Belgian Tripel Belgian Trippel (2006 World Beer Cup Gold Medal: Dragonmead Final Absolution clone)

[Reindeer]

I'm brewing the extract version this weekend, using Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity.
Really excited to try this, I love a good tripel.

 

[antiteam]

Found it cached on Google :rockin:

Dragonmead Final Absolution Triple Clone

AHA Style 02-C Belgian and French Ale, Tripel
Min OG: 1.060 Max OG: 1.096
Min IBU: 20 Max IBU: 25
Min Clr: 4 Max Clr: 6 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 16.00
Anticipated OG: 1.094 Plato: 22.49
Anticipated SRM: 5.4
Anticipated IBU: 35.3
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75%
Wort Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Extract SRM
80.0 12.80 lbs. Pilsener Belgium 1.071 2
10.0 1.60 lbs. Munich Malt(2-row) America 1.008 6
10.0 1.60 lbs. Candy Sugar 1.015 0

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
1.80 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh Whole 4.50 29.7 60 min
0.40 oz. Styrian Goldings Whole 5.25 3.9 30 min
0.80 oz. Czech Saaz Whole 3.50 1.7 3 min

Yeast: White Labs WLP500 Trappist Ale Yeast

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Multi Step
Grain Lbs: 14.40
Water Qts: 36.00 Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 9.00 Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 2.50 Before Additional Infusions

Rest Temp Time
Acid Rest: 0 0 Min
Protein Rest: 140 15 Min
Intermediate Rest: 0 0 Min
Saccharification Rest: 150 60 Min
Mash-out Rest: 168 15 Min
Sparge: 168 60 Min

Total Mash Volume Gal: 10.20 - Dough-In Infusion Only
All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Brewed this a little bit ago. Good recipe. I have a few thoughts.

Pause for full disclosure: I have not read pages 7 through 55. Forgive me for anything that has been changed/optimized since.

My background: I started going to Dragonmead shortly after they opened. I've always loved Final Absolution and remember when they came home with the WBC medal. I also remember when they decided to change the formula to make it "closer to style". (Unrelated to this - I also remember when "Crown Jewels" was called "Big Larry's IPA" and you only ordered "Broken Paddle" when it was out.) That's how long ago I was there. I lived 1/4mi from the brewery for 3 years and came by as often as I could. A lot of my MBA homework was done at their bar. I moved away to Chicago in 2008 and have always tried to visit when I'm back home.


I brewed the recipe above but upped the candy sugar to 2lbs. Don't have fermentation temperature control at the moment, so I let it free ferment in my basement in a KCMO summer, which definitely let it get warmer than it should have.

I had a lot of trouble clearing this one out, even after kegged and cooled. I built a new keezer and held it at 35, which helped a good deal. I also happened to get a filter system at the same time so I filtered through a 5mu then a 1mu.

Experience: This is a really good tripel recipe. Definitely get the fruity sweetness that you want and it's a great color with a nice head. Like I mentioned, it fermented warm, and the hot alcohol is somewhat distracting, but that's my fault, not the recipe.

Cloning: My brother-in-law came to visit us in Kansas City and brought a bunch of Michigan beer, including a 4 pack of Final Absolution. I just did a side-by-side and I have to say I was surprised. The DM FA had a lot more carmel malt flavor and aroma than I remembered. That contrasted sharply to the homebrew recipe that was very traditional to the tripel style. Color was close and the difference in clarity was something I wrote off to a long bottle conditioning vs. a short term kegging. I'm sure mine would clear over time.

Verdict: I have to say I prefer the clone to the bottles that my bro-in-law brought me. Much more traditional to the style, which I like. I love FA, but I prefer the homebrew flavor.

Photo is attached. DM is on the left. Homebrew is in the jar on the right.

 

[iluvmysh]

Brewed this a little bit ago. Good recipe. I have a few thoughts.

Pause for full disclosure: I have not read pages 7 through 55. Forgive me for anything that has been changed/optimized since.

My background: I started going to Dragonmead shortly after they opened. I've always loved Final Absolution and remember when they came home with the WBC medal. I also remember when they decided to change the formula to make it "closer to style". (Unrelated to this - I also remember when "Crown Jewels" was called "Big Larry's IPA" and you only ordered "Broken Paddle" when it was out.) That's how long ago I was there. I lived 1/4mi from the brewery for 3 years and came by as often as I could. A lot of my MBA homework was done at their bar. I moved away to Chicago in 2008 and have always tried to visit when I'm back home.


I brewed the recipe above but upped the candy sugar to 2lbs. Don't have fermentation temperature control at the moment, so I let it free ferment in my basement in a KCMO summer, which definitely let it get warmer than it should have.

I had a lot of trouble clearing this one out, even after kegged and cooled. I built a new keezer and held it at 35, which helped a good deal. I also happened to get a filter system at the same time so I filtered through a 5mu then a 1mu.

