Dear Replicator, I loved the beers (and their names) at Triptych Brewing. I haven’t tried to brew a wee heavy in more than a decade, but I recall that I was never very happy with my attempts back in the day. Triptych’s wee heavy “Luke’s Still Here, Man.” was fantastic though. You think they might share some tips? 
Kyle Ives
Cleveland, Ohio

When Anthony Benjamin opened Triptych Brewing with two friends in 2013, the name was carefully chosen to represent the entire project. Much like medieval triptych artwork — three distinct images which can be viewed separately, but which form something greater when brought together — the Savoy, Illinois, brewery was built on a foundation of threes. Sitting at the intersection of three overlapping communities (Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy), the project created by three friends came together to celebrate three of the core ingredients of beer: Hops, barley, and water.

Before Triptych, Benjamin was an avid homebrewer. In 2009, he was named Midwest Homebrewer of the Year based on his success in a circuit of regional homebrew competitions. The honor gave him the confidence to consider opening a commercial brewery. However, making the jump from the homebrew scale to a commercial brewhouse brought its inevitable challenges. Benjamin credits his professional background in computer programming and systems thinking for a smooth transition, as he was able to maintain a focus on process and repeatability, and found himself with the ability to intuit how minor adjustments might affect the final product.

“One of the biggest differences from homebrewing is how much flexibility disappears,” Benjamin says. “At home, you can change course late in the process without much consequence. In a brewery, decisions are locked in much earlier by packaging, labeling, and customer expectations.”

When Triptych first opened its doors, Benjamin’s personal brewing focus was firmly on session beers: British bitters, dry stouts, and low-ABV pale ales. But the 2013 craft beer market had different ideas, with customers hesitant to pay premium prices for lower-alcohol pints.

This reality pushed Benjamin toward a more iterative approach. The brewery began testing the waters, putting beers on tap and watching the response. In 2016, fresh off a World Beer Cup gold medal for a brilliantly clear session IPA called Little Secret, Benjamin decided to brew the exact opposite — a hazy IPA — almost as a joke. That beer, Dank Meme, sold out faster than anything they had ever made. Nearly a decade later, Dank Meme still makes up more than 45 percent of Triptych’s annual production.

After years of leaning into experimental, attention-grabbing beers, the Triptych team made the choice to settle down. “We’ve scaled back innovation considerably and focused on more grounded, well-executed beers rather than novelty for novelty’s sake,” Benjamin explains. “Money doesn’t go as far as it used to, and most people aren’t looking to gamble on a hype-driven concept beer that might not deliver.”

While Triptych is still largely known for its hop-forward pale ales and IPAs, they maintain a deep appreciation for malt-forward seasonals. “Luke’s Still Here, Man.” is a wee heavy that entered the brewery’s lineup several years ago as a limited seasonal release. While many of Triptych’s beers reference popular fantasy and science fiction franchises, the meaning behind “Luke’s Still Here, Man.” goes deeper. The beer traces its roots back to a period of staffing transition in 2018, when regulars in the taproom began to ask “Where’s Luke at?” or “Is Luke still here?” The response was, well, you can probably guess. Because the wee heavy style is Head Brewer Luke Taggart’s favorite, the team brewed a batch and named it in his honor. The name stuck, and the beer has become an annual winter tradition.

Over the years, the recipe has gone through about eight distinct iterations before arriving at the recipe the brewery uses today. Through this trial and error, Benjamin decided to swap out British crystal malts for CaraMunich®. To achieve the right color and flavor profile without harsh astringency, roasted barley was eventually replaced by pale chocolate malt. The brewers also once tried adding a touch of peat-smoked malt at Luke’s request. They have been sure to never do that again.

The beer’s biggest departure from tradition is in its yeast: Triptych ferments their wee heavy with a lager strain. This unusual choice was driven by their reliable access to large, healthy lager pitches, which results in an incredibly clean fermentation. While using a lager strain is not required, do pick a strain that will ensure the fermentation is as clean as possible.

Similarly, aim for a dry finish. Despite the sweet notes that the style is known for, too much sweetness can quickly cross the line into cloying. Many traditional wee heavies are thick and sticky, Benjamin says, and thus he purposefully ferments his beer drier than benchmark examples. “At higher alcohol levels, the alcohol itself contributes perceived sweetness and body, so I don’t think you need to rely on excessive residual sugar to make the beer feel full,” he explains.

While in Illinois …

If you’re in the great state of Illinois, another brewery you will want to visit in Chicago is Dovetail Brewing. During the Replicator’s last visit he came home with the recipe for their excellent Vienna lager.