Beer expert blind tastes 16 Belgian Tripels | The Craft Beer Channel
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Jonny's given his body to science once again as he blind taste tests 16 examples of Belgium's flagship beer style, the Tripel! We've got some of the originals, as well as some modern pretenders. Which will come top, and which classic will he tear apart? The answer to neither is Westmalle Tripel...
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I love a good Belgian triple, the Westmalle, the Tripel Karmeliet and the Straffe Hendrik Tripel are my favourite beers in this style.
Karmeliet deserves better ranking buddy
St. Bernardus is just pure quality from top to bottom. Their beers are usually not the absolute best in class, but all of their stuff is right there near the top of the list on all of their expressions. I especially love the Abt. 12. Combine their quality with the ease of availability (you can get St. Bernardus everywhere) and you can never go wrong with them.
I'm a huge fan of the 12 too. Fun fact: they used to make the beer for Westvleteren, and it's damn close.
@@ismiregalichkochdasjetztso3232it isn't that close anymore..the abt12 taste more like the old style westvleteren.. fresh abt12 > fresh westvleteren all day. Btw, they have a abt12nitro now @ the brewery thats just even more faboulus
I love the Abt 12 too but I found out that it's inconsistent. For some reason I found it to be more sweet and other times more bitter.
Costs $8/12oz bottle here, gotta be the most expensive beer I've ever seen.
@@lars2894 Normally cost 1,8 in Belgium. Westvleteren 12 is one of the most expensive beers.
Of all tripels that I have had, which isn't that many, I think La Fin du Monde is my favorite.
You are very clear her not to age triples what is your thoughts on aging quads?
Much more likely to pan put nicely. The ageing flavours of sherry, orange etc work much better in dark ale.
Kasteel for me all day
As a belgian, I disagree completely with your ratings. I'm a Westmalle lover but for me Rochefort is the best. Karmeliet should be at the bottom ( too much sugar). Achel is just a no-go. St Feuillien is very good but still far from Westmalle. Jambe de bois is nice but doesn't even compete in the same category than the trappists. You are an "expert" and I'm not. But I am from Belgium. I know those villages like Rochefort or Westmalle. I know when we drink those beers and for what purpose. I think your mistake is that you take them out of context. Westmalle is my "daily beer", while Jambe de bois will be my "party beer". But if I want to please my foreign friends I give them a Rochefort. You are an "expert" and I'm not. But I know that St Bernardus is for sunday afternoon and Jambe de bois for saturday night. That simple.
To be fair, this isn't a mistake - the very point of the blind taste tests is to evaluate beer without the context that might affect how we perceive them. Having travelled to Belgium 20 or 30 times in my life, and even worked for a Belgian beer importer for 6 years, I'd have 100% put Kasteel near the bottom, but without any other context I didn't. Not saying I'm right, or indeed wrong, just that with as little influence as possible, it seems my perceptions weren't entirely faithful.
Ok it's on 4 seconds, i've pressed pause and i'm going to say Tripel Karmeliet will be the best
Tripel karmeliet got shafted on this one, definitely one of my more memorable beers I’ve ever had for good reasons
Triple Karmeliet is owned by inbev now so it doesn't really work if you want to avoid to most mass market ones.
@@philippenachtergal6077 Doesn't matter if it's mass market it's still incredible.
Please don’t do 16 that’s gonna be even stronger generally speaking do ten at most
The cilantro ruins this beer for me. Weird this wasn't picked up by the host of the video by the way. To people that recognize cilantro easily (and hate it) like me, this is the only thing you taste.
It is also one of my favorite beers in the world. For triples, it's even my second favorite after Tripel D'Anvers. But somehow I just can't enjoy it when it comes from a bottle. So I don't know what they do there, but they just completely mess up the beer in the bottling process.
Jonny next time you should do a blind taste test of the Belgian Quadrupels, I’m very curious to see what the result will be.
Oh God, I don’t think he can handle that just imagine what he will be like if he was this after triples
This really needed the Tripel De Garre in there.
because it is so bad?
St bernardus is a worldclass brewery, with one of the best christmas beer, quad, AND triple !
They've basically won both the blind tests they've been in. Hoping to make a film with them this summer!
I buy the Christmas beer anytime I see it.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel They have a new visitor's centre with a very nice rooftop "Bar Bernard". Views are great as it is in one of the most beautiful regions in Flanders. In that area, I'd also bookmark "Auberge du vert mont" and "De Nachtegaal" for an overnight's stay.
