Resistance - Belgian Tripel

[UKSkydiver]

I recently tried a Belgian Tripel called Resistance from White Pony Microbrewery as part of a Beer52 subscription.

Link

For me, absolutely bloody lovely

I got in touch with the brewery and asked optimistically for the recipe and all they were able to disclose was: "basic malts and wheat, European noble hops and a Trappist yeast strain"

Has anyone else tried this beer? I am sure it's a very large ask, would anyone with a bit more experience be able to suggest how I go about trying to replicate this brew?

Cheers, Phil

 

[strange-steve]

I haven't had that particular tripel, but they generally have a very simple recipe and rely on a quality yeast and healthy fermentation for the bulk of the flavours. I'm brewing a tripel soon which I hope to be similar to Westmalle Tripel (considered the quintessential tripel) and this is the recipe:

Belgian Tripel

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20
Total Grain (kg): 6.62
Total Hops (g): 35
Original Gravity (OG): 1.080
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 8.9 %
Colour (SRM): 5
Bitterness (IBU): 31

Grain Bill
----------------
5.500 kg Belgian - Pilsner (83%)
0.120 kg German - Melanoidin (2%)

1.000 kg Cane Sugar added during boil (15%)

Hop Bill
----------------
20.0 g Zeus (15.3% AA) @ 60 Minutes
15.0 g Hallertau Mittelfruh (4.3% AA) @ 10 Minutes

Notes
----------------
Single step Infusion at 65°C for 75 Minutes.
Fermented with Abbey Ale Yeast WLP530 - pitch at 18c and raise to 24c over a week

If you wanted to add some wheat malt then replace some of the pilsner malt and use about 5% wheat.
Bitter with your preferred bittering hop, the flavour hop can be anything noble like saaz, styrian goldings etc.

 

[Clint]

Can't get on with Belgian beers...

 

[chthon]

Is 31 IBU enough for a Westmalle Tripel clone? I have seen 39 IBU. And even with Tinseth calculations for my own clones, with 39 IBU as target, I didn't get the bite of a fresh Westmalle Tripel.

 

[chthon]

Can't get on with Belgian beers...

May month = Mild month person, like Ronald Pattinson? Although his favorite beer is St.-Bernardus 12 (Abt).

 

[strange-steve]

Is 31 IBU enough for a Westmalle Tripel clone? I have seen 39 IBU. And even with Tinseth calculations for my own clones, with 39 IBU as target, I didn't get the bite of a fresh Westmalle Tripel.

You're right it's a touch low, I've adjusted it a little for my own taste (I don't like a lot of bitterness) so not a true clone attempt.

 

[Lawrence22]

I haven't had that particular tripel, but they generally have a very simple recipe and rely on a quality yeast and healthy fermentation for the bulk of the flavours. I'm brewing a tripel soon which I hope to be similar to Westmalle Tripel (considered the quintessential tripel) and this is the recipe:

Belgian Tripel

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20
Total Grain (kg): 6.62
Total Hops (g): 35
Original Gravity (OG): 1.080
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 8.9 %
Colour (SRM): 5
Bitterness (IBU): 31

Grain Bill
----------------
5.500 kg Belgian - Pilsner (83%)
0.120 kg German - Melanoidin (2%)

1.000 kg Cane Sugar added during boil (15%)

Hop Bill
----------------
20.0 g Zeus (15.3% AA) @ 60 Minutes
15.0 g Hallertau Mittelfruh (4.3% AA) @ 10 Minutes

Notes
----------------
Single step Infusion at 65°C for 75 Minutes.
Fermented with Abbey Ale Yeast WLP530 - pitch at 18c and raise to 24c over a week

If you wanted to add some wheat malt then replace some of the pilsner malt and use about 5% wheat.
Bitter with your preferred bittering hop, the flavour hop can be anything noble like saaz, styrian goldings etc.

Can I ask how long you condition this style? Something I've been looking at myself, thinking of it for Xmas.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Interesting that the "brewery" (it's actually made at de Graal in the Ardennes) says it's got wheat in as the Beer 52 allergen list mentions only barley.

In some ways tripels are quite easy - you start at the granddaddy, Westmalle Tripel and then work out the differences. Wyeast 3787 and White Labs WLP530 are the obvious yeast starting points.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi Steve
I see you're planning on adding your simple sugar during the boil ...

1.000 kg Cane Sugar added during boil (15%)

... any particular reason why you chose that approach over "feeding the ferment", adding them part way through fermentation, after the yeast have got going on the malt based sugars?

