GABF silver: Tripel de Ripple
Note: Yesterday we “strip searched” (to use a phrase from Brew Like a Monk contributor Derek Walsh) the bronze medal winner Belgian-Style Abbey Ale at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival. Tomorrow we’ll look at the gold.
Tripel de Ripple comes from Brugge Brasserie, a new brewpub (opened in May) in the Broad Ripple neighbrohood of Indianapolis. As you can tell from its name, the brewery-restaurant specializes in Belgian cuisine and beer.
Brewer Ted Miller worked at the pioneering Broad Ripple Brewpub form 1991-94, then briefly at Thomas Kemper in Washington before spending nearly 10 years at in breweries abroad, including in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and the Caribbean.
He writes via e-mail:
“If I had to give a brand that it might be most styled after it would be Tripel Karmeliet, in that I use hops with precise delicacy only to balance. This is, of course, a hallmark of the style, but many newer interpretations display far too much bitterness delivered from hops, in my opinion.
“Too reduce some of the citrusy character (so this is where mine and Bosteels tripel vary), I kept the wheat contribution to the grain bill quite low.”
Note: Tripel Karmeliet from the Brouwerij Bosteels is made with pilsener, wheat, oats, unmalted barley, unmalted wheat and unmalt oats as well as undisclosed spices (page 120 of BLAM).
Miller writes: “I really like the vanilla and pear aromas I get from our yeast and wanted them highlighted, so this was a major reason for the reduction in wheat from what you might normally see in a tripel, especially one like Karmeliet where I might use citrus as one of the main identifiers along with vanilla.”
Tripel de Ripple
Original Gravity: 1.090 (21.5 ºP)
Alcohol by Volume: 9.85%
Apparent Degree of Attenuation: 78%
IBU: 23
Malts: Dingemans Pils, White Wheat
Adjuncts: Clear Candi Sugar (Diamonds)
Hops: Vanguard, Saaz
Yeast: Proprietary strain
Primary Fermentation: 76 to 78 ºF (24 to 26 ºC)
Secondary: 3 weeks at 36 ºF (2 ºC)
Also notworthy: Not filtered, served only draft
