Belgian Tripels – what makes them so special and so drinkable – a story and overview

A lot is said about the origins of both the beer and the name. Indeed, quite a few theories are ventured.  Under all, the beer and the name indicate strength, either by reference to a series of marks such as crosses on a cask (X for the weakest strength, XX for medium strength, and XXX for the strongest beer, like shown in the Hägar the Horrible comics), to three time the grains in the mash, to triple yeast strains, etc. or by reference to the original gravity of a beer. None of that holds the truth though. 

Starting from some elements Michael Jackson wrote, I have worked as a detective to unearth what I consider to be the truth. 

Michael’s stories associate the origins of the strong ale with Hendrik Verlinden. In 1916 Hendrik had written a standard book about yeast, and thus had become a consultant for a number of breweries, next to running his own brewery “De Drie Linden” (Three Lindens) brewery. His consultant job also included Westmalle from 1925 onwards. The strong “dark” beer Hendrik produced in his brewery from 4/10/1929 received the name Witkap Pater (= White Cap Monk), inspired by the Westmalle monks dress. 

Whenever there was a problem at the Westmalle brewery Hendrik was called to help out. And it seems he returned favor by helping the monks to develop a new recipe, most probably with his own yeast. Indeed, in 1934 Westmalle released a beer under the name Superbier, which seems to have been similar in strength to what Verlinden was brewing with his Witkap Pater (now known as Witkap Tripel, produced by the Slaghmuylder Brewery). It was (not fully confirmed) a strong blonde ale and was very likely a twist on the blonde strong beer the monks had been brewing sporadically since 1931. 

The recipe was regularly adapted, also because of the war years with scarcity in ingredients. At one point (unclear when, but probably quite quickly after the launch in 1934), the term “Triple” was introduced to emphasize the fact that the beer was stronger than the “Dubbel”. It was a marketing ploy of sorts, as throughout the ages all brewers in Belgium used the term “dubbel” to point at their stronger beer(s). 

In 1956, when the recipe was tweaked by introducing the delicate hoppiness (meaning adding more hops), they renamed it “Tripel”. 

The story is similar to Quadrupel, which is a beer, launched in 1991 by the La Trappe Trappist brewery in Koningshoeven. They were aiming for a beer with a higher alcohol level than the Tripel. They succeeded (now it is 10 % BV), and hence called it Quadrupel, so as to stand out via emphasizing the alcohol strength. In history, no other brewery had ever used that term. 

Now that we know where the beer style and term come from, what does it mean today ? 

In trying to combine three important sources that beer lovers contemplate, i.e. ratebeer (overall category : Abbey Tripel), Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) (Trappist Tripel)  and Brewers Association (BA) (Belgian-Style Tripel), I came up with the following description, independent of the overall categorization (see brackets above). 

• Overall Impression: A pale, somewhat spicy, dry, strong ale with a pleasant rounded malt flavor and firm bitterness. Quite aromatic, with spicy, fruity, and light alcohol notes combining with the supportive clean malt character to produce a surprisingly drinkable beverage considering the high alcohol level. 

• Aroma: Complex bouquet with moderate to significant spiciness, moderate fruity esters and low alcohol and hop aromas. Generous spicy, peppery, sometimes clove-like phenols. Esters are often reminiscent of citrus fruits such as oranges, but may sometimes have a slight banana character. Alcohols are soft, spicy and low in intensity. The malt character is light, with a soft, slightly grainy-sweet or slightly honey-like impression. 

• Appearance: Pale to light amber in color. Good clarity, but chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures, and bottle conditioning may exhibit slight yeast haze. Effervescent. Long-lasting, creamy, rocky, white head resulting in characteristic Belgian lace on the glass as it fades.

• Flavor: Marriage of spicy, fruity and alcohol flavors supported by a soft, rounded grainy-sweet malt impression, occasionally with a very light honey note. Low to moderate phenols are peppery in character. Esters are reminiscent of citrus fruit such as orange or sometimes lemon, and are low to moderate. A low to moderate spicy hop character is usually found. Alcohols are soft, spicy, and low in intensity. Bitterness is typically medium to high from a combination of hop bitterness and yeast produced phenolics. Substantial carbonation and bitterness lends a dry finish with a moderately bitter aftertaste with substantial spicy-fruity yeast character. The grainy-sweet malt flavor does not imply any residual sweetness. 

• Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body. Highly carbonated. The alcohol content is deceptive, and has little to no obvious warming sensation. 

• Comments: High in alcohol but does not taste strongly of alcohol. High carbonation and attenuation helps to bring out the many flavors and to increase the perception of a dry finish. The best versions have at least 30 IBUs and are very dry. Traditionally bottle-conditioned. 

• Characteristic Ingredients: Use of pale sugar adjuncts, and Belgian yeast strains – those that produce fruity esters, spicy phenolics and higher alcohols. Spice additions are generally not traditional, however are not uncommon. 

• Vital Statistics: IBUs: 20 – 45  ; SRM: 4 – 7 ; ABV: 7.5 – 10 % 

This is quite a long description, and may not be easy to use in practice for checking whether a tripel is a great one, and according to style. Hence, I made a summary via listing a few main characteristics : 

• Fairly pronounced yeast presence, especially in aroma 

• Top fermentation and refermentation in bottle or keg 

• Use of sugar to achieve a medium-light to medium body and high drinkability

• Very well carbonated 

• Great balance between sweet and bitter, but with a dry finish

• Subdued alcohol warmth, even though the drink should have 8 to 10 % ABV

• Giving you thirst for more, while at the same time being deceptive

Those characteristic shine in quite a few Belgian tripels. Herewith a few great examples that I love drinking myself: 

• Westmalle Tripel (9.5 % ABV) : the benchmark, the world example. Simply, the very best. Only available in bottle. 

• De Ranke Guldenberg Tripel  (8 % ABV) : the first beer of this innovative brewery that dared step in Westmalle’s footsteps. Also available on draft.  

• Le Fort Tripel  (8.8 % ABV) : the original recipe was adapted and the beer is now less sweet. This tripel is also available on draft and is winning all major competitions recently. 

• St Feuillien Tripel/Triple (8.5 % ABV) : a good example of a spicy tripel, even though some consider the spiciness to be overwhelming. The brewery is rather secretive about what they are, but older reference books state gale, mint, thyme, laurel. Bottle and keg. 

The versions of those beers that are available in bottle and keg will differ slightly, given that the refermentation will be more intense in the bottle than in the keg, due to the addition of more sugar. It is worth trying the same beer from bottle and keg, shoulder to shoulder.  However, always use the correct glass, as proposed by the brewery. 

Now that you know what I like, I want to give you two “Tripel” stories, as “food/drink” for thought.

Ratebeer shows Tripel Karmeliet is in their Top 3 of best tripels. There is a clear “coincidence” as ratebeer is owned for 25 % by AB InBev and Bosteels, brewer of Tripel Karmeliet is owned for 100 % by AB InBev. So, don’ believe that hype, especially when you know that Tripel Karmeliet was a traveling brand for ages, having been brewed in a lot of different Belgian breweries who had excess capacity.  

If you come to Belgium and go to the local supermarket to buy beer, beware of Piedboeuf Tripel. Actually, this beer is a not a real tripel as described here, but it is a “strong” bottom fermented table beer at 3.8 % ABV, with plenty corn and coloring and a quite sweet taste. Do not touch, go for the real stuff. 

Triple cheers. Enjoy beer.