Wyeast 1214 (large starter) - pitch at 65 degrees, let free rise at its own pace to 74
Mash at 148 for 75 minutes. Mash pH target is 5.3 (all distilled water with small additions of gypsum and calcium chloride). I’ll have to check it with Colorphast stips since my pH meter needs a new probe.
For a 6 gallon batch, I’m targeting an OG of 1.077.
Get rid of the wheat. Not only is it not to style, it’s completely unnecessary. I’d also recommend a different yeast, but not as vehemently! ;) Here’s my favorite tripel recipe. Site Not Found
I’ve got a beer on tap now at a lower gravity that is just pils malt, sugar and 3787 (and hops), so I want to differentiate this one a bit (I was actually thinking of bumping the wheat malt up).
I prefer the 1214 to the 3787 in this recipe (I’ve brewed it both ways in the past).
My second tap right now is actually a Dubbel with 3787. I haven’t tried the 1214 in that one yet.
I like D-45 quite a bit and have used it several times. It ferments well, but leaves behind some nice caramel and vanilla flavors. The caramel flavor is different and more caramelly than caramel malt. 1lb. is noticeable, but not extreme. 2lbs. is more candy like, but not too much for a boozy Belgian. I haven’t tried 3lbs.
I haven’t tried Simplicity. I’m skeptical of the value of Simplicity compared with cane sugar. The description the company provides hasn’t inspired me to use Simplicity. I’ll probably try it someday.
However, the candi syrups with color provide flavor that raw sugar doesn’t. Compare Domino brown sugar to D-90. D-90 easily wins at the same dose. The candi syrups aren’t cheap, but they produce flavors and aromas the grocery store sugars don’t.
Yeast health and fermentation temp control are tops for Tripel. Use some slurry from a recent batch of blond or make a starter. Lots of O2, yeast nutrient… you know the drill.
I think the Unibroue strain is still available from Wyeast. Its a badass yeast. If you don’t have a strain you use often and are comfortable with, try it!
Good ol’ table sugar is perfect for a Tripel. If you must substitute (I can’t help myself, either), try honey or palm sugar (jaggery), both of which have more flavor than the light candi syrups (IMO).
I couldn’t agree more. There is NO substitute for dark candi syrups for Dubbel and Quad, along with plenty of Special B (for me). But for Tripel I think cane sugar works great. Love those Belgian beers.
Yep, me too. Gotta send a message to Wyeast , to request that they keep it year round - it’ll get forwarded to Michael Dawson (of Brewing TV fame), now Wyeast brand manager. It’s part of what he does (and he often replies personally in acknowledgement). I’ve done it for several strains, including Unibroue. It’s sort of like contacting your local congressman to support a bill - as votes of support go up for a given strain as a year round, so does the likelihood of that happening. Do it guys, it works :
My taste buds say keep the wheat when using the Chimay yeast (1214). Not sure you need the aromatic but YMMV. My buds also tell me that when using the Westmalle yeast, keep it simple. Pils, sugar and maybe a touch of Munich or Aromatic…
1214 makes a very nice tripel. I use this yeast as one of my house strains (it makes a fantastic Belgian wheat). But I would strongly urge against letting the temp rise too much too fast. It will explode with banana if you do.
I use this yeast a lot and recommend starting it off at 64 and holding for about 2 days of strong, vigorous fermentation. Then let it mostly finish out at 68. You can go as high as 72 near the very end.
This strAin is a monster, I’ve accidentally crashed it before on a tripel in mid fermentation down to 41 degrees. Took several days to raise back up into low 70s but ended up with over 90% aa. It’s also a pita to get the yeast to drop out.
Recipe looks fine. Personally I go about 85% pils and 15% cane sugar and mash at 148 for 90 minutes.
a bazillion. It’s one of my favorite strains. It’s quite versatile and has a really nice flavor profile. Unfortunately, it was only available until March this time around. I have a pack stashed away in my fridge for late this summer or fall. I’m planning on brewing a Quad IPA, but I also want to see if it plays nice with my house sour culture.