expense.

Well, I have the citric acid and a stove, so making invert sugar syrup is not a big deal to me. I just won't turn it into hard candi sugar, I will boil it for a few minutes around 220 with citric acid, cool it down and add it too the fermenter. It should work great. I suppose I could make it now.

cool!


I decided to cut the sugar back to 2#, to keep the ABV around %9 and not approaching %10.

the hops that I have on had are:

chinook
cascade
argentine cascade
willamette
summit

I figured summit would be find for the bittering addition, and willamette OK for aroma. Maybe I just forego aroma altogether and bitter with willamete?

 

[Poobah58]

Lose the dextrin! Do not need it. Also do not need the caravienne but I used 1/4 oz in my 1st triple and it was pretty good. I wouldn't use more than 1/4 oz. 3# is a little much on the sugar. That's close to 22% of fermentables. YMMV but I would drop to 2.5#. Also find something else besides Summit. Has no place in a triple. Use all Willamette if you don't want to buy anything else.

 

[permo]

brewed it up today.... I couldn't really modify the recipe since I ordered it all ground together

6 gallon batch

13.5 # pils
.5 carapils
.5 caravienne
2 oz willamette at 60
1 oz argentince cascade at 1 minute
OG = 1.064 ...the sugar additons should bring her up to 1.080+

racked 5 gallons into a carboy and pitched 1 gallon chimay starter

I racked the extra gallon into a one gallon jug and pitched a small amount of chimay into that.

The 5 gallon main batch is going to get the two pounds of inverted sugar syrup.......and be my tripel

The one gallon batch is experimental, not sure what to do with it? I am thinking I might just keep feeding sugar into it until the yeast poops out and make a powerfull light/golden ale...I know the yeast can handle at least %12 ABV.......

 

[killian]

I would add the sugar a little sooner

 

[permo]

I would add the sugar a little sooner

Do you think I should add it during the peak of fermentation? Like after two-three days start adding it in?

 

[killian]

you would probably be ok adding it as fermentation slows, I have just had problems doing it that way. I have had better results adding sugar at the peak of fermentation.

I think I was having this issue with Wyeast. Could have been a yeast health issue I dont know.

good luck which ever way you decide to go!

 

[permo]

Everything is going great with this one so far. Pitched yeast saturday afternoon, the next morning I had tons of krausen and foam coming out of the blowoff tube, and now things have settled down a little and are chugging away at 75 degrees. This morning I added my first 1# addition of invert sugar syrup....it sure made those yeast happy~!

One thing I did notice...this is food for thought.

In my five gallon fermenter I did not rack any trub or hop sediment at all. In my 1 gallon, "bonus", fermenter I got a lot of trub and gunk. The one with all the trub started up way quicker and is also fermenting much more violently. Maybe the yeast like the trub?

 

[permo]

Took a measurement today, five days after pitching, OG = 1.066, added two pounds of sugar to ferementer, I am guessing that raises OG up around 1.084 or so since I am a little over 5 gallons. Fermentation started to slow today, yeast still in suspension no krausen, but I am at 1.040...not a good sign after five days. I am going to not take any more measurements until the yeast floculates...I was hoping this thing would finnish dry, but I am having my doubts now. I have it fermenting at 76 degrees, that should keep the yeast nice and happy...not sure what I am doing wrong.

Very wierd, my 1 gallon batch witch was the same wort, pitched with the same yeast and kept at the same temp is finished...1.010..tastes great too. Not sure why the big batch isn't right, but I do know that the yeast seemed happier with all the trub in the small batch.

 

[s3n8]

I have read that yeast may stop producing the enzyme to break down maltose when there is a large amount of simple sugars (sucrose/dextrose) to be had. I would certainly not panic yet, keep it warm, give it a nice gentle swirl and maybe some of the maltose loving yeast will be reminded that they still have a job to do. I always do sugar additions as fermentation slows, but killian already commented that this has caused them problems. Maybe they could elaborate on what kind of problems?

 

[permo]

I have read that yeast may stop producing the enzyme to break down maltose when there is a large amount of simple sugars (sucrose/dextrose) to be had. I would certainly not panic yet, keep it warm, give it a nice gentle swirl and maybe some of the maltose loving yeast will be reminded that they still have a job to do. I always do sugar additions as fermentation slows, but killian already commented that this has caused them problems. Maybe they could elaborate on what kind of problems?

I warmed it up, and swirled up good. I have more activity this morning, but I still need to drop maybe .25 points at least...at the current rate of fermentation I just don't see that happening.

