Cooking With Tripel
The Trappist tripel ale is a beautiful beverage. My first experience with a tripel was back in 1993 when I had generally been consuming mostly what could be found in the grocery aisle; lots of pale ale, amber, a few porters and stouts and a couple of German imports. I was then introduced to the magical beverage called a tripel at the Toronado, in the lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco. The beer was presented in its proper glassware, a crystal like goblet. Looking at the color of the brew, I was expecting a Pilsner-like beer. However, as I brought it up to my nose, the aroma caused me to stop and pay closer attention. The first sip was a symphony of sparkling texture, a creamy and fluffy head with a delicate malt complexity that spoke to my inner chef. The maturity and boldness in this style inspired me there forward.
By the numbers, tripel is similar to Belgian golden strong ale. If you compare beer recipes of these two styles, you’ll find they share many of the same traits that almost blur the line, similar to a stout and porter. In a conversation with Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company, he agreed on the similarities between the styles. However, he did describe what distinguishes the two. “I would generally say that a golden strong style beer should be drier and defiantly more hoppy, especially if you are comparing the most classic examples of Westmalle (tripel) and Duvel (golden strong).”
Tripel’s should be a very simple brew, typically using one malt, a Pilsner type, or a few different grains, such as wheat and oats. Specialty malts such as crystal malts, caraVienna or caraMunich, or other low Lovibond color malts, add too much flavor and overshadow the clean and elegant maltiness that comes from high-quality Pilsner malt.
With the higher level of carbonation, creating a fine Belgian lace, full of tons of tiny bubbles, the initial experience is that of almost a marshmallow, meringue-like head that is so delicate, with a slight peppery, herbal hop bitterness that it melts across the palate. The first sip of the beer is complex, with flavors of lemon, orange and touch of the citrusy coriander seed. In some tripels, there is a secondary flavor of red bananas, leaving an almost berry note like strawberry or raspberry, while simultaneously having a solid balance of ester and phenolic characters. This is where the simplicity of the beer becomes complex.
Castle Pilsner malt is a great choice for this style of beer, as it has a wonderful depth of flavor, with touches of honey, light sweetness, an almost graham flour note from the husk and just a tiny taste of wheat/starch. While this malt is fully converted and only requires a single mash infusion, after many test batches and recipe tweaks, I found that a multi-step mash schedule showcased a better attenuation, creating a very drinkable mouthfeel, yet still contributing body to the finished beer.
Another important component of a tripel is the amount of sugar used as a fermentable element in the brew. The sugar increases the alcohol content of the brew, usually without flavoring it, and allows the malt complexity of the Pilsner malt to be balanced, while not become overly sweet. Tripel brewers typically use 15–20% refined sugar in each batch. Jason Perkins, Brewmaster at Allagash Brewery in Portland, Maine describes what they use in their signature brew, “We use an extra fine table sugar because it dissolves easier. We have experimented with several different types of sugar, but frankly we are just looking for a 100% fermentable and clean flavor.”
A brewer looking for some interesting flavors could use a sugar other than sucrose. For example, the profile of a tripel could be modified by brewing with different honey varietals. The adventurous brewer can go beyond the easy to find orange blossom, clover or wildflower honey. Try using a mango honey from Hawaii to bring out a more tropical essence from the ester profile with the slightly higher finishing temperature from the yeast. Or using a sage honey, increasing the herbal flavors from the noble hops, or a buckwheat honey to up-play the spicy ester nuances. As honey has no roasting or caramelization, different sugars can be used to add another layer of complexity with this style.
Unrefined or less refined sugars, while not as clean in their flavor, offer more subtle flavors to inject into the flavor mix, adding complexity as there is so little to play with on the malt side, allowing these flavors to showcase in an experimental tripel. Indian Jaggary (a combination of sugar cane and date juice) gives extra fruity and light caramel candy notes to a batch, while a piloncillo (Mexican unrefined cone sugar) will have more rummy and molasses sweetness than that of just a plain white sugar. Coconut palm sugar is yet another alternative to plain sucrose, having a light brown sugar essence, with a more caramel overtone and a touch of toasted coconut flavor. Even clear rock candy has a different flavor and creates an interesting mouthfeel. Try a teaspoon of white sugar and a little nugget of rock candy, the sweetness is slightly higher and a touch more vanilla on the rock candy. When trying a sugar other than sucrose, think of how this will impart its essence into the brew and if the change will be desirable. Perkins says, “What we are looking for in our (Allagash) Tripel is super simple, nice and clean on the sugar side, and something that will let that yeast shine, letting the beer dry out.”
