Sugar is part of the style
Up to a fifth of the fermentables as sugar keeps a tripel dry and drinkable.
Belgian Tripel: how to brew it
Strong, golden and deceptively light: spicy, fruity Belgian yeast, a soft honeyed malt, a dry finish and lively carbonation hide 8–9 % alcohol.
Belgian Tripel at a glance
- Original gravity
- 1.075 – 1.085
- Final gravity
- 1.008 – 1.014
- Bitterness (IBU)
- 20 – 40
- Color (SRM)
- 4.5 – 7
- Alcohol
- 7.5 – 9.5%
- Carbonation (vol)
- 2.5 – 3.4
Ranges from the BJCP 2021 style guidelines, category 26C.
A typical recipe
For 20 L (5 gal) at about 1.080: 80 % pilsner malt and up to 20 % plain sugar for dryness. Noble or Styrian hops to about 30 IBU. A Belgian abbey yeast, mash at 64–65 °C (147–149 °F), pitch at 18 °C (64 °F) and let it rise to 24–26 °C (75–79 °F).
Brewing tips
Free-rise fermentation
Starting cool and letting it warm up builds fruit without harsh alcohol.
High carbonation
Around 3 volumes of CO₂ lifts the aroma: use sturdy bottles.
Brew your own Belgian Tripel
Start from the style in Mashwerk: it builds a recipe inside the ranges for your equipment, and checks every number as you tweak it.
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