My plan to conquer every Belgian beer in 2007 has gotten off to a slow start. There’s all those beers left in the “cellar” (i.e. the garage), then there’s just the sheer amount of incredible American beers that float by me every week that demand my attention. I need to get going on the Belgian thing. I recently had my first WESTMALLE TRIPEL, one of the famous flagship Trappist/abbey beers, and a huge favorite of many an enlightened beer drinker. It comes in 12-oz. bottles and is one of the Belgians that is easiest to find in the US and no doubt around the world. It was the beer that turned a friend of mine into the beer dork he is today – now that’s something to speak of. (Mine was RED HOOK if you can believe it). It gets off to a great start with a hazy, glowing pale orange color in the glass (my “Belgian chalice” glass, of course), and a delicious honey/citrus taste mixed with high alcohol content. Maybe a little “spicy”, if you know what I mean. Damn good. My only downer on this one was that it was a little more bitter than I’d hoped for, maybe just too much tang or something that kept this from the dizzying heights reached by beers like TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 8. But a 7.5/10 is nothing to sneeze at, right? I checked my blog from nearly a year ago and that’s the rating I bestowed upon their WESTMALLE DUBBEL as well. I wonder if it tastes even better when standing upon European shores?
Friday, February 16, 2007
I HAD MY FIRST WESTMALLE TRIPEL
My plan to conquer every Belgian beer in 2007 has gotten off to a slow start. There’s all those beers left in the “cellar” (i.e. the garage), then there’s just the sheer amount of incredible American beers that float by me every week that demand my attention. I need to get going on the Belgian thing. I recently had my first WESTMALLE TRIPEL, one of the famous flagship Trappist/abbey beers, and a huge favorite of many an enlightened beer drinker. It comes in 12-oz. bottles and is one of the Belgians that is easiest to find in the US and no doubt around the world. It was the beer that turned a friend of mine into the beer dork he is today – now that’s something to speak of. (Mine was RED HOOK if you can believe it). It gets off to a great start with a hazy, glowing pale orange color in the glass (my “Belgian chalice” glass, of course), and a delicious honey/citrus taste mixed with high alcohol content. Maybe a little “spicy”, if you know what I mean. Damn good. My only downer on this one was that it was a little more bitter than I’d hoped for, maybe just too much tang or something that kept this from the dizzying heights reached by beers like TRAPPISTES ROCHEFORT 8. But a 7.5/10 is nothing to sneeze at, right? I checked my blog from nearly a year ago and that’s the rating I bestowed upon their WESTMALLE DUBBEL as well. I wonder if it tastes even better when standing upon European shores?
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1 comment:
Hey Jay,
You try a big or a little bottle? Big is always better with the Belgians - in my humble opinion anyway. Westmalle Triple is the tripel that defined the style as we know it today so for that reason alone I return to it over & over (..and over a& over). It oddly reminds me a little of Anchor Liberty though I haven't found anyone to agree with me on that one yet!
scott
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