Tripels are slightly darker than strong golden ales (SRM 4.5–7, per the BJCP guidelines), and adding white or rock candy to the brew kettle while the grains are being sparged not only dissolves the sugar without risks of melting onto the bottom of the boil kettle and scotching, but also allows the sucrose to caramelize with the maltose during the 90-minute boil, resulting in a touch more color to the final product.
Hop bitterness is just enough to balance out the malt and sugar bill. Using the noble hops like Styrian Goldings, Saaz and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh bring out the herbally and grassy characteristics, without being overly green or having a chlorophyll flavor. These noble hops are also much lower in alpha acids than many of the newer hop varieties. As the alpha acids are in the low 3–4%, much more hops are utilized to create an IBU level between 30–40, bring more dominance in the seasoning of the beer. Most of the hops are added in the beginning of the boil, with an addition at 60 minutes for bitterness and 30 minutes for flavor. Cilurzo discusses his hopping for Damnation, “we do use a large amount of hops at the end of the boil in our beer (a golden strong), where you don’t see this as much in a tripel.” Some non-Trappist breweries have been embracing some of the newer hop varieties, tweaking the flavor of the classic, but adding their own interpretation to the style. Amarillo and Centennial hops can be wonderful in this non-traditional tripel.
Proper fermentation of this beer is key to your brewing success. The benchmark yeast is the Westmalle yeast strain. A very unique yeast, as its flavor profile is so broad and so complex. Westmalle shares its yeast with sister abbeys Westvleteren and Achel, as they have a larger lab and are able to deliver the yeast fresh each morning for brewing. Yet out of all the beers from Westmalle (Extra, Dubbel and Tripel), Westvleteren (6° Blonde, 8° Dubbel and 12° Quadruple) and Achel (Blonde 5°, Brune 5°, Blonde 8°, Brune 8°, Extra Brune, Extra Blonde), all are made with the same yeast, yet none taste the same.
Some breweries add the yeast in higher pitching rates, while others stress the yeast and use lower cell counts, each manipulating the flavor output of the yeast. Temperature is another way to manipulate the flavor profile. Pitching around 62 °F (17 °C) will produce more phenolic characters, like clove, pepper and spicy undertones that are critical in this style’s profile. But if left to fully ferment at this low ale temperature, the inherent balance with the fruity ester flavors would be tilted incorrectly. Letting the temperature slowly rise to 72 °F (22 °C) over 3–4 days allows the yeast to change their interactions with the wort.
Perkins also shares, “Be careful and use a good quality and healthy yeast. We only use the yeast for our tripel once, never re-pitching. We want the yeast to be vicious while letting the temperature rise, keeping the fusel alcohol levels low, then letting it finish high and strong.” The balance of this beers’ flavor of malt/sugar, hops and yeast is where each brewery brings its uniqueness to the style.
“With this style you definitely want to feel some alcohol warmth, but not a burn.” advises Perkins. “You need to be careful about your alcohol percentage and where the beer finishes. We keep our tripel at 9%, which works for this particular beer, but if you push the beer too much, making the alcohol percentage higher, it shows. You want the beer to be drinkable, as crazy as that sounds, you want it to finish dry and be palatable.”
Seafood and shellfish benefit from using a beer like a Westmalle Tripel or Allagash Tripel, as the herbal flavors of thyme, parsley and savory are expressed in the hops, and adding these flavors to the poaching liquid of a sauce can greatly enhance the pairing experience. Pairing with brie cheeses like camembert or a triple cream requires a brew that finishes dry with a higher carbonation level to help scrub the palate from the heavy dairy flavors and gooeyness. As this beer also has an almost Champagne-like quality, it can be replaced with a brut pairing. For a twist at an event, try adding a slice of fresh spring strawberry or a wedge of summer peach to a goblet, highlighting some of the fruity esters in the brew. Or try this beer style with a salty and briny caviar topping with a Saaz hop infused crème fraîche on a warm buckwheat blini. Indian curries like chicken tikka masala, lamb rogan josh and saag paneer pair wonderfully with the ester and phenolic attributes of the beer, while the malt, honey and candy flavors bring balance from the heat of the chilies. Try using tripel to poach chicken breasts, then use the poaching liquid afterwards to make a cream sauce.
There are many ways to explore cooking with tripel, starting with the seafood recipes found below. Each cooking experience demonstrates the beers’ complexity while still being a simple combination of ingredients.
Lobster, Prawn, Mussels and Tripel Waterzooi
A traditional Flemish dish from the quaint town of Ghent, Belgium, showcasing wonderfully fresh shellfish and aromatic vegetables is an elegant classy version of a stew, but lighter than an American version, while being a touch more rich than a simple soup.