I have the yeast cake from a 1 gallon batch ready to go, I might extract that cake and add it to the fermenter....a healthy dose of happy yeast should help I would think.

 

[permo]

I warmed it up to 77 degrees and those yeast really woke up, I think another week at 77 should really help finish it out, the evil part of me want to add another pound of sugar after it starts to slow down......%10 ABV too high for a tripel? Maybe call it strong golden ale then!

 

[permo]

Fermentation peaked at 81 degrees and is finally starting to slow up. Temp is sure key with this yeast. Gravity is currently 1.010! It is a little "warm" tasting but very fruity. This will be a winner....%10 abv is a little high but i not worried about it

 

[permo]

Just an update, I bottled this today at 1.009 FG. The sample was very, very "smooth" for lack of a better work. It was light, midly fruity and couldn't believe it was over %10 ABV. When this thing carbonates it is going to be dangerous.

 

[axlrose16]

Yeast like the proteins contained in your trub...leaving some in your wort is a good thing... Just as you will experience better ferments in wheat beers due to the different proteins contained in the wheat. By the way - I brew tons of tripels and I've never added my sugar additions any later than the beginning of my boil. I always end up with stellar tripels that age quite well. you may want to try this out.

 

[permo]

Yeast like the proteins contained in your trub...leaving some in your wort is a good thing... Just as you will experience better ferments in wheat beers due to the different proteins contained in the wheat. By the way - I brew tons of tripels and I've never added my sugar additions any later than the beginning of my boil. I always end up with stellar tripels that age quite well. you may want to try this out.

How do your tripels finish as far as final gravity? I am starting to wonder if raising the temperature has more to do with a dry belgian beer as it does with the incremental sugar.

 

[axlrose16]

I finish low and dry. Normally around 12 or 13... but that has a lot more to do with the volume and health of the yeast I pitch... And, by the way, I ferment at around 62.

 

[permo]

I finish low and dry. Normally around 12 or 13... but that has a lot more to do with the volume and health of the yeast I pitch... And, by the way, I ferment at around 62.

I would be interested to know what yeast strain you use. I am using the Chimay yeast and pitching plenty of healthy yeast. For my last tripel I used the slurry from a starter that was over 1 gallon and never exceeded 1.040 in gravity.

I have fermented Chimay at 68 before and I didn't get very fruity flavors and it didn't attenuate as much as I would have liked. For this tripel, I started it in the high 60's and slowly ramped up over 80. It really attenuated well and I got the fruity/esters I was looking for.

I can't see a belgian strain really finishing dry and providing trademark esters typically associated with belgian beers at 62 degrees....but I have only brewed four belgian beers in my life with only one yeast strain so what do I know!?

 

[axlrose16]

I use Chimay. I use a ton of yeast and I usually use 2nd or 3rd generation straight from the commercial brewery that I work with. Keep in mind that when I say that I ferment at 62, that doesn't account for the massive amount of heat that the yeast produces within the beer. I merely mean that the ambient temperature in my basement is 62. From the sound of your post above, you're having an issue with healthy fermentation. You should really examine your starter process and do a calculation of how many cells you're pitching along with your aeration methods. Also, try an extra dose of yeast nutrient or hulls.

 

[permo]

I use Chimay. I use a ton of yeast and I usually use 2nd or 3rd generation straight from the commercial brewery that I work with. Keep in mind that when I say that I ferment at 62, that doesn't account for the massive amount of heat that the yeast produces within the beer. I merely mean that the ambient temperature in my basement is 62. From the sound of your post above, you're having an issue with healthy fermentation. You should really examine your starter process and do a calculation of how many cells you're pitching along with your aeration methods. Also, try an extra dose of yeast nutrient or hulls.

I definetly don't do a calculation because I think there are far too many variables involved in calculating how many viable cells are actually in a homemade yeast starter derrived slurry.

My yeast is harvested, so maybe it is just getting old and tired. I do use plenty of yeast nutrient but who knows....maybe I will just buy some WLP500 or a different belgian strain like a good boy for my next one. I have 110 bottles of belgian beer that is over %10 ABV...so I am probably good for a year or so..I sure hope so!

 

[permo]

The final gravity ended up at 1.011 or so, so it worked out perfectly! I am drinking my first one right now. ABV around %10 and it has been 1 month grain to glass. It is very good! It is nice and light, a crazy vanilla/plum aroma and just a little bit of lingering bitterness that I attribute to this beer being very young. If I wouldn't know the fact, I would never guess that this beer was as powerfull as it is. It is right up there with my finest, it is probably TOO drinkable....a little dangerous. I better go to be bed now!