"The Sky At Night" Tripel Recipe

[simple one]

“The Sky At Night” Tripel

Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pilsner Malt 3 EBC 6 lbs. 9.8 oz 3000 grams 48.7%
Pale Malt 5 EBC 4 lbs. 6.5 oz 2000 grams 32.4%
Sugar, Household White 0 EBC 1 lbs. 1.6 oz 500 grams 8.1%
Sugar (home made candy) 30 EBC 1 lbs. 1.6 oz 500 grams 8.1%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 5.3 oz 150 grams 2.4%
Chocolate Malt 1050 EBC 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 0.2%

Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Pilgrim Whole 11.6 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.9 oz 25 grams 23.8%
Aurora Whole 8.1 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.7 oz 20 grams 19%
Aurora Whole 8.1 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 28.6%
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 10 mins 0 lbs. 1.1 oz 30 grams 28.6%

Final Volume: 18 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.081
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 9.5% ABV
Total Liquor: 28 Litres
Mash Liquor: 12.9 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 71 %
Bitterness: 62 EBU
Colour: 30 EBC

Mash at 64/5C, 90mins. Add sugars during boil at 5mins. 18 Litres fermented by WYeast 1214, yeast cake from 8L of previous bitter. Ferment starting around 18C on day one, rising to 22C on day 3.

Water Treatment: General Purpose
CRS: 20ml per 30L
Gypsum: 1g (half gram in with mash, half gram in boil)
Calcium Chloride: 1g (half a in the mash, half to boil)

Never done a tripel. Any advice? There's about 16% sugar in there by wieght, about 25% by extract. Is that about right? I am using a general purpose water treatment. Will that throw up any problems?

[196osh]

For a Tripel.

Drop tha Crystal and definently drop the chocolate.

Tripels are generally pretty amber to pale, and I think are normally made with just pale malt and sugar. Or some other mabye pale Crystal.

I am not sure about the 15 minute Aurora addition, most tripels I have seen have used Saaz as aroma hops.

Hope that helps somewhat.

[simple one]

Yes that does help, always good to have a sounding board. I was thinking about dropping the chocolate, and thats sealed it. I was thinking about the crystal too, but I think I want a bit of caramel in there without having to shell out for caramalt or the other specialist belgian/german malts. Its only 2% of the grist, It should meld over the year it will keep... shouldn't it?

The hops... I think I'll drop some aurora flavour addition (its my idea of cheating a bit of fruityness in to the beer if the yeast doesnt do it thing) but up the saaz so as to balance the two in IBUs they bring to the beer. (does this mean that the flavour will compete on level terms too? Or is that not tide in to IBUs?) I have also tweaked the bitterness additions too.....

So the new and improved recipe is:

Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pilsner Malt 3 EBC 6 lbs. 9.8 oz 3000 grams 48.7%
Pale Malt 5 EBC 4 lbs. 6.5 oz 2000 grams 32.4%
Sugar, Household White 0 EBC 1 lbs. 1.6 oz 500 grams 8.1%
Sugar Invert No. 1 Solid 30 EBC 1 lbs. 1.6 oz 500 grams 8.1%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 5.3 oz 150 grams 2.4%

Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Aurora Whole 8.1 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.9 oz 25 grams 23.8%
Pilgrim Whole 11.6 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 14.3%
Aurora Whole 8.1 % 15 mins 0 lbs. 0.5 oz 15 grams 14.3%
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 10 mins 0 lbs. 1.8 oz 50 grams 47.6%

Final Volume: 18 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.081
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 9.6% ABV
Total Liquor: 28 Litres
Mash Liquor: 12.9 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 71 %
Bitterness: 50EBU
Colour: 24 EBC

The bitterness will be more like 60/65 EBU because the sugar addition is going in in the last 5 minutes.

[196osh]

Sounds lovley,

[mysterio]

I would be careful with those IBUs, remember you're not really balancing a 1.080 beer because a portion of that is made up of sugar which is completely fermentable, you're only balancing the malt portion of the recipe.

Apart from that , looks like a great beer, remember to pitch a tonne of yeast and aerate the crap out of it

[196osh]

I think that Mysterio might be right, that may be quite bitter.

If you have ever had westmalle its quite bitter for a tripel and it is around 40.

[simple one]

Good point. Advice noted. Beer engine on. IBUs reduced. Easier (and cheaper) brewday!

changed the weights to:
14g
14g
15g
50g

40 ibus if the sugar is added first.
The yeast is going to be the yeast cake from a bitter made using chimay yeast. Should be plenty.

[196osh]

The yeast is going to be the yeast cake from a bitter made using chimay yeast. Should be plenty.

That bitter will be something different. I think when I have better temperature control that will be my method of doing big beers too.

[simple one]

Your right about the crystal too. Just had a kwak - it was turd. The colour and caramelly just wasn't right.

[196osh]

I like Kwak actually. But it is really not Tripel esq. Some people do find the Kwak too sweet.

[simple one]

Yep, too sweet. I am thinking thin is the way forward on my tripel. Let the alcohol do the flavour.

[196osh]

Indeed, the Westmalle tripel is aparently just Pils malt and sugar too.

[mysterio]

Kwak is nasty stuff IMHO, there is a husky astringency to it which I hate. Tastes like they've oversparged it

And sorry, the glass is F'ing stupid

[196osh]

I have that glass. I love the spectical that goes with the belgians, Ive 6 or 7 different types of glass for belgian beers.

The Kwak one is not too practical though.

[simple one]

For glasses I go charity shop browsing. Most of the glasses I have, I have never heard of, or drunk the beers. But I usually go for the half litre, straight type. Just suits my drinking speed, and the majority of my overstrength beers!