FlemishHCmaniac wrote:
Marinejuana wrote:
do we have any belgian members that can tell me how to make a delicious tripel? bc i would like that very much.
Technically if you brew it yourself it wouldn't be a tripel. Only the beer brewed in specific monasteries (and there aren't that many that make tripel) get to call their beer tripel.
Really? I had thought that was the case for the word Trappist, which, I guess, refers to some specific order of monks. I thought "tripel" just meant it went through 3 stages of fermentation. There are some breweries in North America (notably Unibroue, in Canada, whose head brewer used to be the head brewer for Chimay) that sell "tripels," but they definitely aren't made in a monastery. They are just using similar ingredients and brewing techniques. I read that, as of now, many of the Belgian tripels aren't made in those specific monasteries and therefore are not considered Trappist, but they still bear the label "tripel" and are referred to as "abbey style." Are those breweries incorrectly using the word tripel? do u guys actually drink the stuff made outside the traditional abbeys or do they just export it? I'm proud to mention, though, that I've tried all of the Trappist offerings except Westvleteren, which, as I'm sure you know, is not legally imported to the US. D: So far, I would say that Trappistes Rochefort's tripel and "10" are the best I have tried but some of them are hard to compare. I have the impression that these beers are labor intensive and I probably couldn't pull one off at home with my complete lack of brewing experience.
Anyway, after having tried a selection of Belgian beers from a local importer, all I can say is, wow, you guys are the world's ultimate brewers. I'm really jealous. I want to do the tourist thing where you "try every beer in Belgium" but I'll have to save a bit (lot) more $$ before making that trip. And I'm sure I could happily find myself next door in the Netherlands enjoying a few other regional delicacies.
Last edited by Marinejuana (2008-02-24 15:05:25)