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Troublesome Tripel


Vital Statistics:

Batch Number:69
Style:Tripel
Brew Date:9 March 2013
Original Gravity:1.075 (18.20 °Plato)
Final Gravity:1.007 (1.80 °Plato)
ABV:8.9%
ABW:7.0%
Calories per pint:319
Estimated IBU (Rager):23.7
Estimated IBU (Tinseth):16.3
Mash Temperature:152°
Mash Efficiency:73%
Days in Primary:28  
Days in Secondary:0 (kegged on 6 April 2013)
Ferm. Temp. Notes:68-70°
Yeast Used:3787 Trappist High Gravity
Apparent Attenuation:91%
Real Attenuation:74%
Rating:3.53
Entirely Consumed:Yes (finished 17 August 2013)
Availability:133 days
 Recipe:

14 lb European Pilsner malt

1 lb granulated white sugar, added with about 20 minutes left in the boil

5 AAU (14g @ 9.8% AA) Belma @ 60
2.4 AAU (14g @ 4.8% AA) Glacier @ 5
5 AAU (14g @ 9.8% AA) Belma @ 5

1 Irish Moss tablet @ 15 min

Wyeast 3787 - Trappist High Gravity
General Notes:

Used yeast cake from batch #68.
Tasting Notes:

Tasting notes taken 22 May 2013, 46 days after kegging. Dispensed from kegerator into a tulip.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a light haze and a light effervescence. Head poured a thick finger of creamy white foam and is leaving a nice lace on the glass as it dissipates. A little more head retention and more striking effervescence would be nice, but this is mostly pretty good. (3.75)

Smell: aroma is surprisingly light. It's sweet with a hint of sourness; maybe that sourness is really a phenolic character. Kind of hard to tell. Not bad for a beer of this strength, but not as smooth as I'd like. (3.5)

Taste: grainy malt right up front; this beer is not as sweet as it might be. Alcohol is quite hot in this brew, although the malt character itself is quite good. I think I have the right grain but the wrong yeast here; I need to go back to the 1214. The phenolic character is less pronounced in the flavor than in the aroma. (3.5)

Mouthfeel: medium body with a lighter carbonation and a disappointing creaminess. This thing has been plenty carbed and conditioned, so I don't know what's up. Just not holding on to its carbonation? Not sure what is up here. (3.25)

Drinkability: despite its flaws, this beer is still relatively drinkable for a brew of this strength. But, if I could bring down the alcohol heat (strong, despite the fact that this is actually the weakest tripel I've made), it would be a lot better. (3.5)

Overall score 3.53 (B). My two big experiments in this brew were giving 3787 another shot, and reducing the sugar to 1 lb. I think I'm going back to the tried-and-true Thanksgiving Tripel recipe next time.
Hops Table
Hop Variety Addition Time AAU AA% Quantity (g) Type IBU (Rager) IBU (Tinseth) Notes
Belma 60 5.00 9.8 14 Pellet 18.5 12.6  
Glacier 5 2.40 4.8 14 Pellet 1.7 1.2  
Belma 5 5.00 9.8 14 Pellet 3.5 2.5