Pehlman17
Well-Known Member
I get that. Especially as I get older. But I still see 9% DIPAs all over the shelves, so there’s clearly a market for beers of that strength.
Why aren't Tripels more popular?
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Tripels are awesome. I think they are the best value play in homebrewing as the commercial examples are downright outrageous these days.
I liked them a little until I actually went the Belgium. They are a whole world of flavor different (better) when consumed fresh over there compared to the beaten up examples we get here. I am thankful they are in the US but they lose a lot in the journey.
Yes, simple grain bills. Focus on mashing and fermentation. Major attenuation with maximum yeast input. I am going to experiment with keg re-fermentation (not just adding sugar but yeast as well). The head brewer at Bosteels (Tripel Karmeliet) said bottle re-fermentation is one of the secrets to their flavors. I would like to see how much of a difference it makes.
Also, although often unpopular, low oxygen brewing techniques have really improved my Belgian brews. These beers are kind of like IPAs in the fact that any oxidation tales away subtle flavors and aromas.
I liked them a little until I actually went the Belgium. They are a whole world of flavor different (better) when consumed fresh over there compared to the beaten up examples we get here. I am thankful they are in the US but they lose a lot in the journey.
Yes, simple grain bills. Focus on mashing and fermentation. Major attenuation with maximum yeast input. I am going to experiment with keg re-fermentation (not just adding sugar but yeast as well). The head brewer at Bosteels (Tripel Karmeliet) said bottle re-fermentation is one of the secrets to their flavors. I would like to see how much of a difference it makes.
Also, although often unpopular, low oxygen brewing techniques have really improved my Belgian brews. These beers are kind of like IPAs in the fact that any oxidation tales away subtle flavors and aromas.
user 246304
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Can't speak to dry yeasts, but I really like Wyeast 3787.
Market, yes, that's why we see these two styles, the barrel-aged series, etc., but they aren't sessionable so the market is limited. I personally prefer a good Saison, especially if it leans more traditional in strength (<6%).
I have had good luck with "Gnome" or sometimes called Ardennes from Wyeast. Basically, it is the Achouffe strain. Liquid. I do not know if there is a killer dry triple yeast.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
You look very happy, and rightfully so!
Tour guide at Huyghe (Delerium) said the same thing.
I don't know about consensus, but I've used BE-256 for quads and been happy with it. I've tried S-33 and T-58 for tripels and golden ales and been less happy. Will probably try BE-256 for my next tripel.
I've had good luck with Mangrove jack M31 dry yeast.
jcfontario
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That "breakfast trippel" sounds really interesting. Would you be able to post a recipe? Thanks.
I had not heard of this yeast - BE 256. Apparently they offer another strain that is more phenolic that leans towards saison - BE 134. Might be a good place to start if one wants a dry option.
Just so everyone knows, BE-134 is diastatic.
Apparently it isn't actually Belgian in origin and it is POF-, but it is about as good an attenuator as I have found for big beers without going the diastatic route. And it makes a nice fruity quad (for me at least) so I guess I don't care.
dwightr8
Well-Known Member
LalBrew Abbaye Belgian Ale has worked well for me.
The website stated 82-86% attenuation. That is pretty stout, wait no golden strong!
For Dry take a look at David's :
So, I started with my standard Tripel recipe (~11.5G to fermentor) (Glass Breaker Tripel.. There is a story for another time)
20 lb pils
4 lb white wheat
1 lb aromatic malt (I have made the recipe with C40 as well. This is mainly for some less fermentable sugars and some color)
6 lb trader joes sugar (Beet sugar.. I started with the "belgian" sugars, and found the impact to be negligible, and the cost to be high.. I tend to adjust the sugar level to hit he ABV I desire.)
Bittering hops to hit the IBUs.. I do a 90 min boil, but only 60 mins hops, so I tend to use warrior or similar for bittering
2 oz Saaz at 5 mins. Brings the "noble" hops to the table.
I tend to run ~68-71% efficiancy depending on batch size for what it's worth..
I start the mash at 122(1qt/gallon), raise to 152 after 30 mins then mash for 60 mins.. batch sparge to volume.
I ferment at the high end of the yeast, I like to let the yeast express itself.. I'm on my ~18th batch of this beer. The latest time, I put it on top of the cake of an Allagash White clone(using the yeast from some cans). I think my favorites are Mangrove Jack M31, Lallemand Abbaye, and Mangrove Jack M47(Abbey), in that order.
I wasn't super happy with the end result.. I think I had not dosed all the water with campden like I usually do to remove chloramines, but due to the brew day, the sparge water didn't get dosed.. I detected some chloro-phenols. My club and others did not or felt they were low, but I was still unhappy..