Experience: This is a really good tripel recipe. Definitely get the fruity sweetness that you want and it's a great color with a nice head. Like I mentioned, it fermented warm, and the hot alcohol is somewhat distracting, but that's my fault, not the recipe.

Cloning: My brother-in-law came to visit us in Kansas City and brought a bunch of Michigan beer, including a 4 pack of Final Absolution. I just did a side-by-side and I have to say I was surprised. The DM FA had a lot more carmel malt flavor and aroma than I remembered. That contrasted sharply to the homebrew recipe that was very traditional to the tripel style. Color was close and the difference in clarity was something I wrote off to a long bottle conditioning vs. a short term kegging. I'm sure mine would clear over time.

Verdict: I have to say I prefer the clone to the bottles that my bro-in-law brought me. Much more traditional to the style, which I like. I love FA, but I prefer the homebrew flavor.

Photo is attached. DM is on the left. Homebrew is in the jar on the right.

photo not showing?

 

[antiteam]

photo not showing?

Oops! Here it is.

 

[iluvmysh]

Oops! Here it is.

diggin the jar

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Oops! Here it is.

Second that. Very cool jar...

 

[chupalt]

For those that did 5 gallon batches, did you scale the original recipe? I'm planning to do the extract version in the next couple of weeks. I'll probably shoot for 5.25 gallons in the primary. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

For those that did 5 gallon batches, did you scale the original recipe? I'm planning to do the extract version in the next couple of weeks. I'll probably shoot for 5.25 gallons in the primary. Any help would be appreciated.

antiteam posted a 5.0 gal scaled version of the recipe on this page just above.

Cheers

 

[chupalt]

Thanks for your help. The recipe that antiteam posted appears to be all-grain. I'm planning to do the extract version. I've put the recipe as-is into beersmith and brewtarget and it appears to be very close to the original posters OG with a 5 gallon batch. If I scale it down, the OG appears to be lower than expected.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Thanks for your help. The recipe that antiteam posted appears to be all-grain. I'm planning to do the extract version. I've put the recipe as-is into beersmith and brewtarget and it appears to be very close to the original posters OG with a 5 gallon batch. If I scale it down, the OG appears to be lower than expected.

DME will vary with manufacturer and malt. 1.040 - 1.043 (ppg). Sometimes the entries in BeerSmith need tweeking or manual entry. With a Light/Pils DME of 1.042, Munich DME at 1.042, Candi Syrup at 1.032, and an OG target of 1.082 you would use the following for 5 gallons:

8 lbs Pils/Light DME
1 lb Munich DME
1 lb Candi Syrup (we use the candi syrup not the rock)

Cheers

 

[chupalt]

Thanks for your help!

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Thanks for your help!

My pleasure. Good luck.

 

[ahpsp]

I brewed this in September, and bottled the first week of November. It's been a great beer, and keeps getting better.

When I bottled I put one gallon in a jug with the dregs from a couple of bottles of Orval and Rayon Vert, both of which use Brett B added at bottling. It's been aging away in that gallon jug, and I tasted a tiny bit just now for the first time. It was stupendous! It may well be the best beer I've brewed. The straight version is very good, but the bretted version is very very good. It was about 1.010, maybe a bit above when I put it on the brett. I don't have enough to take a gravity, so I'll probably let it sit another couple of months (since brett works slowly) and then add some priming sugar and bottle in heavy duty bottles.

Next time I will probably split the batch so that more is on the Brett.

 

[songe]

So after spending 8 weeks at sea. i finaly tasted my try on this.. i gotta say.. spot on on sugar for carbonating. fluffy good foam. But. Its a light color, tastes ok. but there is a hell of allot of Hop taste to it.. kinda overpowering. Dunno if this will mellow out after a few more months? Kinda impressed how it turned out thoug... since this was my first try on all grain. You cant taste the 9.20% alc in it... so this could go wrong on a night out

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

So after spending 8 weeks at sea. i finaly tasted my try on this.. i gotta say.. spot on on sugar for carbonating. fluffy good foam. But. Its a light color, tastes ok. but there is a hell of allot of Hop taste to it.. kinda overpowering. Dunno if this will mellow out after a few more months? Kinda impressed how it turned out thoug... since this was my first try on all grain. You cant taste the 9.20% alc in it... so this could go wrong on a night out

I think this one does come out with strong alphas, (initially). Hops will definitely oxidize in a few months. It gets better each month in bottle conditioning.

 

[songe]

Hmm yeah coz the Halltrauer is really overpowering at the and of an sip... i guess i could have let it stay longer on the yeast aswell to get more flavor... But hey! learning by doing its not bad and its better then before i bottled it! had an buttery taste the. Which has mellowed out. was to cold outside for the yeast and to warm inside. so temp problems are my enemy.

just outta curiosity. How long should it condition before getting enjoying it getting pissed ?

