going to brew NB’s Belgian Tripel extract again. Did it last year and liked it.
I could use some help, because the 1 thing that I would like to improve is the color.
During my first attempt the beer was good, but way to dark for a Tripel (and way darker than the images) and since I’d like to learn, I was figuring some ideas to fix.
The recipe calls for:
Steep 0.5lbs of Belgian caramel pils (at the beginning)
3.15lbs Gold malt syrup to be added at beginning of boil
1 lbs of clear candy sugar to be added at the beginning
add
6lb of Gold malt syrup 20 min before the end.
Could I add the candy sugar like the gold malt syrup at the end?
Since extracts are basically boiled already, is it ok to add all at the end of the boil?
I don’t see a problem moving the sugar; and maybe move the 6lbs Gold another 5 minutes.
Google Late Extract Addition there’s lots to read, and like any brew technique lot’s of opinions. You still want to give the extract some time at temperature, and you still need some at the beginning to utilize the hops properly.
This kit’s direction times are already pretty much set up as late extract addition so I would take smaller steps than with a “dump it all at the beginning” kit. I haven’t personally done the NB Trippel kit yet but it’s on my radar, so please post back with what you end up doing and how it worked out.
going to brew NB’s Belgian Tripel extract again. Did it last year and liked it.
I could use some help, because the 1 thing that I would like to improve is the color.
During my first attempt the beer was good, but way to dark for a Tripel (and way darker than the images) and since I’d like to learn, I was figuring some ideas to fix.
The recipe calls for:
Steep 0.5lbs of Belgian caramel pils (at the beginning)
3.15lbs Gold malt syrup to be added at beginning of boil
1 lbs of clear candy sugar to be added at the beginning
add
6lb of Gold malt syrup 20 min before the end.
Could I add the candy sugar like the gold malt syrup at the end?
Since extracts are basically boiled already, is it ok to add all at the end of the boil?
Thanks,
Pete[/quote]
The recipe is a lot of your problem. There should be no caramel pils in a tripel. The gold extract will darken it. A tripel should be nothing but the lightest dry extract you can get and sugar.
The recipe is a lot of your problem. There should be no caramel pils in a tripel. The gold extract will darken it. A tripel should be nothing but the lightest dry extract you can get and sugar.[/quote]
OK! So interestingly - for a novice at least - the NB recipe is not completely accurate.
Great, just ordered it… Well I can and will order some 9lbs of DME and not use the Caramel? Use the same schedule and see how that goes.
Further to confirm:
The recipe is a lot of your problem. There should be no caramel pils in a tripel. The gold extract will darken it. A tripel should be nothing but the lightest dry extract you can get and sugar.[/quote]
OK! So interestingly - for a novice at least - the NB recipe is not completely accurate.
Great, just ordered it… Well I can and will order some 9lbs of DME and not use the Caramel? Use the same schedule and see how that goes.
Further to confirm:
1 oz German Perle (60 min)
1 oz Saaz (15 min)
Sounds right (as per recipe?)
Thanks![/quote]
What Denny said…
I would split the difference, personally. To me, a Tripel needs a bit of the grainy character of ‘real’ malt (yes, I know that DME is just dehydrated wort) so I would think about leaving the pils in, though go with the lightest one you can find. To me, the biggest change would be going for extra light LME or half-and-half LME and DME in there, also again extra light.
That LME contributes more color than the malt does.
If that doesn’t work, well, try again next time.
Also, yes, you can move the sugar way in to the end, as long as it’s long enough to dissolve.
The hops sound right for a tripel.
[quote]What Denny said…
I would split the difference, personally. To me, a Tripel needs a bit of the grainy character of ‘real’ malt (yes, I know that DME is just dehydrated wort) so I would think about leaving the pils in, though go with the lightest one you can find. To me, the biggest change would be going for extra light LME or half-and-half LME and DME in there, also again extra light.
That LME contributes more color than the malt does.
If that doesn’t work, well, try again next time.
Also, yes, you can move the sugar way in to the end, as long as it’s long enough to dissolve.
The hops sound right for a tripel.[/quote]
I’ve noticed that when brewing the Kolsch from NB with DME and LME the final color was great, actually quite acceptable for a triple (and a bit dark for a Kolsch). So we are on to something.
