Tripel

A Tripel is a golden-blonde, high-fermentation beer, usually between eight and nine percent. Candy sugar in the brew makes the beer drier and stronger without making it heavy; the yeast does the rest, bringing spicy and fruity notes towards banana, clove, and pepper. Firm head, warm finish.

A Tripel calls for a stemmed glass and a serving temperature of around eight degrees. Too cold, and the spiciness disappears behind the alcohol. In the shop, classic golden-blonde Tripels stand alongside versions aged in wood, and there are low- or no-alcohol varieties for those who want to taste the style without the strength. A Tripel holds its own perfectly with aged cheese, poultry, or a hearty stew.

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Which tripel suits you?

Tripels are less alike than you might expect. One follows the Belgian recipe with coriander and orange peel, while another has been aged in wood for months or uses no spices at all. With one exception, they all fall between eight and ten percent.

The Belgian classic

Coriander and orange peel, golden blond, spicy, and much stronger than it tastes. This is the shape most people think of when they hear the word tripel.

Herbs outside the box

Brewers who abandon the standard recipe. Cardamom in one, sage and thyme in another, and a third who leaves the work to a Belgian abbey yeast.

Aged in wood

Cherry wood, oak, whiskey. Aging in wood takes the sharp edge off and makes a tripel rounder; with some, the beer even veers towards the darker side.

No frills

No herbs, no barrel, no additives. What you taste comes from grain, yeast, and time. That is the hardest way to brew a tripel, because there is nothing to hide behind it.

The exceptions

A three-quarter-liter Tripel that goes on the table instead of in a glass, and a 0.3 percent Tripel brewed with the same malts as its big brother but without the buzz.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called a tripel?

The name originates from abbey breweries and refers to the amount of malt in the recipe, not to three ingredients or three fermentations. More malt means more sugar, and therefore more alcohol.

Why can you barely taste the alcohol?

Because the sugars in a tripel ferment almost completely. Little sweetness remains to make the alcohol feel heavy, and the yeast provides fresh, fruity aromas. That is precisely why a tripel is called dangerously drinkable.

What is the difference between a tripel and a blond?

They look the same, but a blond is around six percent and lighter in body. A tripel approaches nine percent, has more malt, more spiciness, and a much longer finish.

At what temperature do you serve a Tripel?

Between 8 and 10 degrees, in a goblet. Colder and the spices disappear, warmer and the alcohol comes to the fore.

Can you store a Tripel?

A year or two is fine, but it rarely improves: the fresh yeast aromas diminish. Tripels that have been aged in wood are the exception; those can handle some time.

If you want to taste how much variation there is within a style: put a classic Tripel next to one that has been aged in wood. The same style, a different beer.

Terms such as IBU, EBC, and turbidity explained: beer terms. Curious who brews these beers: our breweries.

Also tasty: Blonde · Dubbel & Quadrupel · Stout