#tripels

After the dubbel we find ourselves in the land of the tripel. Once again the monks at the abbey of Westmalle were the ones to come up with this beautiful style. It was the Belgium Vandervelde prohibition act of 1919 that forbid cafes and bars to serve liquor. There was however a little loophole in the whole thing because wine and beers were now included.  The monks at Westmalle rushed to their kettles and amped up their beer and tripled the amount of malts. The beer wasn't a succes at first, the first version was named "superbier". Later they added more hops to it and they changed the name to triple serving high alcohol pleasure to all the Belgium people.  As with all the beer styles in the world, others soon followed and started brewing their own spicy, hazy golden glories.  Tripels are often higher in alcohol than dubbels. Dubbels are known for their malty character whereas the tripel has more hoppy fruitiness. The high percentage is due to the extra addition of sugar for the yeast to feast on.  Tasting notes: Herbs, citrus, coriander and orange peel (like a witbier), smooth bitter finish and often some carbonation as well. Tempting Tripels: Westmalle Tripel, Gouden Carolus Tripel, Tripel Karmeliet, Chimay White Cap, La Trappe Tripel, Scheldebrouwerij Zeezuiper