Wednesday 15 January 2014

Top Ten Belgian Tripels.

Essentially these are strong Belgian blonde ales. The term tripel started as a beer type in 1956 when Westmalle added more hops to a blonde ale and all the other breweries followed suit in this style. Pale, high in alcohol and usually quite dry, these are the very essence of what I love about Belgian beers. So here are my favourite 10; 
Westmalle Tripel. The original and some would say the best. Super dry and bitter, hazy and strong. 8/10.
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel.
I think they added the IPA as a marketing ploy for the US. Very dry, very bitter and cloudy. 7/10.
Jambe de Bois. 
Soft and spicy, bubbly and very Belgian. 7/10.
Corsendonk Angus Tripel.
Dry, fresh and clean. 8/10.

Gouden Carolus Tripel.
Bitter and fruity. 8/10.
St Bernadus Tripel.
My favourite of all, slightly softer, balanced, creamy, sweet, spicy and earthy. 9/10.
Tripel Karmeliet.
I always say this is a favourite too, quite distinct from the others, I reckon I could easily spot this in a blind tasting. It pours with a big foam head. It's dry, light, crisp and has that slightly spicy banana-ish wheat beer element that's so pleasant, with a lovely bubbly mouth feel to it. 9/10.
De Ranke Guldenberg.
Soft, hoppy and fruity. 8/10. 
Watou Tripel.
Slightly tart citrus flavours. 7/10.
St Feuillien Triple.
Another classic. Hoppy and spicy. 8/10.

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