Beer expert blind tastes 16 Belgian Tripels | The Craft Beer Channel
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- čas přidán 11. 04. 2023
- Jonny's given his body to science once again as he blind taste tests 16 examples of Belgium's flagship beer style, the Tripel! We've got some of the originals, as well as some modern pretenders. Which will come top, and which classic will he tear apart? The answer to neither is Westmalle Tripel...
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Tripel karmeliet got shafted on this one, definitely one of my more memorable beers I’ve ever had for good reasons
Triple Karmeliet is owned by inbev now so it doesn't really work if you want to avoid to most mass market ones.
@@philippenachtergal6077 Doesn't matter if it's mass market it's still incredible.
Please don’t do 16 that’s gonna be even stronger generally speaking do ten at most
St. Bernardus is just pure quality from top to bottom. Their beers are usually not the absolute best in class, but all of their stuff is right there near the top of the list on all of their expressions. I especially love the Abt. 12. Combine their quality with the ease of availability (you can get St. Bernardus everywhere) and you can never go wrong with them.
I'm a huge fan of the 12 too. Fun fact: they used to make the beer for Westvleteren, and it's damn close.
@@ismiregalichkochdasjetztso3232it isn't that close anymore..the abt12 taste more like the old style westvleteren.. fresh abt12 > fresh westvleteren all day. Btw, they have a abt12nitro now @ the brewery thats just even more faboulus
I love the Abt 12 too but I found out that it's inconsistent. For some reason I found it to be more sweet and other times more bitter.
Costs $8/12oz bottle here, gotta be the most expensive beer I've ever seen.
@@lars2894 Normally cost 1,8 in Belgium. Westvleteren 12 is one of the most expensive beers.
This really needed the Tripel De Garre in there.
because it is so bad?
Jonny next time you should do a blind taste test of the Belgian Quadrupels, I’m very curious to see what the result will be.
Oh God, I don’t think he can handle that just imagine what he will be like if he was this after triples
As a Belgian, I must admit I never had the Kasteel tripple before. Will definitely try it next weekend!
Thanks for the best beer tasting video on the web!
“Proost” is more Dutch (The Netherlands) in Belgium it goes between “Santé” or “Schol” both are used
This
The BEST beer in the world made in Belgium !
St bernardus is a worldclass brewery, with one of the best christmas beer, quad, AND triple !
They've basically won both the blind tests they've been in. Hoping to make a film with them this summer!
I buy the Christmas beer anytime I see it.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel They have a new visitor's centre with a very nice rooftop "Bar Bernard". Views are great as it is in one of the most beautiful regions in Flanders. In that area, I'd also bookmark "Auberge du vert mont" and "De Nachtegaal" for an overnight's stay.
When I first tasted “La Fin du Monde” 7 years ago, as someone who didn’t really drink beers, I thought it was the best beer in the world. Today As a Québécois, I can proudly say that Unibroue paved the way for all craft brewies in Québec and we probably make the best beer in all the Americas, but of course I’m biased.
Canadian beers are great. American beers are generally poor due to using the imperial system, I guess.
@@aboumawiyah I will agree with you when it comes to non-dark styles except for sours
I'm Belgian and my two favourite tripels are Karmeliet and Kasteel tripel ;)!
As a Midwest American, you've opened up my beer opinions almost every time you do a tasting, but when it's a type of beer you absolutely love, we can tell. This type is added to the list!
I love a good Belgian triple, the Westmalle, the Tripel Karmeliet and the Straffe Hendrik Tripel are my favourite beers in this style.
Karmeliet deserves better ranking buddy
So sorry your Fin Du Monde was dead. I love that beer, drink it all the time and was looking forward to see how it fares against the top belgian tripels. Great vid nevertheless!! Cheers 🍻!
1:30 that's the best pronunciation I ever heard a native English speaker say "Duvel".
It's gotta be Tripel Karmeliet or Trappist Achel. Everything Achel makes is absolutely gorgeous.
Such an underrated style in the craft beer community, together with a lot of dubble, the quad and the belgian blonde. I know that like with all the great traditional beers - it is harder to beat the classics but i'd still rather drink a nice balanced dubble or tripel over all the pastry nonsense coming out.
And since the good ones seem to taste of vanilla it would be an easily switch!
It once wasn’t, but sadly that’s the case now. It was pretty standard fare to have at least one on tap at breweries.
The Belgian Quad is my favorite style, but I love the prevalence of pastry “nonsense”.
Belgian Trippel is my favorite beer! 😄
Was mine initially too still great style really starting to fall back into it again but my style is quads natural progression though
Just missing some Allagash!
