Tripel

Belgian Tripel Beers: the Beer with Character

In the quiet town of Malle, in the northeast part of Antwerp in Belgium is the place where the Belgium Tripel beer first started. Its history began in the Westmalle Abbey which is a monastery where monks from La Trappe evacuated to when they decided to flee their native place due to the unfavorable opinions towards them. They first brewed their beer in the year 1836 which was originally for their own consumption only. Due to the unique taste of their liquor, however, it quickly rose to popularity.

 

The original recipe of tripel remained untouched. Its name “triple” was derived from the beer’s strength and not on its flavor. The singel is known to be the type of beer with the lowest alcohol percentage, followed by dubbel, and then tripel as the strongest. Nowadays, however, the term tripel is simply not used to refer to strong types of beers and the name is associated for its characteristic taste instead. In fact, Belgian tripel beers nowadays range from having 8% to 10% alcohol.

Tripel beers have gold or deep yellow flavors that are effervescent in appearance. They have creamy and long-lasting frothy heads which sometimes leave what they call a “Belgian lace” in the glass as it is consumed. It should be poured carefully in a glass in order to keep the conditioning yeast in the bottle. In terms of aroma, tripel beers usually have a mixture of scents. Most contain hints of spiciness, soft hops, floral, and banana notes. Older Belgian tripel beers exude doughy and caramel aromatic notes while younger beers have more crisp scents.

In terms of taste, tripel beers have fruity flavors mixed with soft malt. They are usually sweet with hop bitterness that range from medium to high. It creates a dry finish and also has a mild carbonation. For the best drinking experience, serve it in glassware with a wide mouth like tulips for the best head. Belgian tripel go best with rich desserts and high-fat cheeses.

One of the best brands of this beer is none other than the Westmalle Trappist Trippel. Its light fruity aromatic notes perfectly reflect its sweet fruity taste created by a mixture of grapes and orange skin flavors. Its froth has great retention and it also leaves a lovely lacing on the glass. Besides from the usual sweets and cheeses, this beer’s flavors are also more pronounced with Mediterranean cuisines.

Another well-known name is La Trappe Tripel. This brand of beer has a beautiful ruby amber tint and an average frothy head. Its aroma can be likened to that of butterscotch liquor and barley wine. Active carbonation and yeast can be noticed on the almost clear liquid and its taste is best described as rich in roasted malt and yeast. It also has some lemony hop bitter notes mixed with a good malt body which strikes the perfect flavor balance.