What is a Belgian Tripel?

A Belgian Tripel is a style of beer that is known for its strong, complex flavors and high alcohol content. It is typically golden to amber in color and has a dry, spicy character with notes of fruit and citrus.

Tripels are made with pale malts and are generally brewed using a traditional Belgian yeast strain. They are often bottle-conditioned, which means that they undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle, resulting in a carbonation level that is typically higher than other styles of beer.

Tripels are named for their original gravity, which is typically higher than other styles of Belgian ale. The style originated at the Westmalle brewery in the 1930s and has since spread from the monasteries of Belgium to craft breweries around the world.

Tripels are often enjoyed as a sipping beer, and they are well-suited to pairing with a variety of foods, including seafood, poultry, and cheese.

  • A pale, somewhat spicy, dry, strong Trappist 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.

  • Deep yellow to deep gold in color. Good clarity. Effervescent. Long-lasting, creamy, rocky, white head resulting in characteristic Belgian lace on the glass as it fades.

  • 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. A low yet distinctive spicy, floral, sometimes perfumy hop character is usually found. Alcohols are soft, spicy and low in intensity. The malt character is light, with a soft, slightly grainy-sweet or slightly honey-like impression. The best examples have a seamless, harmonious interplay between the yeast character, hops, malt, and alcohol.

  • 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.

  • Medium-light to medium body, although lighter than the substantial gravity would suggest. Highly carbonated. The alcohol content is deceptive and has little to no obvious warming sensation. Always effervescent.

  • High in alcohol but does not taste strongly of alcohol. The best examples are sneaky, not obvious. High carbonation and attenuation helps to bring out the many flavors and to increase the perception of a dry finish. Most Trappist versions have at least 30 IBUs and are very dry. Traditionally bottle-conditioned (or refermented in the bottle).

  • The exact origin of Tripel as a beer style is deeply debated. Some say that the name “Tripel” refers to original recipes using three times more malt than a typical beer, while others claim that the earliest beers of this style involved three separate fermentations. Most likely, however, the name relates to casks being marked “X,” “XX,” or “XXX” in reference to their strength, with the strongest beers eventually becoming known as “Tripels.” Whatever the origin of the name may be, there is no debate that this style has its roots in the Catholic monasteries of Belgium. The style as we know it today was first popularized in the 1930s by the Trappist monastery at Westmalle. Tripels had previously been dark beers, much like their counterpart in the Belgian Dubbel. However, in 1934 Westmalle brewed a pale coloured ale in reaction to the lighter-hued beers such as Pilsners and Pale Ales that were beginning to gain favour amongst beer drinkers. The recipe for Westmalle’s pale ale was modified in 1956 by head brewer Brother Thomas and was officially categorized at this time as a “Tripel.”

  • Pilsner malt, typically with pale sugar adjuncts. Saazer-type hops or Styrian Goldings are commonly used. Belgian yeast strains are used – those that produce fruity esters, spicy phenolics and higher alcohols – often aided by slightly warmer fermentation temperatures. Spice additions are generally not traditional, and if used, should be a background character only. Fairly soft water.

  • May resemble a Belgian Golden Strong Ale but slightly darker and somewhat fuller-bodied, with more emphasis on phenolics and less on esters. Usually has a more rounded malt flavor but should never be sweet.

  • IBU: 20 - 40

    SRM: 4.5 - 7

    OG: 1.075 - 1.085

    FG: 1.008 - 1.014

    ABV: 7.5% - 9.5%

  • Affligem Tripel, Chimay Cinq Cents (White), La Rulles Tripel, La Trappe Tripel, St. Bernardus Tripel, Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Val-Dieu Triple, Watou Tripel, Westmalle Tripel.