Such an underrated style in the craft beer community, together with a lot of dubble, the quad and the belgian blonde. I know that like with all the great traditional beers - it is harder to beat the classics but i'd still rather drink a nice balanced dubble or tripel over all the pastry nonsense coming out.
And since the good ones seem to taste of vanilla it would be an easily switch!
It once wasn’t, but sadly that’s the case now. It was pretty standard fare to have at least one on tap at breweries.
The Belgian Quad is my favorite style, but I love the prevalence of pastry “nonsense”.
I watched this alongside looking at how I rated all my tripels on untappd. Seems I had the same top 4 / 5 - with the exception of Marsedous Tripel (which you didn’t test) in mine.
This is probably my favourite beer style in the world.
Not sure how you didn’t end up going arse over tit out of your brew shed after all of those though! 😂
Who's to say I didn't? I just edited it out.
Great stuff, can’t wait for the imperial stout tasting for a proper test of stamina. Do the beers end up down the sink or is Brad in the garden finishing them off?
As good as these Belgian classics are, I’ve definitely tasted variation between bottles at different times, some I’m curious what the result would have been on a different day
temperature is a big deal with these things. And you actually should drink a belgian beer from the glass the brewery makes especially for the beer you are drinking.
Well, most of the big names...everybody knows which I mean, right! Did had to adapt their output to the global demand and invested in larger equipment to produce more hectoliter per day/year and eventually needed to adapt the recipe to the new tech they installed. The brewers did struggle to find the perfect balance and eventually did. This is what you've tasted, the transition...
“Proost” is more Dutch (The Netherlands) in Belgium it goes between “Santé” or “Schol” both are used
This
Why would the Belgians say "Santé", which is in French, if the vast majority of them speak Dutch?
Are you serious!? Belgium has 3 official languages and even indeed the majority is Flemish we have a lot of borrowed words from French
@@polartist Ah, I was thinking about Switzerland :) Cheers! P.S. it says that 59% speak Dutch and 40% French, pretty close
So sorry your Fin Du Monde was dead. I love that beer, drink it all the time and was looking forward to see how it fares against the top belgian tripels. Great vid nevertheless!! Cheers 🍻!
How to get bashed quickly:
PROOF of how to get bashed quickly
Val Dieu’s Tripel needed to be in this tasting. Plus, I’ve had Unibroue’s La Fin du Monde as old as 7 years showing great complexity. Also De Glazen Toren’s Ondineke Tripel would have been great!
Straffe Hendrik would have been my pick from that bunch. I remember thinking Bersalis Tripel by Oud Beersel was a banger too.
I like Straffe Hendrik too, great beer.
As a Belgian, I must admit I never had the Kasteel tripple before. Will definitely try it next weekend!
Thanks for the best beer tasting video on the web!
Three Swedes came into the bar. Buddy was having the tripel, I was having the dark Kasteelbier. The Swedes also wanted one. I told them "maybe you want to try something a little bit less enthusiastic." Oh no, no no, they're Swedes they can handle their beer. 2 light ones, one dark one. "Oep ui muilke, moat!"
They each had a sip and left the glass standing. It was WAY beyond their experience.
Pro tip: don't start with the highest % beers first. When you have something lower after that it'll drown out the taste.
Belgian Trippel is my favorite beer! 😄
Was mine initially too still great style really starting to fall back into it again but my style is quads natural progression though
Had to rush down to Lidl and pick up the 6 pack mix of Bornem dubbel, Bornem triple, Gulden Draak, Gulden Draak 9000 Quad, Piraat and Piraat Tripel hop just to get on sort of the same page 😅
la find du monde! i’m from montreal and me and my buddies got a pack of beers from unibroue with this beer in it, we’re teenagers so we hated it but of course all the beers were all high alcohol percentage so we got really drunk (that was the point). i’m going to have to give that one another try tho, i can’t remember if that was the one we liked or not.
Good to see Kasteel doing well. They have so many great beers and some pretty bad ones too. Straffe is just amazing. Kinda surprised to see La Guillotine there - it is more a Belgian Strong than a Tripel. Also kinda surprised to see you missing La Trappe, Gouden Carolus, Maredsous, Lefort and Zundert. All pretty classic tripels. A really underrated one that I would have loved to see you try is Leffe's tripel - surprisingly it is pretty good. This is such an interesting style - not many breweries outside of Belgium or probably Netherlands end up hitting the right notes for the style - they either end up making them like weiss beer or like a new england lemony/hazy beer.
