Roguer's Blind Tripel Tasting

The grain bill definitely plays a role in tripels not aging well, especially since many are nearly all pilsner malt. I would think the hops fade over time too, but whenever I have a tripel that's passed its prime I can still taste hints of hop character. Styrian goldings really stick out in the cases of older tripels

 

As regards "truth" it is a fact that dark malts (especially dark roasted malts) act as anti-oxidants and thereby increase beer stability. I can anecdotally relate that my homebrewed beers that are brewed with dark malts hold up much better with age than my pale beers. For example I homebrewed a Kolsch that I bottled last April and that beer right now is 4 months old and while still quite tasty is nearing its 'end of life'. In contrast a Czech Dark Lager I bottled in February is still very tasty and in past years I have saved some bottles for Christmastime drinking and they were still very good then.

I am a 'believer' in dark malts.

And my Quad which is 3+ years old is still very good but this is likely due to a twofer: higher alcohol content + dark malts. I am hoping to have the willpower to save some of these bottles for another two years.

Cheers!

 

I find they evolve, usually interestingly, for a year or so. Not necessarily better but enough to be fun in a vertical.

If you ever get to expand your Belgian pool (I know, not easy), I love de la Senne’s Jambe de Bois, De Ranke’s Guldenberg, La Trappe, Kapittel, Witcap, Tourney, Bink, Matheus, Affligem, even a Kasteel in my callow youth (well, 30s)… any of those show up in a store, grab them. (The first two may be most freshness-dependent.) [Edit: in addition to those named above, that is.]

 

I'm glad to hear this. I always thought golden monkey was a mess, but haven't tried it in close to 7 or 8 years.

 

Ive been on a Golden Monkey kick lately. It has just enough phenolic quality and balanced sweetness to satisfy my craving, but yes it was definitely much more sweet and out of form way back then. But I drank it anyway cause I was young and just wanted ABV.

Weyerbacher is hard to touch in terms of American made Belgians though. I really wish I saw more of them around my area. They are severely underrated.

 

As an enthusiastic consume of tripels (See username!) , I've found they age just fine if I can keep my hands off of them. I made a tripel a few years ago and, while it was fine, it tasted somewhat "green," I had the last bottle a month ago and it was awesome.

I also would like to suggest any tripel fans to give Dragonmead's Final Absolution a try. You'll have to come to Michigan, granted, but it's in my top 3 with Karmeliet and Fin du Monde

 

Another two you should give a shot is St.bernardus tripel is rock solid!also another one by allagash is barrel & bean that's amazing

 

Gosh I have quite a few that I rated 4 or higher. I must favour the style.

Looks like Tripel Karmeliet is number one for me with Chimay close behind.

 

That's exactly how I remember Golden Monkey going back probably 20 years ago, and I didn't drink many trippels after that. The ones that I've had were much, much better (Merry Monks was one that I remember) but I'm gun shy and I keep expecting that syrupy dud to show up again. If I see Golden Monkey anywhere again I'll give it a try.

 

What a fantastic idea for a post! Loved the way you stepped us through it. Not narcissistic in the least. I tip my cap to you - well done! Might have to do a similar exercise myself sometime. Not sure I could write it up as eloquently as you though! I especially love that you did it with tripel, one of my favorite styles too.

 

Jason, I would recommend that you give the 'new' Golden Monkey a try. I too thought that the Golden Monkey of 7-8 years ago (and older) was a mess.

Cheers!

 

I would recommend it.

And if you see some Merry Monks go for that beer!!

Cheers!

 

I will give a single a shot. Tripel K has always been my favorite because of its dry nature. A poorly attenuated tripel is as awful as it gets. Ranks up there with diacetyl in an ipa.

 

That's a big pet peeve of mine and every time I judge tripels (and other big Belgians) in a homebrew or commercial competition under attenuation is perhaps the most common problem. Under attenuation is a common problem for many commercial American tripels I've picked up for leisure that matter

 

It's really easy to dry one out. No excuse for syrupy home brew.

 

Jack, have you had New Trail’s Tripel? I don’t think it’s in their regular lineup, but it’s a good one.

 

I routinely try blind side by sides. Whenever I do so, I don't judge beers based on someone's style definition, I judge them on my enjoyment level and slightly factor in what I'd want from a "style." Whenever I've done Tripels, my big surprises were consistently: A) how I liked Golden Monkey and La Fin Du Monde much more than expected, B) how I liked Tripel Karmeliet much less than expected.

Speaking of Tripel Karmeliet, I'm going to venture a guess that unlike Goose Island (for example) most people here forget that it's an AB InBev product (but I'm not making any quality claims by pointing that out... I'm just pointing it out).

The Belgian Tripel that I enjoy drinking the most is possibly Corsendonk.

Do you have a source for that info? I am under the impression that although the St Bernardus Tripel came into being after the split from Westvleteren in 1992, it uses the standard St Bernardus yeast - which was the Westvleteren yeast from the 40s. This isn't what Westvleteren uses today though. Westvleteren now uses a Westmalle derived yeast.

Westmalle Tripel is consistently mentioned as a beer that Americans are shocked to discover how hoppy it is when had on its own turf. When I was fortunate enough to drink in Belgium once, I tried the Tripel and didn't particularly notice this... but I also wasn't looking for it, AND my drinking pattern while there was absolutely focused on overindulgence rather than precision. Going back to US soil - If I remember correctly, I think I've only had one Belgian "Tripel" where the age could be measured in many years. As expected, that particular beer was too damaged for me to drink.

 

Great thread. Thanks.

This is a very underrated beer and a brewery that has been making great beer for a long time. Thanks for reminding me of it. It has been years since I’ve had one.