Tripel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maredsous 10: an example of a Belgian Tripel.
Maredsous 10: an example of a Belgian Tripel.

Tripel (also Trippel), or triple ale, was originally a naming convention used by Belgian Trappist breweries to describe the strongest beer in their range, however, the name is now used by a number of brewers around the world to describe a strong ale.

Contents

[edit] History

The Trappist abbey in Westmalle brewed a new beer in 1934, calling it "superbier". It was a strong blonde ale and was very likely based on a blonde beer the monks had been brewing sporadically since 1931. In 1956, the recipe was modified and it then took on the name Tripel. It is today considered the first beer to use that name. [1]

Tripel indicates a relative strength in a range of beers. So, the trappist beers were divided into three: enkel, dubbel and tripel (basic, double and triple). Considering the importance of the "Holy Trinity" in the church, it is unlikely that the choice of three types of beers was accidental.[2]

It is likely that one of the reasons the tripel was born was the Vandevelde Act of 1919. This Belgian law, which was not repealed until 1983, forbade the sale or service of strong drink, particularly, Jenever. As neither beer nor wine were affected by this law, it was a commercially opportune time to introduce stronger beers.

[edit] Examples

[edit] Trappist

[edit] Abbey

  • Affligem Tripel
  • Sint Bernardus Tripel

[edit] Foreign

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jef van den Steen, Trappist - Het Bier en de Monniken ISBN 90-5826-214-6, page43
  2. ^ Geert van Lierde et al., In het Spoor van de Trappisten ISBN 90-261-0704-8