La Trappe is not a Belgian beer.
Missed opportunity to review De Garre! it's a big at 11-12%, but I think that ranks among the elite of Tripels, though I am aware it is a challenge to track down, but adds to the mystique of the bar in Bruges. Great video, time to track down some Kasteel!
Absolutely agree! De Garre is for me the best tripel out there, by far. 11% ABV hidden in elegant interplay of clove, banana and solid malt backbone that make it surprisingly drinkable and, in my opinion, give it this structured edge over all the other tripels out there.
When I was in Belgium I really tried to find it but couldn't. From what I remember it is the highest rated Belgium tripel.
@@nopenopenein8243 its down a really small alley just before you reach the blood chapel, can't remember what the square is called
Great video! I’m Irish living in Belgium, so will defo check out the Kasteel. Glad to see the two St-Feuillien beers so prominent as they have a fantastic range of beers. Also, I live beside the brewery and it’s named after a 7th-century Irish saint called Faolán, so I am in Heaven here. They even hold an Irish festival in the brewery called the Faolán Irish Fest. Drop by for a tour the next time you’re over
And where is this brewery, my friend?
@@DmytroShashenko It is in a place called Le Roeulx. They've been at it since 1152, we have high hopes for them that they'll get the hang of it in the not too distant future. Having said that it's not a bad time to try St. Feuillien because it really is quite spectacular.
Just missing some Allagash!
Interesting! Like you, I would have skipped Kasteel's Tripel for another make. I'll have to try it again. These blind tests are amazing! Please keep doing them.
My local doesn't have many belgian options but the two St Feuillien's. It's always my go to beer to share when bringing friend's who've never tried anything but macro lager. They always love it, glad to know it ranked well!
Speaking as a Canadian, I was literally chatting about the Fin Du Monde the other day with Kyle from Toronto Brewing. He's been trying to replicate it, as he thinks the recipe went downhill about a decade ago. In Ontario, you can really only get that periodically, and it's in a mixed twelve pack in 341ml screw top bottles with a decorative foil sleeve that keeps the cap on during refermentation. It's not currently up to scratch, and that oxidative character is probably a hallmark of that beer at this point.
There's some properly funky beers being made in Canada and Ontario just now. The world needs to know about our craft beers more!
Ah that's a real shame. I've heard so many good things about Fin Du Monde. One day we'll make it over and explore the scene.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel always welcome on these shores for proper beer and poutine!
For Belgian-style beers, check out the Napanee Beer Company. Geordan's Belgian Dubbel is fantastic even though it was EXPENSIVE.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel interestingly, Montréal (where I live) and is only about 20 minutes from Chambly (where Fin is made) is very into the NEIPA.
Unibroue is pretty unique as a brewery in Canada. I used to drink a lot of Fin in Halifax, Nova Scotia (another good beer city in Canada, probably the best imo, definitely the most underrated, but I’m from Halifax and wear my bias on my sleeve) and it’s surprisingly good from a Keg. But you can get it around every corner in Montréal, but the quality is hit-or-miss, as most corner stores do not store their beer with care. I find tue best Fin I’ve had comes from the Keg, and from what I remember it’s much spicier than in the corked bottle (where, in my experience, it’s much less flavourful).
I'm sure you'll hear of the many tripels you missed. Let me throw Carolus Tripel into the mix. It is my local tipple and didn't quite determine my decision to live here but certainly helped.
Tasted it last week for the first time in years and loved it. Very fruits.
La fin du monde is my favorite tripel and tripels are my favorite beers besides saisons! I've had some hit or miss la fin bottlings that have challenged my love but when I get a good one there is nothing better, well i'd say the only thing that i'd say is missing for it to be the perfect beer is drinkability, and by that I mean that its alcohol content can sometimes get in the way of making a particularly "refreshing" beer. Thanks for the video I think i've tried about half the beers presented and am very excited to try Kasteel!
15:28 you are not far off its struktuur in dutch/flemish 😂😂
most belgian beers have been brewed over centuries and centuries not in the 19th century.
