Tripel Tasting - March 25-27, 2022 - Planning Thread

I didn't know that Rochefort Triple finally made it to US shores. Good to know.

You can get 750s in the US but it isn't common as far as I've seen.

You'll get totally different takes on this and it's not like there's a wrong or right. I'm more of a grouper than a splitter, so to me it's just a different label for usually the same kind of beer despite any tendencies that might distinguish them for other people.

But to give you a more pedantic take, I don't personally think of "Belgian strong pale ale" as a beer style. To me that sounds like a UK/Belgian beer mashup, and I don't know where it comes from. Some people like "golden ale" since Duvel uses it frequently in English (among other labels), but I'm a fan of strong blond (which Duvel uses as well). To me, that seems to be the most common way Belgians refer to such beers... and it makes sense to me. I think of golden tripels and Duvel clones as all "strong blonds" as a broad category... and the term "tripel" reserved for beers trying to be associated with "traditional" naming conventions.

 

Thanks. They are the brewery closest to my house, and I planned on getting their regular Tripel, which is also available. It was the one local I was aware of. Perhaps I'll get the Hibiscus one as well down the line if the regular version is solid.

@MNAle - In case you are interested, Une Annee started off as a Wild / Belgian producer, but it didn't sell great. They created Hubbard's Cave, in part to avoid creating new beers with their distributor (they were able to get out of the OG contract), made haze and uber sweet pastry stouts under that label, and really took off.

I'll probably go with La Fin du Monde on Friday, and Une Annee & Chimay Cinq for my new to me weekend selections, as all three are singles available at Beer on the Wall. May also try to get Rochefort, I love their other offerings.

 

Yeah, I was just using the style name here on BA .

Off the top of my head I can only think of one Belgian beer that uses "Pale" instead of "Blond(e)" or "Golden" on their label, but I'm sure there might be others

 

Yeah, I never thought it was the best choice.

 

I should add that if someone here feels that a golden tripel is a distinctive thing compared to other strong blonds, it would be great if they added their take here for the sake of having other perspectives. It would enrich the tasting thread.

 

Well if the BA style names are ever synched with Untappd's (something discussed in the Style Council forum as an option, but ultimately @Todd decided to hold off on), they use "Belgian Strong Golden Ale", the same as BJCP does.

 

I did just that in post #6. I am of the opinion that a Tripel is distinct from the Belgian Golden Strong Ale style (or call it Belgian Strong Blonde if you prefer).

Cheers!

 

@JackHorzempa 's post above spells out what BJCP claims are the differences - but seem fairly minor considering the variation you get between the various commercial examples they give for each.

 

I also have bottles of Duvel and Delirium Tremens in the fridge, so some side-by-side may be in order. Although the number of beers I have for a 3 day weekend thread is starting to pile up fairly high.

 

Yeah... my shopping is is already longer than the 3-day weekend. At least I'm trying to stay with the 11.2-12 oz size...

 

That would be great, but the limitations of it are also clear. Do the differences between Duvel and Westmalle reveal the differences between two different styles or two different beers? It's inherently more of the latter. A different tripel might be more like Duvel and vice versa. And that's ignoring that Westmalle has called their tripel a strong blonde.

 

Yeah, agreed. But might be interesting, particularly if blind.

 

Ooh, excellent timing. I have only just started drinking Belgian beers. This will be a great weekend to compare Allagash Tripel and Curieux.

 

A side-by-side tasting?

Cheers!

 

Hellllllll NO!

 

Not sure who the importer is, but I have seen it in the 750ML format in the Long Island area, but its not something that is readily available. When I saw it on shelves, I was like "Oh Shit!" And I jumped at the chance to try it. One of the best Tripels I've ever had.

 

While I have not personally seen the Rochefort Tripel on shelves, I am eager to read people's reviews on that one.

 

Me neither.

I just visited the importer's website (Merchant Du Vin) and the beer finder came back:

"No Results Found

Looks like no nearby locations match your search."

No Rochefort for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheers!