Brewing Tripel at home

Name: Brewing Tripel at home
Yield: 20 L
Ingredients: 5.93 kg Pilsner malt; 0.61 kg Light candi sugar; 0.23 kg Carapils; 44 g Styrian Golding; 49 g Saazer; SafAle BE-256: 10–16 g (0.35–0.56 oz) for 20 L (about 5.3 gal) (50–80 g/hl) – with this high original gravity, pitch about twice as much.

Pale, strong and dry, fruity and spicy.

Base recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal), calculated with the Brauwerkstatt beer creator. With one click you can adapt it to your batch size, bitterness, colour or alcohol content.

Adapt in the beer creator

Typical figures

Alcohol	7.5–9.5 %
Bitterness	20–40 IBU
Colour	6–12 EBC (3–6 SRM)
Carbonation	6.5 g/l (3.3 vol)
Yeast	SafAle BE-256 (Belgian yeast)
Fermentation temperature	18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
Brewing water	soft, for pale beers

Recipe for 20 litres (5.3 gal)

Original gravity: 17.2 °P (SG 1.071)
8.5 % vol
30 IBU
9 EBC (4.6 SRM)
Final gravity: 2.2 °P (SG 1.009)

Grain bill

Pilsner malt	5.93 kg (13.07 lb)	88 %
Light candi sugar	607 g (21.4 oz)	9 %
Carapils	235 g (8.3 oz)	3 %

Hops

Styrian Golding 4.5 % α	44 g (1.55 oz)	60 min
Saazer 3.5 % α	49 g (1.73 oz)	15 min

Yeast

SafAle BE-256: 10–16 g (0.35–0.56 oz) for 20 L (about 5.3 gal) (50–80 g/hl) – with this high original gravity, pitch about twice as much.

Mash schedule

64 °C (147 °F) · 75 min

Brewing water

Mash water	21.5 L (5.68 gal)
Sparge water	10.5 L (2.77 gal)
Total water	32.0 L (8.45 gal)

Brewing steps

Clean and sanitise everything that touches the wort after the boil.
Measure out 32 L (about 8.5 gal) of water and treat it with the brewing-water calculator. For a pale beer: soft water, mash pH 5.4–5.5.
Split the water: mash water 21.5 L (about 5.7 gal), sparge water 10.5 L (about 2.8 gal).
Heat the mash water to 67 °C (153 °F) and mash in 5.93 kg (13.1 lb) Pilsner malt and 0.23 kg (0.51 lb) Carapils (gives about 64 °C / 147 °F).
Rest: 64 °C (147 °F), 75 min. Iodine test at the end: no blue colour = starch converted.
Measure mash pH 10–15 min after mashing in (cool the sample to 20 °C / 68 °F). Target 5.4–5.5.
Mash out: heat to 78 °C (172 °F) and hold for 10 min.
Rest 10–20 min, lauter slowly and sparge with 10.5 L (about 2.8 gal) water at 78 °C (172 °F).
Boil the wort for 90 min.
60 min before the end of the boil add 44 g (1.6 oz) Styrian Golding.
15 min before the end of the boil add 49 g (1.7 oz) Saazer.
10 min before the end of the boil add Irish moss (about 2 g / 0.07 oz, soaked beforehand).
5 min before the end of the boil stir in 0.61 kg (1.3 lb) Light candi sugar.
After the boil stir a whirlpool and let it rest for 15 min.
Chill to 18 °C (64 °F), measure original gravity (target 17.2 °P), run 20 L (about 5.3 gal) into the fermenter, aerate well and pitch the SafAle BE-256 (amount see yeast).
Start fermentation at 18 °C (64 °F) and let it rise to 22–24 °C (72–75 °F), about 10–14 days in total.
Measure final gravity (target about 2.2 °P). Priming sugar per bottle from the carbonation calculator (target 6.5 g/l), then bottle.
Bottle-condition for 2 weeks at room temperature, then keep cool. Strong beers improve with 1–3 months of ageing.

Notes

Created with the beer creator (brewhouse efficiency 70 %, final gravity about 2.2 °P).