I'm afraid that's simply not the case. Most Belgian breweries were founded long after the 19th century - and even those that were around longer than that will have changed their brands and recipes because of consumer taste changes and the incredible technological improvements in breweries from around 1830 to 1880 including refridgeration, isolated yeasts, pasteurisation. I'd be surprised if there are more than a handful of Belgian beers still brewed to original recipes or even close these days. Don't believe the brewery marketing lines!
The term "tripel" dates back to medieval times. Our abbey's used to make 3 different strengths of beer and the barrels were marked with X's to mark which beer was them. Tripel is Flemish for triple, so the barrels with 3 X's. That's why tripel is usually stronger than the same brewery's double. Westmalle dubbel (double) is 7% while their tripel is 9,5% for instance. I'm betting that's one of the reasons monks used to take a vow of silence. They all had huge headaches from the hangovers. As someone who chipped in for the crowd funding of De Halve Maan's 3.3 kilometer beer pipeline, I'm glad to see Straffe Hendrik from my home town of Bruges hit the top 3. 👍 But 'Proost' is the Dutch, we Belgians usually say 'Santé' 😁
I've dug into this story a few times and it's hard to know for sure that it's true. Tripel was first used as a term by Westmalle in 1956, for a beer they had been brewing for nearly 20 years, and there's no hard evidence that abbeys ever used X as a designation until very recently. So.... it's definitely a theory, and a credible one, but not necessarily true. Lots of info here: zythophile.co.uk/2008/02/28/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-x/
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Oh, then you should definately come check out our town archives here in Bruges. We still have the original list of items, goods and lifestock Pieter de Coninck payed for to sustain the rag tag army they went to Kortrijk with to beat up the French Royal army at the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. It included, I think 26, barrels of XX beer. So beer barrels were definately marked in those days. I think it was 26 barrels but I can only remember one number from the list because it was so funny and that was the last line "ende twee konijnen" And two rabbits. 🤣
i think the difference there was who brewed it, the golden ale is made by commercial/^private breweries and trappist is brewed by a certain kind of monk
As a Dutchman I have a lot of respect for the Belgian beers. However you're correct that Kasteel has somewhat of a trashy reputation here. Often used to get drunk on quickly of pouring Kasteel Rouge for the ladies who sont like the other styles. Time to reevaluate!
The thing about Belgian beers, I find, is that it's quite important to drink them "in order". Now, that contradicts the premise of blind tasting but you dont necessarily get the real taste of a beer in the way you've done it if you are bouncing between, say, very robust Belgian beers with strong flavours - banana, vanilla, bread etc then you hit a Westmalle Tripel and the natural inclination would be to be slightly underwhelmed or jarred by the crispness. Whereas the other way round, you can savour the Wetmalle then appreciate the fuller tipel, e.g Karmaliet or Kasteel after it. That said, I think you're right in the centre of the ballpark (mixed metaphor there), Straffe Hendrik - what a beer. I just wish Westmalle Tripel had made 24 because its a thing of beauty. I can't put my finger on it, I've had many (too many) belgian beers over time but some beers stand out in the right conditions as being consistent (Straffe Hendrik) but some produce beautifual moments - Westmalle Tripel and of all things, Duvel! Duvel, with the right bottle at the right temp. in the right mood, with a tight, super smooth head is unbeatable. 1 out of 10 Duvels, may be 1 out of 20 is like this but when it is...
Must try the Kasteel Tripel though, never had it.
Give the La Fin du Monde another try from a fresher bottle. La Fin du Monde is near the top on my list.
Kind of hard to imagine sitting for 25 minutes watching another guy drink beer, however I enjoyed viewing.
The BEST beer in the world made in Belgium !
Delicious 😊 after 16 tripples you might go off as well, no pun intended 😂.
Anyway, great to learn that the commercial brewers get it spot on occasionally 😊
For me personally, Ill buy a crate or 2 of kasteel triple, why not... 11°abv, vanilla at the front and the bach end. Lovely times we live in 🎉cheers 🍻
As a Midwest American, you've opened up my beer opinions almost every time you do a tasting, but when it's a type of beer you absolutely love, we can tell. This type is added to the list!
Any plan to include La Trappe in any of these tastings? A brewery with a very interesting history, and offer some great beers including their Tripel, but especially their Quadrupel which is stunning.
Agreed with the La Trappe quad. My favourite of the Trappist quads. Even blind taste tested alongside Chimay, Rochefort and Westvleteren to convince myself.