Serves: 4-6
Lobster Prawn Stock Ingredients
2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
2 each carrots, peeled and chopped
2 each onions, yellow, large, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, washed and chopped
3 each garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 each bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch Italian leaf parsley
2 tablespoon peppercorns, black
fennel tops, from the belowingredients reserved lobster and prawn shells, not rinsed
4 cups water, cold
2 cups Belgian tripel ale, preferably homebrewed
Directions
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, placed over medium heat, add the butter and sauté the carrots, onions and celery for 9–10 minutes, or until the mirepoix has a bit of color and the vegetables are wilted. Add the garlic and bay leaves, sautéing for another 2 minutes. Add the thyme, parsley, peppercorns, fennel tops, lobster and prawn shells, and cook for another minute. Add the water and tripel, stirring to mix all the ingredients together. Bring the stock to a boil, and then turn the heat down to create a simmer, letting cook for at least an hour, to an hour and a half. By using some of the beer in the stock, the higher alcohol helps extract flavors from the shells and vegetables, similarly to a tomato vodka sauce. Strain the stock into a container using a cheese cloth or a fine sieve. Reserve four cups for the waterzooi. Any remaining stock can be chilled and refrigerated for 5–7 days, or frozen for up to 6 months for later use.
Lobster, Prawn and Tripel Waterzooi
Ingredients
1 each lobster whole, live, 1 ½ lb. (0.68 kg)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) prawns, peeled and deveined
4 tablespoon butter, unsalted
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 each shallots, peeled and minced
3 each leeks, white and light green parts only, about 2 ½ cups, sliced
1 each fennel, tops removed, core removed and sliced thin
2 each carrots, peeled and julienne
2 stalks celery, sliced on a bias
6 each purple potatoes, quartered
4 cups fish, lobster or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
2 cups Belgian tripel ale, preferably homebrewed
2 each bay leaf, preferably fresh
1 tablespoon thyme, fresh, leaves only
2 cups heavy cream, organic
2 lb. (0.91 kg) mussels, fresh and beards removed
sea salt and pepper
¼ cup chervil, fresh
Directions
Blanch the lobster in a large pot of boiling water with a few tablespoons of neutral vinegar (like malt) for 2 minutes. Remove the lobster from the pot and chill the shellfish in an ice bath. Once cool, remove the tail and claws from the body. Remove the lobster meat from the shell and chop into bit size chunks.
Add butter and olive oil to a large Dutch oven or 12-qt. (11-L) pot and heat over medium until the butter is completely melted and starts to foam. Add the minced shallots and sauté for 3–4 minutes. Add the sliced leeks and fennel, season with some salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes or enough time to slightly wilt the leeks. Add the carrots, celery, lobster prawn stock, tripel, bay leaves, thyme and cream, bringing mixture to a gentle simmer, then cook for about 6 minutes. Stir in the lobster meat, prawns and mussels, turning the heat to low. Let the shellfish slowly poach until fully cooked, about 4–5 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed and ladle the Waterzooi into warm bowls. Arrange each bowl with a mixture of the vegetables, 3–4 mussels and some of the lobster meat and prawns, garnishing with some lightly chopped chervil.
Variation:
This dish can be made with poultry or fish instead of shellfish. Substitute the shellfish stock with chicken, duck or vegetable stock and the shellfish for chicken, duck or a mixture of white fishes (halibut, cod, snapper, haddock).
Belgian Tripel Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.080 FG = 1.012
IBU = 36 SRM = 4.4 ABV = 8.7%
Ingredients
12.75 lbs. (5.8 kg) Castle Pilsner malt
1 lb. 13 oz. (0.82 kg) candi sugar
5.25 AAU Saaz hops (60 mins)
(1.8 oz./50 g of 3% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops (60 min)
(0.33 oz./9.4 g of 4% alpha acids)
5.25 AAU Saaz hops (30 min)
(1.8 oz./50 g of 3% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops (30 min)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 4% alpha acids)
1 capsule Servomyces yeast nutrient (15 min)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) yeast (1 qt./1 L yeast starter)
Step by Step
In a mash kettle, add 21 quarts (20 L) of filtered water and warm to 95 °F (35 °C). Stir in the cracked Belgian Pilsner malt and re-check the temperature, bring it to 95 °F (35 °C) and hold for 15 minutes, allowing for an acid rest. Slowly heat the mash to 122 °F (50 °C), stirring the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and start a protein rest for another 15 minutes. Increase the temperature of the mash to 135 °F (57 °C) and let sit for 15 minutes, performing a gluten rest. Heat the mash to 144 °F (62 °C) and let sit for 30 minutes. Increase the temperature to 148 °F (64 °C) to complete the saccharification and hold for 2 hours. (Note: this rest can be shortened, if needed; the “excess” time is to promote a higher degree of fermentability.) The mash will be a great straw color and be very fermentable. This is the key to having a light body in the finished brew, giving the finished beer a smooth quaffability while the attenuation will showcase both the malt and sugar flavors.