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

just outta curiosity. How long should it condition before getting enjoying it getting pissed ?

A good Tripel should have a noticeable fresh lupulin and bitter hint on the pallet.

Some say 4-6 weeks before drinking but most Belgians, even Tripels, do best at a minimum of 6 months. We age our Westmalle Tripel clones at a year and they are significantly superior at that age.

The buttery flavor sounds a little like diacytal.

 

[songe]

A good Tripel should have a noticeable fresh lupulin and bitter hint on the pallet.

Some say 4-6 weeks before drinking but most Belgians, even Tripels, do best at a minimum of 6 months. We age our Westmalle clones at a year and they are significantly superior at that age.

The buttery flavor sounds a little like diacytal.

it was diacytal. but that taste is gone. I was abit too eager to transfer to 2nd fermenter... and tempcontroll was a bit hayway. But its not bad at all... like i said... its been 8 weeks in bottles. Gonna store one case for at least 3 months and see how it is then.

 

[morganamps]

Brewed this in Dec. 14 days from fermenter to keg. in the keg on the 23rd empty by the 1st. Great beer, even without the time to mature it didn't have a big boozy nose.

 

[tclynch4]

We just put it in secondaries and charged some up. This is what we brew for.
Fantastic flavor and dead on to the same thing you get at your local pub.
With all that sugar you know it will kick when it's done.
Thanks

 

[nickmv]

I brewed this up back in October, and kegged it in December.

Anyways, it turned out horrible. Never was good at all, and had this taste of a cider instead of a tripel or Belgian. I used WLP400 and followed directions and ingredients perfectly. Honestly have no clue what could've gone worng.

 

[bolus14]

I did a different tripel back in October that about 3 out of the 50 bottles I got had a cidery like taste, the rest were pretty damn good though

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I brewed this up back in October, and kegged it in December.

Anyways, it turned out horrible. Never was good at all, and had this taste of a cider instead of a tripel or Belgian. I used WLP400 and followed directions and ingredients perfectly. Honestly have no clue what could've gone worng.

WLP400 does produce some tartness. Any reason for using a whit strain rather than WLP500?

 

[diatonic]

WLP400 does produce some tartness. Any reason for using a whit strain rather than WLP500?

+1 - I don't understand the yeast choice.

 

[nickmv]

Was a typo. I used 500.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

Was a typo. I used 500.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Home Brew mobile app

The tartness may be a wild or cultured lacto infection.

 

[brianles]

Extract:
3 x 3.3lbs Pilsner Light malt extract LME
1 x 1lbs Amber DME
1 x 1.5lbs Belgian Candy
12.4 total pounds of fermentables

Hops: (IBU came out at 23 but you can range from 20 to 25)
2 oz. German Hallertau 3.8%AA 60min
1 oz. Styrian Goldings 3.4% AA 30min
1 oz. Saaz 2.8% AA 3min

Yeast:
2 x WLP500 Trappist Ale Yeast

Notes:[/QUOTE]

Really want to try this(my first belgian). What amount of water did you dissolve the malts in for the boil and then top up to in the primary? Cheers.

 

[alby44]

Read through all of the pages and amazing reviews for this one. For now, I'm restricted to a electric stovetop, a 5 gallon pot, and a 6.5 gallon fermenting bucket. As a newbie, the recipe does look doable, so I was curious to know how much water would be advisable boil with?

Should I bring 3.5 to a boil, add extract/hops, and continue my boil from there, and then top off in water in the bucket? Recipe looks great and I really want to get this one right.

Thanks!

 

[CheapTrixta]

This beer keeps getting better with age. Brewed 1/24/2013 all grain, only change was 1 lb clear candi sugar, and 1 lb dark candi sugar. Had a very boozy taste as i keged too early on 3/3/2013, however it has subsided and given way to a wonderful beer. I absolutely love delirium tremens hence i named this Pink Dragon, and this brew is my new favorite.

13.0 lb Belgian Pils
1.5 lb Munich
1.0 lb Candi Sugar Dark
1.0 lb Candi Sugar Clear

2.0 oz Hallertau 60 min
1.0 oz Styrian Gold 30 min
1.0 oz Sazz 3 min

OG = 1.090
FG = 1.010

Fermented using WLP 500 with a 1.5L starter at 65F, blow off tube needed.

I might try ramping the temperature up now that I have a fermentation chamber.

 

[bluemoose]

Thinking about using this recipe and brewing it with condensed maple sap. I would hold out the sugar and use sap that has 15% sugar content. The OG would likely be above 1.13. Is this going to be way too big? I could cut thE sap with some water to bring down the sugar content. I am figuring about a 2 gallon starter.

Thoughts?


Sent from the kingdom of beer.