La Trappe is a good beer but is not Belgian.
Great review, thank you. On a recent trip to Belgium my wife bought me a bottle of the Kasteel Tripel, I didn't drink it till I came home to the UK. I wish I'd have brought more than a single bottle back. Converted, its Beautiful...Cheers
1:30 that's the best pronunciation I ever heard a native English speaker say "Duvel".
Should should definitely try "Brugge Tripel" and "Gouden Carolus Tripel".
My favourite tripel is definitely the Tripel Karmeliet.
Of all of the Belgian Tripels it's the least "offensive". By which I mean, it goes with everything (with a meal, at a bar, at a BBQ,...) and most people like it.
Live in Belgium (but British) here, I'm surprised Kasteel did so well because, like you, I considered their beers (specifically the Rouge) the classy choice here for people who don't really like beer. Will have to try it, not sure I've ever actually had it. It's a shame you didn't have my personal favourite (Tripel Lefort) here, would have been curious how it fared. Also Tripel d'Anvers, it's got an interesting, slightly different, character, people from Antwerp swear by it (as they do most things from Antwerp). It's also interesting how badly Tripel Karmeliet did, I'd consider that the 'classic' tripel choice, definitely the most popular where I live, but maybe I'm amongst too much of a student crowd - it's definitely on the easier to drink end of the spectrum. Strongly looking forward to/suggesting a Saison tasting next time you cover a Belgian style ;)
It's clear that Karmeliet got literally destroyed after it being taken over by AB Inbev. It's just not a good a beer anymore. And it's crazy how controversial it always is to say this at loud to fellow countrymen.
indeed Kasteelbier to sweet
we also say "schol" instead of proost
Jambe de Bois is my favourite and it's not even close. Second place I would say Chimay White and third place Guldenberg. Straffe Hendrik & many other tripels are too much banana/sweet
the results may vary depending how long you aged your trippel. in my experience Kasteel and Strafe shines after a year of shelf life. before that time they quite boozy (probably as bottle fermentation goes on). Westmalle is fine at any conditions. that's why it's appreciated more by people and rating systems
My personal favourite tripel is Tongerlo Prior. Not a huge fan of tripels though. I'm more of a dubbel and quadrupel drinker. And when it comes to paler beers, I go for the Belgian Strong Ales, like Duvel.
I've only had five or six of these. It's a shame your La Fin du Monde went belly up on you. It's my go-to tripel. Mainly because I'm cheap. It's significantly less (here in the states) than the other labels. It is brewed just outside of Montreal, and I gotta believe that accounts for a lot of that difference.
Unibroue used to put out a seasonal Black Forest Cake ale that was a great dessert beer. If they still do, please let me know (I know it was a seasonal that they shipped to the States every other year).
I'm lucky. I have a great Belgian bar, complete with feather bowling about a mile away from my house: Cadieux Cafe in the northeast corner of Detroit. They have a few of these on tap!
Chimay is my favorite triple.
La Chouffe is my favorite Belgian strong blonde.
Chimay Blue is my favorite dark beer.
If you want to try something interesting and amazing, try a Sea Change Blonde if you can find it. Made in Edmonton Alberta.
I didn't have the same experience as you with did with Kasteel tripel. For me it has too much alcohol! and I felt every percent of the 11%. I didn't enjoy sipping it because of that.
"What is the Belgian for 'Cheers' ?" Well, there is no 'Belgian' language per se. The linguistic history of Belgium is so rich that it would be complicated to describe it here. To make a long story short, the South of Belgium was for a long time under the influence of France, while the North, more independent, wanted to create its own language. This is how Dutch was created in the 19th century, which quickly became an official language, while in the South, many languages were still spoken but the administrative language remained French. Added to this is a tiny minority in Belgium who speaks German. Instead of imposing the language as was done in other countries, the leaders were for a long time very lax on the languages used, so there are now 3 official languages in Belgium: French, Dutch and German. The local dialects are now only spoken by a handful of people.
Straffe Hendrik was one of my early exposures to Belgians. 1998 honeymoon in Brugge and Brussels. Their brewery tour (in 4 languages) was amazing! Also had a great lunch there of melon and prosciutto.
it a different brewery back then. I think now it is made by 'Halve Maan'
Straffe Hendrik are my absolute favourites.
