Belgian Tripel Fermentation

[MTW]

It will likely take around 3 weeks!

I've used this yeast (and the wyeast equivalent) at least half a dozen times and it's taken exactly 3 weeks each time, each time raising the temperature up to 24C or so, where it has remained for the second half of that period, from a 17-18C start. Every time I have done a two-step starter: 700ml, decanted, into 3.5L, decanted and restarted on brewday.

I can't see your batch size so I will have to assume around 23L. If that's the case, you're pitching quite a lot less than I would want, but there's probably nothing wrong here. I know of people having success with that sort of pitch.

Rouse it carefully (but well) every three days or so from here on, keep cranking that temp up steadily until you get to 24C and you should be fine. The last few points take a disproportionate time with this yeast - but it DOES keep going. It did 1.085 to 1.009 for me on AG#1, with around 13% sugar and a coolish mash. Some kraeusen tends to stay right until the end, when it finally drops. You'll be stirring below that hopefully, so that shouldn't budge it.

You'll no doubt be priming this around 8-10g per litre for the style, so you want to know it's really finished! looking at that grain bill, you really should get below 1.012.

[serum]

Slowly increasing the temperature works well with this yeast to finish it off. My brews with it took 2 weeks to reach around 1010. I started at around 17C then upped it by 1C each day until I got to 26C and it finished fine.

[perryni]

I upped it to 22c, checked today and its moved from 1.020 to 1.017 so going in the right direction

[DarrenSL]

I used this yeast recently. Same thing. Blew out of the top of the FV after 24 hours then slowed right down but kept on going.

OG 1.075
SG 16 days 1.016 (bubble once every 30s)
SG 24 days 1.009

Temperature 18C rising to 21C.

As long as you have a pile of creamy yeast on the top then it's probably still fermenting.

[perryni]

Just thought I would update this post.

I bottled my beer yesterday as it had reached 1.010 (and stayed there for 4 days) so my worrying a couple of weeks ago was for nothing

The beer is very cloudy at the moment which I have never had before but I will be bottle conditioning for 2-3 weeks at 22c then lager for 4-8 weeks at 2-4c so hopefully the cloudiness should drop out.

Thanks for all the helpful comments on this post.

Nick

[serum]

Great stuff. Glad it worked out well.