I ask because I have a Belgian Dubbel AG Mash Kit from the Homebrew Company (I'd link to it but their website's down) which has a 7.7kg grainbill and some Dark Candi sugar in it, to make 20 lts ... I don't have the ability to oxygenate my wort, only aeration (I don't usually make beers with such high gravities) and so I'm tempted to give the yeasties their best chance at fermenting all those sugars and leave the candi sugar for "dessert course" ... just wondering if this is something you wouldn't recommend?

Cheers, PhilB

 

[strange-steve]

Hi Steve
I see you're planning on adding your simple sugar during the boil ...
... any particular reason why you chose that approach over "feeding the ferment", adding them part way through fermentation, after the yeast have got going on the malt based sugars?

I ask because I have a Belgian Dubbel AG Mash Kit from the Homebrew Company (I'd link to it but their website's down) which has a 7.7kg grainbill and some Dark Candi sugar in it, to make 20 lts ... I don't have the ability to oxygenate my wort, only aeration (I don't usually make beers with such high gravities) and so I'm tempted to give the yeasties their best chance at fermenting all those sugars and leave the candi sugar for "dessert course" ... just wondering if this is something you wouldn't recommend?

Cheers, PhilB

I know it's sometimes recommended but I've never had any attenuation issues when adding sugar during the boil, I think most Belgian yeasts are pretty reliable (with the possible exception of the Dupont strain). The only time I've ever added sugar mid-fermentation was with my 16% stout, because I wanted to give the yeast a fighting chance.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi Steve

Thanks for the re-assurance ... I am still feeling a bit worried by all this, but I guess that's my concern ... you see the yeast provided with this kit was a single pack of T-58 and all the reviews I've been able to find suggest T-58 isn't really an Abbey yeast, and not really right for a Dubbel ... the only other Belgian yeast I have on hand (and
I'm not looking to buy more, what with all the problems people are reporting getting deliveries from homebrew suppliers) is WLP565, which is that "problematic" Dupont strain you mentioned (although to be fair, it's never given me any problems) ... so currently I'm considering co-pitching the WLP565 and the pack of T-58 just to get enough yeast to take this on.

The other problem is that, though I ordered the "Belgian Double Mashkit", the bag of grain that arrived had a sticker on it identifying it as the grain for a "Triple Mashkit" ... and when I contacted THBC they neither denied nor confirmed any mistake/mix-up, but they did answer my question on grainbill size, for liquor calcs as 7.7kg, so I'm thinking I might be well end up producing something more in the 1.070-85 OG range rather than the 1.057 the kit is specced at ... hence me considering leaving the candi-sugar out until I can figure out what I'm likely to get out of my mash and boil

Anyways, sorry for diverting your search for a recipe @UKSkydiver, I'll go back to my musings
Cheers, PhilB

 

[strange-steve]

I've never used T-58 but it's supposedly the Pannepot yeast strain, which would make it perfect for a dubbel (or tripel for that matter). A co-pitch with 565 doesn't sound like a bad idea to me actually thumb

 

[UKSkydiver]

Hi all

I am just coming back to this as my next brew - Thanks @strange-steve for your thoughts and I will be using your recipe as a starting point with a few subs.

One question please - I have some left over invert from the Forum Christmas Brew - can / should I use this or just use standard white sugar?

I'm in no rush to brew, but I do want to get the stuff ordered (as it may take a while for it to get to me with the, no doubt, rush to buy ingredients again) so looking at a dry yeast.

Reading up seems to suggest either BE-256 or T-58.

I'm not looking for a really heavy clove / banana, just a hint, so what would your collective recommendation be please?

Cheers

 

[The Cat]

Was speaking to a friend of mine last night who has brewed a Tripel - he said it's been kegged for 6 months and will be ready in another 6.

 

[strange-steve]

One question please - I have some left over invert from the Forum Christmas Brew - can / should I use this or just use standard white sugar?

I can't see any harm in using it, it looks pretty light so probably won't add much in the way of flavour. On a side note, I remember Graham Wheeler saying once that muscovado sugar is essentially the same as invert no 4 in that it's the same colour and is (probably) already inverted. This can be diluted to no 3 with some white sugar.

Reading up seems to suggest either BE-256 or T-58.

I'm not looking for a really heavy clove / banana, just a hint, so what would your collective recommendation be please?

I would probably use BE256 in that case, it's POF- so you shouldn't get clove from it and a cool fermentation temperature should keep the fruitiness under control.

 

[UKSkydiver]

Update on this brew here.

Thanks for the steer on the yeast, Steve. Just what I was after