Belgian strong golden ales — pale, deceptively smooth, and heavy on spice and fruit esters from Belgian yeast. Typically 7.5–9.5% ABV with low bitterness despite their strength. Named for the three-times-strength tradition at Westmalle abbey.
In the glass
Origin
The tripel takes its name and its modern shape from the Trappist abbey of Westmalle, northeast of Antwerp. After a new brewhouse was completed in the early 1930s, Westmalle brewed a strong pale ale in 1934 that became the template for the style. The recipe was refined over the following decades — the name “Tripel” came into use in the 1950s, and the beer has remained essentially unchanged since 1956. It is widely regarded as the archetype of the style and is sometimes called the “mother of all tripels.”
The term itself predates Westmalle’s beer. The strong golden ale was first commercialized as Witkap Pater by the chemist and yeast specialist Hendrik Verlinden at the secular De Drie Linden brewery in Brasschaat in 1932; Verlinden, who also advised the Westmalle monks, registered it as “Witkap Pater = Trappistenbier,” the first legal use of the word “Trappist” as a trademark. The “tripel” name itself reflects a monastic convention of labeling beers by relative strength — single, double, triple — rather than any exact multiple of gravity. Belgian candi sugar, added to the kettle, dries the beer out despite its high gravity and lends the style its distinctive crisp-but-warming finish.
Notes
Tripel and Belgian strong golden ale are close cousins and often confused. The golden strong ale (think Duvel) is drier, more bitter, and more attenuated; the tripel is a touch sweeter and more malt-forward, with the same deceptive drinkability. Despite gravities approaching 9–10%, a good tripel hides its alcohol almost dangerously well — the driest versions drink as aperitifs, the fuller ones as nightcaps. Most of the best examples are bottle conditioned. Of all the Trappist tripels, only Chimay’s is sold in keg form; Westmalle keeps its tripel bottle-only because kegging would sacrifice the high carbonation that defines it.
Defining examples
Westmalle Tripel·Chimay Cinq Cents (White)·La Fin du Monde·Allagash Tripel·Tripel Karmeliet