Tripel and Michigan State Fair

I just cracked open my first chilled and carbonated sample of my tripel and was delighted. I'd say it ranks up there with the first batch of Annabelle in my books, though a completely different beer. Everything I was going for (basically a similar version of Bell's Sparkling Ale) was achieved: a muted Belgian character (thanks to White Labs' seasonal Bastogne Ale yeast), a soft but high alcohol content, and great drinkability. Clarity is sub-par, but the color is beautiful, and I'm starting to worry less and less about clarity in my beer, since it has little to do with the quality (especially the flavor) of a beer itself. I'll leave this recipe as is since I am overwhelmingly satisfied.


Bell's General Store where I work is a drop-off location for the upcoming Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition. I've wanted to enter some beers in a competition for awhile, but I was sort of waiting for a more local one (rather than the collossal AHA National Competition) for starters. I think I'll be entering it, likely with my tripel and IPA headlining. The cost for 3 entries is the same as 1 or 2, so I'll need to scrape up another entry as soon as possible, either using the Belgian Annabelle in the Belgian Strong Ale category or Hannah or Rachel if they are done in time. Wish me luck.