Suggestions for Noble Trappist with higher ABV?

[brewpood]

Is anyone familiar enough with Midwest's Noble Trappist ale to help me select my next recipe or kit? I'm a newbie planning to brew my third batch with extract or partial mash. I would love to make another brew like Noble Trappist, but with a higher alcohol content.

Should I just go with a Dubbel? Other ideas?

Someone at Midwest Supplies suggested using the Noble Trappist kit again, but increasing the amount of malt extract to raise the alcohol content. Would that work? How would I plan how much malt to use? (Brewsmith?)

I also very much enjoy Brooklyn Brewery's Sorachi Ace and another beer made with Sorachi Ace, New Belgium's Lips of Faith Biere de Garde. Any risk in switching out one of the hops in the Noble Trappist kit for Sorachi? If that sounds like a fairly good plan, would it be best to switch out the aroma or bittering hops? And Sorachi Ace uses champagne yeast--how about using that in addition to some Wyeast Trappist, probably high gravity?

I know: this question is probably getting out of hand and I may need to be referred to another site or read a couple of books on the subject of recipe tinkering. But I always get such good help here, that I think it's worth asking.

Here is how Midwest describes Noble Trappist:

"Sweet, semi-dry ale with dark brown color
Hints of banana and cloves
Yeast cultured from a bottle of Chimay (liquid yeast strains) will perfect this recipe; Wyeast recommended for best results
Ingredients include: 6 lb. Pilsen liquid malt extract, 1 lb. clear candi sugar, 8 oz. Caramel 40L, 8 oz. Carapils specialty grains, 2 oz. Hallertau, 1 oz. Styrian Goldings pellet hops, yeast, priming sugar and a grain bag"

Thanks for any help! I'm sharing my last 4 bottles of Noble Trappist with friends later today and am itching to get brewing again.

 

[JRapp]

If you click up top under Recipies and then Belgian strong ale it has plenty of recipe's.

Theres is a recipe for Dragonmeads "Final Absolution" extract form which I actually have a 10.4% bastardized version of in my fermentor ATT. I have HIGH hopes for this beer.

Also they have a great Chimay blue clone that has many good reviews, have not tried it but I plan on it soon.

The Midwest trappist looks a little weak for my tastes. I like my Big Belgians really big. Save that one big beer as a reward for a long day or to sip slowly(key word slowly) while brewing.

Also, Sorachi ace is an amazing beer. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[phuff7129]

I've brewed that kit both extract and all grain. I did it one time subbing Columbus, centennial and cascade for the hops it was fantastic! . Definitely experiment with hops that you like. If you want to bump up the abv i would do it with part pils extract and table sugar to really dry that puppy out. I would make the table sugar about 10% of your fermentables. This kit is a great base beer and I love the Trappist high gravity yeast. It's a perfect base beer for experimentation.