Sparge grains with 14 quarts (13 L) of 168 °F (76 °C) water having a slow run off go into a boil pot, filled with the rock candi sugar. This will allow the sugar to dissolve into the wort, removing any issue of the sugar burning on the bottom of the pot and caramelizing the sugars into the wort. Bring the wort to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, start a timer for 90 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the first hop addition. After another 30 minutes, add the second hop addition. After 75 minutes, add the yeast nutrient and stir to dissolve. When the timer goes off, give the wort a good stir, creating a whirlpool and cover with a lid, letting sit for 10 minutes. A small handful of each hop can be added into the whirlpool, if more hop aroma is desired in the finished tripel. The desired IBU is around 36. Chill the wort to 62 °F (17 °C) and transfer to a fermenter. Hit the wort with a healthy shot of oxygen. Pitch the yeast starter and place in your fermentation area.
With this Trappist yeast strain, I like to pitch on the cooler side, allowing the yeast to produce some phenolics. Let the temperature rise to 72 °F (22 °C) over the course of 2 days, changing the yeast output to create more ester flavors. The balance of these phenolics and esters is a big key for this style. Let the beer finish primary fermentation for another 4–5 days, or until the airlock is bubbling once every minute. Rack the beer into another carboy or bucket or pour off the yeast from the conical and let age for another 4–5 weeks, holding the temperature at 72 °F (22 °C). Then crash the beer to
60 °F (16 °C) and rack to a keg or bottle. If bottle conditioning, rack 2 cups of the finished beer into a sauce pan and add 1.5 cups or ½ pound of rock candy as a priming sugar. Bring to a simmer, dissolving the sugar and let cool slightly. Pour the sugar mixture into the fermentation vessel and swirl to incorporate into the finished beer. Pitch a fresh pitch of the same Trappist yeast used to ferment and swirl again, mixing well, however being careful not to over introduce oxygen into the beer. Rack into Champagne bottles and either cork or cap finish. Let the tripel warm condition for 3 weeks and open a test bottle. Serve the beer at 55 °F (13 °C) — preferably in the appropriate goblet — and enjoy.
Belgian Tripel Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.080 FG = 1.012
IBU = 36 SRM = 4.4 ABV = 8.7%
Ingredients
2.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) Castle Pilsner malt
1 lb. 13 oz. (0.82 kg) candi sugar
8.0 lbs. (3.6 kg) liquid Pilsner malt extract (such as Weyermann)
5.25 AAU Saaz hops (60 mins)
(1.8 oz./50 g of 3% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops (60 min)
(0.33 oz./9.4 g of 4% alpha acids)
5.25 AAU Saaz hops (30 min)
(1.8 oz./50 g of 3% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops (30 min)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 4% alpha acids)
1 capsule Servomyces yeast nutrient (15 min)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) yeast (1 qt./1 L yeast starter)
Step by Step
Steep crushed grains in 3.0 qt. (2.8 L) of water at 148 °F (64 °C) for 60 minutes. After steeping, place a colander over your brewpot and place the grain bag in it. Pour the “grain tea” from the steeped grains through the bag (to strain out any floating bits), then rinse the bag with 1.5 qts. (1.4 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water. Add the sugar, roughly half of the malt extract and enough water to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) and bring your wort to a boil. Add the first charge of hops and boil for 60 minutes; add the second charge of hops with 30 minutes left in the boil. Add the yeast nutrients with 15 minutes left in the boil and the remaining malt extract at shutdown. (Stir it in thoroughly before cooling.) Chill wort and transfer to fermenter. Top up to 5 gallons (19 L) with cool water, achieving a wort temperature of 62 °F (17 °C). Aerate wort and pitch your yeast, Follow the instruction in the all-grain recipe for fermentation and conditioning.
Belgian Tripel Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.080 FG = 1.012
IBU = 36 SRM = 4.4 ABV = 8.7%
Ingredients
4.0 lbs. (1.8 kg) Castle Pilsner malt
1 lb. 13 oz. (0.82 kg) candi sugar
6.5 lbs. (2.9 kg) liquid Pilsner malt extract (such as Weyermann)
5.25 AAU Saaz hops (60 mins)
(1.8 oz./50 g of 3% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops (60 min)
(0.33 oz./9.4 g of 4% alpha acids)
5.25 AAU Saaz hops (30 min)
(1.8 oz./50 g of 3% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops (30 min)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 4% alpha acids)
1 capsule Servomyces yeast nutrient (15 min)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) yeast (1 qt./1 L yeast starter)
Step by Step
See the extract recipe above and follow the general course of those directions, remembering that this recipe also has hops added at 30 minutes left in the boil. Follow the fermentation instructions for the all-grain recipe also above.
