Questions on a Belgian Tripel

I personally would nix the secondary.

How long you want the beer to 'sit' in the primary is your choice; just make sure that primary fermentation is complete.

I have not seen any studies which quantifies (or qualifies) how an ale benefits from bulk conditioning vs. bottle conditioning. IMO, conditioning is conditioning. So, feel free to bottle your beer when primary fermentation is complete (or let t 'sit' for 1-2 'extra' weeks in the primary if you want).

Since a Tripel is a high gravity beer (high alcohol) it will likely benefit from extended bottle conditioning time. I homebrew a Dubbel twice a year. I actually prefer drinking that beer younger vs. aged but the aged bottles taste good too.

Cheers!

 

Make sure you have sufficient yeast. This means make a starter. Also make sure you are using some simple sugars in the recipe. The most common mistake with this style is trying to make an all malt tripel. If you don't have some white sugar/clear candy sugar to lighten the body you will end up with an overly sweet, cloying mess of a beer.

And as Jack said, you need to let it sit in primary until it is finished fermenting, the amount of time the recipe quotes for primary in irrelevant.

 

I think this kind of beer will last longer to finish fermentation,so I would let it sit in primary for 3 weeks , then take a gravity and compare it with what was you were expecting.If fermentation is done, it would be better to rack it to a secondary because is a must to let this high alcohol beer age for sometime(at least 3 months) to develop its best performance. Like a good wine, it must be aged, otherwise you are going to spend a lot of materials without a real reward.IMHO

 

Like others have alreasy said, I would be leery of any recipe that tells you to move the beer off the yeast after 1 week.

 

I brew a Karmeliet clone (tripel, 8.4%) which is ready to drink in six weeks . . . so yes, it's possible.

But I wouldn't take a kit manufacturer's word that it will really be ready. As suggested, consider a longer primary (2+ weeks), then let your hydrometer tell you if fermentation is complete. If you haven't been taking reading at the end of fermentation then now is the time to start. Look for a gravity close to your target and of course it must stabilize over several days. Do this accurately and no worries about bottle bombs.

If the brew is finished I wouldn't hesitate to bottle at the 2-3 week mark and taste the first one in 6 weeks. It's possible to see improvement with extended bottle aging . . . this is where the brewer earns his money. Even with my "early-drinkers", I usually hoard a couple of bottles and sample in 6-12 months (here's where good record keeping pays off).