Happy to try this – and yes I will report the results. Reading “brew like a monk” seems to confirm to go very light on the fermentables.
I read somewhere that for the fermentables 1lb of LME = 0.8lbs of DME.
So maybe as a recipe:
Steep 0.5lbs of Belgian caramel pils (at the beginning)
4.8 lb Briess DME Pilsen (4,8lb DME = 6lb LME, which is same fermentables as recipe).
3.15 lb Northern Brewer Pilsen Malt Syrup
1 oz German Perle (60 min)
1 oz Saaz (15 min)
1 lbs of clear candy sugar to be added at the beginning
Wyeast 3787
Start the boil with 3lb DME, add rest of DME and LME after 45min, together with Saaz.
Actually cool, this is the first custom I am going to do.
Is there a tool where I can calculate the OG for this?
Yes - I will not forget the sugar. Actually using brewersfriend, my estimation of the DME is not correct and it seems to be better to use 6lbs. In the end it’s going to be 7.5% ABV or 8.1%ABV so no big difference. Think I’m going for the heavier
I’ll update this thread with my experience. Thanks for all the input, this community is awesome.
I use table sugar. Way cheaper and you don’t have to source it and I can’t tell the difference.
Make sure when you add the sugar that you stir adequately to prevent scorching or carmelization, which can create a darker wort.
I usually use a 1 quart pyrex container and dip out some boiling wort and add the sugar to that and stir it until fully dissolved, then return that wort to the pot.
As Denny said, never use crystal in a trippel.
I think the most misunderstood and misused grain is crystal. People seem to think it goes in everything.
So almost going to brew the Tripel, but I decided to start by doing a Patersbier
After 2 weeks transfer the Patersbier to secondairy and then pitch the Tripel on the yeast of the Patersbier. [ BTW: the Patersbier is awesome, out of 10 different beers I made this year by far the best ]
When I was comparing the recipe’s for the Tripel and the Patersbier, I found that the extract recipe lists the CaraPils[/url] as a specialty grain for the Patersbier and the [url=http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-ingredients/grain-malts/belgian-caramel-pils.html]Belgian Caramel
for the tripel. Reading the description, it seems to make more sense to use the CaraPils as a specialty grain for both, am I correct?
Thanks Denny, appreciate your reply and experience.
So don’t use either? I get it for the Belgian Caramel, it’s darker and adds a caramel flavor.
The CaraPils is much lighter and should “add foam stability, body, and palate”.
So you are recommending not using that also. OK, hope the beer is not too flat as a result.
I did like the Patersbier according to recipe, but also open to learn and experiment. Bummer is that experiments take long (6 weeks, I know I’m impatient) and if you get a beer that is less good it’s a bit of a pity
[quote=“pete_brewer”]Thanks Denny, appreciate your reply and experience.
So don’t use either? I get it for the Belgian Caramel, it’s darker and adds a caramel flavor.
The CaraPils is much lighter and should “add foam stability, body, and palate”.
So you are recommending not using that also. OK, hope the beer is not too flat as a result.
I did like the Patersbier according to recipe, but also open to learn and experiment. Bummer is that experiments take long (6 weeks, I know I’m impatient) and if you get a beer that is less good it’s a bit of a pity [/quote]
You want both of those beers to have a light body. That is contrary to what carapils does. I just looked at the Patersbier recipe I git from NB and I don’t see either listed for it. Carapils for foam is a fix for other problems. And if you have some of those problems, it may not fix them. Take a look at http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/ … techniques . A triple is almost always just pils malt and sugar and due to proper brewing techniques it has great foam retention.
Since you’re brewing extract, I’d recommend using the lightest dry extract you can find and using about 15-20% table sugar for the tripel. For the Patersbier, just very light dry extract.
I am planning on brewing a Patersbier to grow up yeast for a tripel. I looked at the NB all grain and extract recipes and was surprised to see carapils in the extract but 100% pils in the all grain. It didn’t make sense to me that with all grain, where you can get a very fermentable wort, it wouldn’t have carapils but the extract does.
Exactly. I saw the carapils in the extract and the fact it’s missing from AG is puzzling to me also.
To make it more complicated still : I made the extract according to recipe. It’s very light and tastes wonderful. No caramel taste at all. Going to try without the specialty grain - to see how it differs.
Btw: also look at difference of AG Tripel vs extract.