So 1 day to fests (2 of them, and I poured a full 5G each, a first for me), I added ~1 pint Maple syrup that I had added 2oz Vanilla extract, 4 Tablespoons cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons nutmeg, and bit of water. I boiled all of it, mixed it, tossed it in the thing I used to add to kegs, and pumped it in, shook it up,.. Next day drove to the fests.. Had a couple of good pours that just the infused syrup(maybe mixed, probably not came out. I so euro-sankeys, so a decent sized "dip tube". YMMV.
I was part of a club(2 club members showed), out of ~25 home brewers we tied for third and second for popular choice, and took a pro-brewers choice in the fest it was an option.
Not going to win any BJCP awards, but in pouring at the fest(s) I got a lot of "someone told me I have to try the "French Toast tripel", it tastes just like cinnamon toast crunch"".. And, I have yet to find a commercial example
..Discussing it later, it is possible the cinnamon and nutmeg(both phenols) had a positive impact on covering any chloro-phenols.
Ok, Thanks for putting many "co-fermantation" brews ahead of me... I'm sure my wife's eyes are rolling while I thank you..
As an "experienced drinker", I am often asked "What's your favorite style". My gut reaction is "Gueze", but I tend to step back and respond with "Anything that is well crafted and executed." A good Tripel is probably #2 to a solidly blended 3-year gueze for me, but I'll never turn down a good beer brewed to style(except maybe the ones where they use saliva for the enzymes..)..
My last Tripel used BE-256 and turned out great. It was an extract based recipe. I'm still sitting on 30 bottles since 2022 as it goes down slowly by the fireside and I only have tolerance for 1 at a time. I have aspirations to try and repeat this with all grain some day but really need to reduce the inventory.
Mangrove Jack repackages and @dmtaylor (at least) thinks M31 is BE-256 and M47 might be T-58 (and M41 is BE-134).
Good to know..
And sometimes they seem to mix strains to a multistrain....
True, those are the most difficult to figure out.
I keep forgetting that.
Nice to read other's opinion on these beers.
The expense of the better mass market ones at the stores no doubt discourages exposure to these styles. $15-$30 four packs will do that, and with restaurant or pub margins added, its a tougher sell there. Plus they're expensive and difficult to replicate on a small scale locally, so what sells gets brewed. Traveling to Belgian to sample beer is another level.
These posts encourage my focus on three styles: a Quad, a Tripel and a Strong, aiming to get each as good as can. Boring and keg hogging maybe, but 2 good samples a day is healthier anyway.
The 256 when hydrated and 3787 with a starter seems to work well for me.
The expense of the better mass market ones at the stores no doubt discourages exposure to these styles. $15-$30 four packs will do that, and with restaurant or pub margins added, its a tougher sell there. Plus they're expensive and difficult to replicate on a small scale locally, so what sells gets brewed. Traveling to Belgian to sample beer is another level.
These posts encourage my focus on three styles: a Quad, a Tripel and a Strong, aiming to get each as good as can. Boring and keg hogging maybe, but 2 good samples a day is healthier anyway.
The 256 when hydrated and 3787 with a starter seems to work well for me.
Great timing. I've never brewed a Tripel before, but I do enjoy drinking them. I recently picked up the book "Brewing Classic Styles" and I've been inputting and scaling various recipes I want to eventually brew, into Beersmith. Not sure when I'll get to the Tripel, hopefully sometime early in '25, but I'll be collecting bottles and watching this thread in the meantime.
mashpaddled
Well-Known Member
Belgian beers as a whole were a big part of craft beer from the late 90s into the early 2010s. The trappist styles were a big part of that up until the end of the 2000s. They were considered the height of interesting but well made beers. Looking back with hindsight, I think there was a lot of fascination with the higher ABV just like a lot of beers today. What's made them largely unpopular? People in the US really like their hoppy beers and don't really like yeast character, especially the phenolic flavors common to Belgian yeast strains. Tripels in particular showcase the yeast flavor because they aren't super hoppy and don't have the bolder dark malt flavors of dubbels or quads.
Considering the constant drumbeat of "light beer" in advertising over the last 50 something years, at 8 to 12 percent ABV it's hardly surprising tripels are closer to obscure than popular...
Cheers!
Cheers!
Pehlman17
Well-Known Member
I definitely get what you mean and I think for the mainstream that's true. But even grocery stores are still littered with 8%+ DIPAs. I suppose it's the crowd that regularly purchases those beers that I'm considering.
The ABV might be similar but the flavor profiles most certainly are not. If that crowd was just looking for high ABV then imperial stouts might be bigger sellers too.
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