Up next in the "Belgian Series" is my first attempt at a Tripel. Assistant Brewmaster Jewels has been on a tripel kick for a while now, and it is killing my wallet! So with the BWA (Belgian Wheat Ale) nearly completed, I pieced together the following recipe to take advantage of the yeast cake that will be at my disposal:
Lo Ful de Kopf (v1) - brewed 7/27/2013 (4 gallons post-boil)
- 7 lbs Canadian Pale malt - 1 lb 8 oz Weyermann Light Wheat malt - 1 lb 8 oz Best Light Munich malt - 1 lb 8 oz of table sugar - Hallertau hops - 1.5 oz @ 60 minutes. .5 oz @ 25 minutes - Wyeast 3787 "Trappist High Gravity" slurry (part of the cake from the BWA)
at 74% efficiency: OG 1.084 - FG 1.011 - IBU 27 - ABV 9.6%
This first iteration will be straight-up with no added spicing. I do not want to start tweaking the beer, only to find out I would have been better off leaving it simple.
Mashed for about 70 minutes at about 150°; 15 minute mash out at 168°
This stayed in the fermenter until 8/22/2013...and clocked in with a FG of 1.011 for a MASSIVE alcohol content of 9.6%!!! Holy crap! It is going to be tapped the next time a Perlick is free (skipping over Fiddy Fiddy for now)
Lo Ful's aroma is a sweet melange of fragrances, which is typical for the style (from my experience). The body is full, rich and slick, but it is not cloying. Thank God for that! Being my 1st shot at a big beer, I wasn't sure what to expect ;-) The flavor is a blend of honey, melon (light honey dew with a bit of cantaloupe), some ripe peach, and a bit of alcohol at the verrrry end. I honestly couldn't be happier, and IMO it could be put on the shelf next to the REAL tripels and be quite competitive at $8-10 for a bomber. Easily.