Westmalle Triple Beer, 6x330ml

Product Information

After two months in a row of nearly overwhelming blind tastings— 102 non-barrel-aged imperial stouts, followed by a whopping 144 barrel-aged stouts safe to say that the Paste beer tasters were hanging on by a thread. We needed a style that would draw significantly fewer entries, for the sake of our livers if nothing else. Thankfully, Belgian tripel was there for us.

Though strong Belgian pale ales have existed for centuries, the “tripel” name wasn’t used until the Trappist monks at Westmalle Abbey changed the name of what they’d called Superbier, their heaviest pale ale, in 1956. Tripel is thought to denote the strength of the beer, though dubbels and quads are entirely different styles of dark beer. Belgian Tripels can approach an alcohol content as high as 12% ABV. The best examples hide this through careful fermentation control. The verdict: The hoppiest of the the 19 we tried tastes more like a tripel blended with an IPA. This is the hop heads’ tripel. Pouring a slightly hazy golden yellow with a puffy white head, fine carbonation rolls through the glowing body. Estery banana notes from the yeast and spicy hoppiness immediately fill the nose. A full mouthfeel and a delicately fine balance of sweetness and hoppy bitterness coat the tongue. A warming 9.5% ABV creates a luscious, comforting experience without a trace of alcoholic bite. Tripel Ale, Allagash Brewing Company The verdict: Here’s the thing about Funky Buddha: They’re versatile down there in Florida. In one tasting, they’ll score big with really bold, crazily flavored beers, as they just did in the barrel-aged stout tasting with imperial stouts flavored with coconut and bacon. In this tripel tasting, they entered two: One made in apple brandy barrels that tasted like a pie, and another that—wait for it—is just a really solid, regular ‘ole tripel. Point is, they’re known for their skill in balancing flavored beer profiles that other people would bungle, but they can do multiple things well. This one is impeccably balanced—light Belgian yeasty esters on the nose, with herbal hops and a touch of wheaty malt. Grassy hops are present on the palate, and the 9.3% ABV is pretty well hidden, roughly the same as several tripels in the tasting that were considerably smaller. This is one of those entries that didn’t necessarily top individual score sheets, but everyone liked.Delicate flavor balance between bready malts, herbaceous hops, and spicy and estery yeast is the nucleus of a perfect Tripel. With high-strength beers, alcoholic bite is sometimes inevitable. A major key is to control the fermentation, coaxing desirable esters and phenols, while keeping fusel alcohols to a minimum. A big and healthy yeast starter is required for this style. Normally you’d need about a 2 Litre starter for a 5 gallon batch. Tripel Fermentation Profile Most famous for their genre-defining Saison, Brasserie Dupont’s best beer is Avec Les Bons Voeux. Blurring the line between Saison and Tripel, this 9.5% ABV golden amber beer is both thirst quenching and layered with complexity. Spicy and fruity on the nose, a fine carbonation allows a bright white head to float on the sparkling body.

This beer was considered to be very strong, especially in comparison with what else was being brewed around that time. The Westmalle Tripel continued to build on its characteristically strong and refined character, by using only natural ingredients in the brewing process – such as real hop flowers from Eastern Europe – and the highest quality barley malt. Aroma: Plums, apple skins, dried figs, candi sugar, warm brown bread, raisins, light toffee, concord grapes, yeast, and some earthy notes The best yeast strains to produce an ester character powerful enough to balance the dark malts in a dubbel are the Chimay strains: Wyeast 1214 and White Labs WLP500. The complex esters complement the rich caramel malts (especially from special B) to develop a plum and currant-like character without citrus or banana esters. What can we say? There are some pretty good tripels, here in the field. There are some Belgian classics like Chimay White, which was perfectly in line with what you’d expect. There were others such as the De Dolle Dulle Teve, which we found a little overwhelmingly boozy. And there were ones like the St. Bernardus that just didn’t excite the palate, although we ultimately liked another from the same Watou brewery more.A few different strains ferment out excellent tripels. First, Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) and White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale), both reputedly from Westmalle, are excellent choices. Both yeasts produce a predominant ester character, complex and reminiscent of pears, bubblegum, plums and citrus fruits. The peppery spicy phenolic character melds well behind the esters. At higher temperatures, these yeasts can contribute some banana into the ester profile. At low temperatures, lower than 66 °F (19 °C), this yeast can go into a permanent hibernation. The verdict: Ironically, the highest-rated American tripel is among those that take most liberties with the style. Brewed with Asian spices, this monkey’s got bite.