Belgian Trippel

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smccarter

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Feb 22, 2013
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Location
Milton
Batch Size 5.377 gal Boil Size 6.271 gal

Boil Time 60.000 min Efficiency 70%

OG 1.091 FG 1.010
ABV 9.0% Bitterness 40.0 IBU (Tinseth)
Color 5.7 srm Calories 302

Fermentables
Pilsner (2 Row) Bel Grain 16.000 lb
Wheat Malt, Bel Grain 10.000 oz
Cara-Pils/Dextrine Grain 16.000 oz
Candi Sugar, Sugar 8.000 oz

Hops
Saaz (Czech Republic) 4.5% 1.250 oz Boil 5.000 min Pellet 2.6
Saaz (Czech Republic) 4.5% 1.750 oz Boil 15.000 min Pellet 9.2
Hersbrucker 3% 4.000 oz Boil 60.000 min Pellet 28.2

Misc
Whole Coriander Flavor Primary 1.014 tsp 60.000 min

Yeast (a total of 2 smack packs)
Wyeast - Belgian Ale Ale Liquid 0.528 cup Primary Wyeast 1214
Wyeast - Belgian Ale Ale Liquid 0.528 cup Primary WYeast 1214

Mash
Sach Rest Infusion 5.523 gal 164.871 F 150.000 F 90.000 min
Final Batch Sparge 3.228 gal 202.409 F 165.200 F 60.000 min
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This wound up being 9.5% ABV.

Actual OG - 1.083
Actual FG - 1.010

Brew Date 7/13/13

Todays Date - 10/7/13

I tried my 2nd one today. This is a very special beer. Spicy is the word for this one.

It's fruity on the nose. Orange to grapefruit. Very very pleasant.

Extremely spicy on the pallet. Malty, spicy, citrusy.... At this point the alcohol is starting to mellow a bit. It's still warming, but nowhere near what it was a few weeks ago.

I'm going to let this one go another month or so. This is going to be a really good beer.
 
Seems like a lot of cara pils/ dextrine. Also FG seems high. I like my triples to dry under 1.010.
 
I don't think cara pils is necessary in a tripel. I made one with just pils malt and some munich. Ended at 1.005. Added 1 lb of sugar.
 
Sounds like it'll work into a great beer with some aging. Perhaps the spicy character is primarily from the alcohol and yeast; some belgian yeast produce more phenols (spiciness) in the lower fermentation ranges. Your yeast description doesn't give a good description of the strain you used.

In the end, who cares? If you like it, and it tastes good, then it's all good!!! Keep up the good work and keep us updated as times progresses.

Do you have notes on what exact Wyeast strain number you used?
 
The duplicate entry for carapils was a mistake. Only 16 oz total, not twice that amount.

The FG was actually 1.010... I typed too fast I guess.

The yeast is Wyeast 1214. I used two smack packs... didn't have the equipment to do a yeast starter at the time.

I'm actually enjoying the spiciness of this beer. I am anxious to see how it tastes in about a month.
 
Cooled another one over night. This beer is really coming into its own. The spice is mellowing and I'm starting to really get more sweet flavors.

Almost clean on the nose now. I am getting a bit of the alcohol, and a small citrus odor. On the pallet, the alcohol is still warming, but not harsh. Still a bit spicy, but I'm getting more of the citrus and the sweet is starting to come out of this beer.

My wife winced when she took a drink. She's not a beer drinker.
 
Trying one this evening.

It's much sweeter than last month. Still hot as hell though. Very alcohol forward. I think I'm going to give it another month... but it's really coming together.
 
Sounds like it's coming into it's own. Keep giving it time and when you hit the sweet spot - drink most of it :D (but put aside a 12 pack for a year later because it'll age very well).

Personally, I find the "alcohol bite" to be very subjective. I drink good quality bourbon neat so anything less than about 50% ABV is water to my tongue :D. The ones that still get me are George T Stagg, William LaRue Weller, and others in the 125+ proof range.
 
Brew date was 7/13/13.
Racked to secondary on 7/28/13. (14 days primary)
Bottled 9/18/13. (52 days secondary)

I've got 17 left. 16 oz Grolsch bottles. The bottles have been in a closet at room temperature. The plan is to let it age for a good while before trying another one. That's the plan anyway...

So far I've been disappointed with this beer. I fermented at room temperature. I've since started fermenting in my freezer with a temp controller. If I brew this one again, I'll ferment at a controlled temperature.
 
You should lager some for at least a month. I've found a lot of belgian beers get better after lagering, and if I recall, brew like a monk mentions that lots of belgian brewers lager as well.
 
I made a 9.2% beer a month ago and tried one a couple days ago with similar results to yours: still a lot of heat on the finish, and a little sweeter. I used a lot of toasty malts, so the sweetness wasn't off-putting at all. I figure that at month 6 it'll be balanced to perfection.

Keep us updated! I love keeping up with long-term threads!
 
The long wait is over. The beer is now officially a year old. I put a couple of them in the fridge last weekend and shared with the neighbor. I'm very pleased with the product, just not sure how well I like the process... having to wait so long to drink it.

I might try the recipe again in a couple of months. I fermented at room temp last June. I've since added a temp controller to my freezer so I might be able to shorten the cycle by several months.
 
You waited a year to drink a tripel? Why? I start drinking mine within a month after brewing.

because it's his beer and he can?

OP: glad the aging is working for you. I brewed a tripel in december, bottled in march...it's just starting to come around now, but i hope it only gets better.
 
Brewed a trippel where the yeast really stunk like crazy (in keg and in bucket) but the taste was great, ABV wasn't has high as yours and had it in the primary (don't secondary) for over 3 months and 1 month in keezer still stunk... wondering if you had any stinky smell with yours?
 
No stinky smell. My issue was that I fermented at too high a temperature. I ended up with fusel over-powering everything. Very harsh. I had hoped that aging would temper the harshness and it really did.

So.. if you make the mistakes that I made with this beer, just give it time. This is a really nice beer now. I'm really into fermentation temperature control so I don't think I'll have this issue again. I would have liked to have been able to drink it within a few months versus a year, but in reality, the wait was really worth it. It's as good a tripel as I've ever tasted. I'd pour mine next to a Duvel any day of the week. Of course... my supply is very limited.
 
Finishing the final bottle today. I'm almost sad to see this go. It's been a long journey - 13 months. I've had the bottles in the freezer at about 34 degrees for several weeks drinking one or two a week.

I think I'm going to brew this one again this fall or winter. I'll bottle it and will drink it next summer. I've got a bunch of grain that I need to use up before I do though. Several good beers ahead of this one. I just wish I had another freezer or two... and space for them I suppose.
 
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