Your tone changed after the first 8...drunk a bit 😂
Cloves yes, you find that in some tripples but pepper on the back end? Most have that, why didnt you pick up on that? Tripples, for me, are all about the back end. Sweet, fruity, carbonated are a given, right! Focus on the finish and your views after Chimay disappointed me personally because its for sure 1 of the best, if not the best beer in the world 🎉
St Mars of the Desert did a tripel last year which was hands down the nest tripel I've ever had.
Loved your video but judging tripels after 16 is a non sequitur. Straffe Hendrik is a revelation and in Belgium is just the fancier beer by the Brugse Zot brewery so is a huge bargain. You are missing De Garre tripel from Bruges which is pure laughing juice and is defo the best tripel.Kasteel Tripel was in lidl here for 2 years. Their glass also is fancy as hell.Westmalle tripel is accessible and clean as hell but boring.
The spelling for structure was wrong to pass as Flemish ( Belgian Dutch), but pronunciation wise your second attempt was spot on. Next time you are over knock back a couple of triples and you’ll be able to natter on in Flemish.
Amazed by Rochefort Tripel - it has become one of my favourites because it tastes unlike the others and like a Solero to me: creamy texture with vanilla, tropical-fruity vibes. Not sure what went wrong with your bottle :(
Interesting. I've had that beer five or six times and never enjoyed it. I've always found it thin, dry and lacking real yeast character! Palates are interesting things!
To bad about the La Fin Du Mond being so old. Great North American beer. I would have like to see how it measured up again the Belgium's.
I agree with you on Kasteel I always thought their beers were a little bit too sweet, a little bit too boozy, kind of like Bush, but I like them a lot. Proof is in the pudding however, and I'm glad to see it score so well.
Some lovely beers there. One that never makes this list, and it always surprises me, is Triple LeFort. It's absolutely beautiful, but rarely available outside Belgian or France. Would absolutely recommend it if you've never had it.
Indeed, if there's one Tripel having 25 pts scoring potential ... my money would be on LeFort Tripel ...
When I first tasted “La Fin du Monde” 7 years ago, as someone who didn’t really drink beers, I thought it was the best beer in the world. Today As a Québécois, I can proudly say that Unibroue paved the way for all craft brewies in Québec and we probably make the best beer in all the Americas, but of course I’m biased.
Canadian beers are great. American beers are generally poor due to using the imperial system, I guess.
@@aboumawiyah I will agree with you when it comes to non-dark styles except for sours
This is probably nearly impossible to get in the UK but Allagash's Tripel is one of the absolute best.
i drunk westmalle Trapist tripple also westmalle dubbel and Omer plan to try strongest with 12% ABV Bush Caractère
Great exercise and I applaud you not rating an old bottle of La Fin du Monde, but you do need to rate it and Im sure it will be a top tier tripel for you. It’s the best tripel IMHO, but it’s fun to debate and compare notes.
As a Belgian, let me tell you that your ranking is right on point! We could talk about why for hours.
Anna by Vox Populi is a fekking great triple.
As a Belgian I am well within my rights to say I consider it better than any Belgian one.
I’m impressed you didn’t fall over in the video! My god!
If i see you're ranking as a balgium its Almost the same like mine afther a few minutes i did alsmost known for sure wich you gonna like and wich not 😅
This is beer tasting like it should be
Now do this with Quads!
Fond memories of drinking Straffe Hendrik in Bruges. Good times
"Tripel" was created by the monks. The story tells that they used to mark an "X" on the barrel when the beer was "OK", 2 "X" when it was good and 3 "X" when the beer was very good.
Always hated Karmeliet, and LOVE Guldenberg. But I enjoy the hoppy side.
Check our beer video
I'm Belgian and my two favourite tripels are Karmeliet and Kasteel tripel ;)!
This was great. I need to do this someday. Would be super fun. I was surprised when I checked Untappd and saw that I have checked-in 121 different Belgian Tripel beers (not all from Belgium of course). Westmalle and Karmeliet are at the top for me. Then Dulle Teve, Maredsous, De Gare, Ename, Zundert, and Finesse right behind. Followed by St Bernardus, Gouden Carolous, and Sraffe Hendrik.
I have Kasteel rated low. It's been a while since I've had one, so I'll have to revisit it. I am curious how my ratings would change in a blind test. I am sure they would since I have become more serious and educated by studying for Cicerone certification.
lost it at the “fuck it that’ll do.” longering is my new favourite word
My favorite beer style. Complex and yet still easy to drink.
