Tripel is a term used by brewers mainly in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, some other European countries, and the U.S. to describe a

strong pale ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Diff ...

, loosely in the style of ''

Westmalle Tripel Westmalle Brewery (Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle) is a Trappist brewery in the Westmalle Abbey, Belgium. It produces three beers, designated as Trappist beer by the International Trappist Association. Westmalle Tripel is credited with b ...

''. The origin of the term is unknown, though the main theory is that it indicates strength in some way. It was used in 1956 by the

Trappist brewery Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist monks. Thirteen Trappist monasteries—six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, England, France, and Spain—currently produce beer, but the ''Authentic Trappist Product'' label ...

Westmalle Westmalle is a village in the Belgian province of Antwerp which is part of the municipality of Malle. History See history of Malle. Tourism Westmalle is primarily known for the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle of the Order of Cistercians of the St ...

, to rename the strongest beer in their range, though both the term Tripel and the style of beer associated with the name (strong pale ale), were in existence before 1956. The style of Westmalle's ''Tripel'' and the name was widely copied by the breweries of Belgium, and in 1987 another Trappist brewery, the Koningshoeven in the Netherlands, expanded their range with a beer called ''La Trappe Tripel'', though they also produced a stronger beer they termed ''La Trappe

Quadrupel A Quadrupel (Flemish for 'quadruple') is a type of beer, with an alcohol by volume of 9.1% to 14.2%. There is little agreement on the status of Quadrupel as a beer style. Writer Tim Webb notes that similar beers are called ''Grand Cru'' in Bel ...

''. The term spread to the U.S. and other countries, and is applied by a range of secular brewers to a strong pale ale in the style of ''Westmalle Tripel''.

History

The term Tripel comes from the

(now

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

); though the origin of the term is unknown. The two main theories are that it indicates strength, either by a series of marks, such as crosses, on a cask - X for the weakest strength, XX for medium strength, and XXX for the strongest beer, or by reference to the

original gravity Gravity, in the context of fermenting alcoholic beverages, refers to the specific gravity (abbreviated SG), or relative density compared to water, of the wort or must at various stages in the fermentation. The concept is used in the brewing and ...

of a beer which roughly corresponds to 3%

abv Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

, 6% abv or 9% abv. According to brewing historian

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, the first golden

associated with the term was brewed by Hendrik Verlinden of the Drie Linden (Three Lindens) brewery in the early 1930s, when ale brewers were looking to compete with the pale lagers from

Plzeň Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...

. Verlinden had an association with the

, Westmalle, assisting them with brewing, and becoming the only secular brewer allowed to carry the Trappist Beer designation. In 1933, Westmalle released a beer under the name ''Superbier''; this was the year after Verlinden produced a golden

for his own brewery, the ''Witkap Pater'' (now known as ''Witkap Tripel'', produced by the Slaghmuylder Brewery). 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 they renamed it ''Tripel'', and the popularity of that brand ensured the name is still strongly associated with the Westmalle brewery, though both the term Tripel and the style of beer associated with the name (strong pale ale), were in existence before 1956. In 1956, the recipe was modified by the head brewer of Westmalle, Brother Thomas, by the addition of more hops, and it then took on the name Tripel. It has remained essentially unchanged since. Tim Webb in his ''Good Beer Guide to Belgium'' says that some of the pre-1956 beers called Tripel were dark, in contrast to modern beers using the term.Tim Webb: ''Good Beer Guide to Belgium'', 6th edition, p82

References

External links

Westmalle Tripel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripel Beer in Belgium Trappist beer Dutch words and phrases

History

See also

References

External links