How to Brew Trippelbock: Bavarian Brew Halls, Malty Mountains and Hoppy Heights

Recipe for 5 Gallon Batch:

• 11 lbs Munich Malt
• 2 lbs English Extra Dark Crystal
• 1 lbs 8.0 oz Aromatic Malt
• 1 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner; German
• 1 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt
• 1 lbs Caramunich III
• 8.0 oz Melanoidin
• 2.25 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] – Boil 60.0 min
• 1.0 pkg German Bock Lager (White Labs #WLP833)

Brewing The Curious Style Of TRIPPELBOCK

Transcript: If you’re like me you might not be all that familiar with the beer style of triple bock, it combines the sweetness and light weight of the triple with the breadiness and rich color of a dopplebock. Yes please.

Now, you have a beer style here that i’d never heard of and you contacted me and you said hey would you be interested in doing this. So tell me about this beer.

What inspired me in 2007, Mckellar brewery came out with this triplebock and it was a limited run. It’s similar to a doppelbock in terms of kind of the flavor and character where you have kind of that bready and yeasty smell to it, kind of the monk’s brew.

After that I could never find it anywhere in the country, so once i found a friend that knew how to do all grain brewing, we were going to do this.

We gave it a pour, and yeah absolutely i think the mouthful is really sort of a luxurious kind of mouth feel like coating my tongue a little bit it cuts your tongue.

For me, it’s refreshing. It comes across just really more a refreshing early fall beer. Yes, thanks very much for bringing this recipe over and my pleasure.

Can’t wait to try it, so with chris’s recipe in hand and a good idea of what this was supposed to taste like, I set about brewing my own. 

So to maximize my chances of efficiency, I’m going to double crush this this is already get crushed from atlantic brew supply using their standard grain setting.

But i’m going to modify my mill here to a roller gap of 0.030 using this feeler gauge and that should ensure that i get the efficiency i’m looking for here.

Now this is a three gallon batch, but there’s something like 11 pounds of grain going in this thing…

Now speaking of efficiency, i do typically see with most batches where i’m just using the homebrew stores grain crush an efficiency of around 68 as brew house efficiency.

And it’s pretty consistent so i can just kind of base my recipes very much on that. But i do find that when i go too much higher gravities then the brew house efficiency can drop down a few percentage points.

So i’m going to be pretty curious to see how this finer grain crush is gonna do.

I’m gonna be mashing this today at a 154 fahrenheit or 68 celsius.

Now this beer is going to be around 9.7 abv if my mash is as efficient as i’m hoping it will be.

The main base mold for this is munich malt and that makes up 58% of the grain bill.

But i have quite a few specialty malts i’m adding to that as well.

So i have 10% of extra dark crystal malt and then i have 8% each of aromatic malt german pilsner and vienna malt. 

And then rounding things out i have five percent of caramelic three and three percent of melanoidin. 

Middle throw is my only hop for this i’m using that at bittering right at the start of the boil and that’s going to give me around 26 ibu of bitterness.

I’m using my fermzilla to ferment this one. Looks like my gravity got to around 10.90 so that’s actually pretty good because i forgot to lower my efficiency in beersmith.

So I was going for 68 percent efficiency and got pretty close.

The yeast for this one well i’m using german and bok lab yeast this is wlp 833. 

In terms of how i’m gonna ferment this, i’m gonna initially ferment at 55 fahrenheit and then when primary fermentation is about done i will drop that temperature down a degree or two per day to get to around 45 fahrenheit.

And that’s where i’m going to lager it not quite down to yeast pitching temperatures yet. So i’m going to use my glycol chiller to finish the job and then let the yeast go to work.

 It has been over three months since you were here yeah your triple bock, like a quarter of a year has passed. This beer has been aging for about two months it’s been lagering for about two months.

The one that i fell in love with had some fruity notes to it it was definitely sweet it was definitely a big heavy beer. Yeasty, it looks thick it looks thick i mean the head even just as it’s sticking to the side of the glass. 

Yeah, it’s just nice and coating everything, yeah it smells like a nail, yeah doesn’t it? See how it tastes, yeah cheers she is thick, but it finishes surprisingly light.

This is what i remember from yours is that you look at this and like well this is a meal in itself. Bring out the knife and fork. But it does finish like doesn’t it it’s got the sort of a lighter mouth feel to it and then the flavors are not the sort of dark roasty flavors that you might suspect to a beer this color.

Right, but actually it’s a very sort of fresh flavor i think i like it it’s it’s wonderful and it takes patience that maranate, was sat there looking at me like i’ve done a whole bunch more brews in the meantime and it was sat there looking at me the whole time.

But uh it’s definitely worth the wait, i’m glad we enjoy it. Yeah, so cheers you did a better job than i did. I think these this is entirely your recipe so all the credit is for you this is absolutely fantastic thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between a Triple Bock and a Trippelbock?

The main difference lies in the origin and brewing traditions. Triple Bock is an American take on a very strong lager, whereas Trippelbock is grounded in German brewing traditions.

Both are high in alcohol content but may have different flavor profiles and brewing techniques.

How does the flavor profile of a Triple Bock beer compare to other bock beer recipes?

Triple Bock beer tends to have a rich, malty sweetness with notes of caramel and toffee. It’s often stronger and has a more pronounced malt character compared to other bock beer recipes. The high alcohol content also contributes to its bold and warming character.

What are the key ingredients in the Trippelbock recipe featured in the article?

The key ingredients in the Trippelbock recipe include malt extract, specialty grains, hops, and yeast. The combination of these ingredients, along with the specific brewing process, results in a strong, flavorful bock beer.

Is there a particular occasion or season that is best suited for brewing or enjoying a Triple Bock beer?

Traditionally, bock beers, including Triple Bock, are associated with special occasions and seasonal celebrations. They are often enjoyed during the colder months due to their warming alcohol content and rich, comforting flavors.

Can a beginner attempt the Triple Bock beer recipe shared in the article, or is it meant for more experienced brewers?

The Triple Bock beer recipe outlined in the article requires some experience in brewing due to its high gravity and the precision needed in managing the fermentation process.

However, with a good understanding of the brewing process and careful attention to detail, a motivated beginner could attempt this recipe and achieve a rewarding brew.