Kasteel is bit overwelming, if you drink more than one bottle.
New Belgium tripel for me here in the US. I prefer over St B. Try to track one down
I'm belgian, great amateur of Duvel and Westmalle triple....never saw somebody shaking a beer like that, it's criminal for me ;-) CO2 makes part of the taste.If you shake my beer , I'will be angry.Another thing, every Belgian beer have its special glass, drinking a Westmalle triple in a water glass is also criminal...ha ha for a Belgian. ;-)
Of course CO2 is vital to the flavour, but I can assure you the people that made your beloved Duvel and Westmalle swirl the beer. This is because the aroma of beer, like all alcoholic drinks, is mostly made up of volatile compounds that when swirled escape the liquid. So we're helping the aroma get out of the liquid and into the headspace of the glass. We don't do it when drinking just for fun, but when analysing beer we want to get the best from it.
On the glassware point, well aware of that, but these glasses are specially chosen taster glasses to again get the best from the beer. If in Belgium, we'd happily use the right glass. More info here: ua-cam.com/video/jwZ4Fmz58So/v-deo.html
I like a good Tripel, but shout out to Double beers. These dark beers are severely underrated
Very interesting comparison, especially the note about not aging Tripels.
I recently found a bottle of the Westmalle and to be honest it wasn't as enjoyable as the Rochfort. Given where I found it though it's actually reasonable to assume that it had been there for 12 months or more.
I love the Kasteel triple too. Thing is, their brown one is gimmicky so it's easy to dismiss the brand. In a different genre, I also like their newer Rubus version (raspberry).
I used to love the Achel, slightly less so now. I'll have to try it again. I wonder if maybe it has changed ?
I love Straffe Hendrik, the Straffe Hendrik Wild is also well worth a try.
We love wild! Even brewed a collab of it for a video a LONG time ago.... ua-cam.com/video/TUAZr8Kgl-M/v-deo.html
It is all in the eye of the beholder. Personal taste, you know.
The beerholder surely!?
Very informative video as always from CBC. I was very happy with the result. Checking my Untappd check-ins as you were drinking each beer and of all the ones I’ve tried, Kasteel was my highest rated beer. Looks like I do know something!! Cheers.
Kasteel beer is often judged lower because of their below average bottle..
Found a case of Kasteel Triple that was 15 years old. All 75cls and all were brilliant to drink. Powerful beer
Surprising result: the more you drank the lower the score went :)
a Lager or Pils has nothing to do with a Triple, it's a totally different product. The lingering banana taste is typically the sort of yeast (like in Bavaria: Weizen beer) that is used.
You misunderstanding my point. They do indeed have very little in common - invented 100 years apart, in different parts of Europe, different family of yeast etc. But the story told historically - in quite a few books and by a few historians - is that the monks of Westmalle wanted to make a blond ale because blond beers like pilsner were proving popular around Europe. So yes, pils and tripels have nothing in common, but one inspired the brewers of the other
What do you think of New Belgium Trippel?
I didn’t think that English speakers butchered « La fin du monde »’s pronunciation so badly ^^
We butcher all languages and accents. You're welcome.
Unibroue was once the top of the craft scene in Canada, like 15 years ago, I haven't seen a corked bottle of it in ages.
Here in the Detroit area, virtually every store has stopped carrying the bomber sizes (22 oz and 750 ml).
It's all 12 or 11.2 ounces now. Occasional pints, but not among Belgians.
I asked my beer guy why, and he told me, "It's simple. My distributors don't sell enough of those bottles."
Poor La Fin du Monde. I love that beer so much and I think you should give it another chance! It’s a great example of this style and one of the best outside of Belgium. Cheers from Canada, excellent video.
Absolutely will! Totally realised this bad bottle was my fault not the brewery's
Me too, a big fan of LFDM and disappointed that his bottle was past its prime…
Are you flipping me off🖕00:01 (just kidding)
I really like that you cleared the table and went through all the beers that scored 24, but I wish you could have included the 23's also... I would have enjoyed stacking up Westmalle with this smaller group and hearing your notes, but an excellent job, definitely will be trying Kasteel again because of this.
Will you still finish your Trappist series?
I'll be doing that myself again soon, so many I should live stream it. Still can't believe the result. Oh, and yep Trappist series still in the works. Orval goes live in a few weeks.