Val Dieu’s Tripel needed to be in this tasting. Plus, I’ve had Unibroue’s La Fin du Monde as old as 7 years showing great complexity. Also De Glazen Toren’s Ondineke Tripel would have been great!
Some lovely beers there. One that never makes this list, and it always surprises me, is Triple LeFort. It's absolutely beautiful, but rarely available outside Belgian or France. Would absolutely recommend it if you've never had it.
Indeed, if there's one Tripel having 25 pts scoring potential ... my money would be on LeFort Tripel ...
My local doesn't have many belgian options but the two St Feuillien's. It's always my go to beer to share when bringing friend's who've never tried anything but macro lager. They always love it, glad to know it ranked well!
Great video! I’m Irish living in Belgium, so will defo check out the Kasteel. Glad to see the two St-Feuillien beers so prominent as they have a fantastic range of beers. Also, I live beside the brewery and it’s named after a 7th-century Irish saint called Faolán, so I am in Heaven here. They even hold an Irish festival in the brewery called the Faolán Irish Fest. Drop by for a tour the next time you’re over
And where is this brewery, my friend?
My favorite beer style. Complex and yet still easy to drink.
Very informative video as always from CBC. I was very happy with the result. Checking my Untappd check-ins as you were drinking each beer and of all the ones I’ve tried, Kasteel was my highest rated beer. Looks like I do know something!! Cheers.
I’m impressed you didn’t fall over in the video! My god!
Interesting! Like you, I would have skipped Kasteel's Tripel for another make. I'll have to try it again. These blind tests are amazing! Please keep doing them.
Had to rush down to Lidl and pick up the 6 pack mix of Bornem dubbel, Bornem triple, Gulden Draak, Gulden Draak 9000 Quad, Piraat and Piraat Tripel hop just to get on sort of the same page 😅
Fond memories of drinking Straffe Hendrik in Bruges. Good times
lost it at the “fuck it that’ll do.” longering is my new favourite word
Straffe Hendrik would have been my pick from that bunch. I remember thinking Bersalis Tripel by Oud Beersel was a banger too.
I like Straffe Hendrik too, great beer.
Lovely to see that my personal favorites also seem to be yours.
i think the difference there was who brewed it, the golden ale is made by commercial/^private breweries and trappist is brewed by a certain kind of monk
Great beer style, great video!
St Mars of the Desert did a tripel last year which was hands down the nest tripel I've ever had.
This is probably nearly impossible to get in the UK but Allagash's Tripel is one of the absolute best.
la find du monde! i’m from montreal and me and my buddies got a pack of beers from unibroue with this beer in it, we’re teenagers so we hated it but of course all the beers were all high alcohol percentage so we got really drunk (that was the point). i’m going to have to give that one another try tho, i can’t remember if that was the one we liked or not.
Greetings from Luxembourg. We routinely drink Triple Karmeliet here, but I have a penchant for Kasteel. It’s been good to me. So appreciate the love
It is all in the eye of the beholder. Personal taste, you know.
The beerholder surely!?
"Tripel" was created by the monks. The story tells that they used to mark an "X" on the barrel when the beer was "OK", 2 "X" when it was good and 3 "X" when the beer was very good.
Great stuff, can’t wait for the imperial stout tasting for a proper test of stamina. Do the beers end up down the sink or is Brad in the garden finishing them off?
La fin du monde is my favorite tripel and tripels are my favorite beers besides saisons! I've had some hit or miss la fin bottlings that have challenged my love but when I get a good one there is nothing better, well i'd say the only thing that i'd say is missing for it to be the perfect beer is drinkability, and by that I mean that its alcohol content can sometimes get in the way of making a particularly "refreshing" beer. Thanks for the video I think i've tried about half the beers presented and am very excited to try Kasteel!
I agree with you on Kasteel I always thought their beers were a little bit too sweet, a little bit too boozy, kind of like Bush, but I like them a lot. Proof is in the pudding however, and I'm glad to see it score so well.
Give the La Fin du Monde another try from a fresher bottle. La Fin du Monde is near the top on my list.
Kind of hard to imagine sitting for 25 minutes watching another guy drink beer, however I enjoyed viewing.
Straffe Hendrik was one of my early exposures to Belgians. 1998 honeymoon in Brugge and Brussels. Their brewery tour (in 4 languages) was amazing! Also had a great lunch there of melon and prosciutto.
it a different brewery back then. I think now it is made by 'Halve Maan'
Straffe Hendrik are my absolute favourites.
As good as these Belgian classics are, I’ve definitely tasted variation between bottles at different times, some I’m curious what the result would have been on a different day
temperature is a big deal with these things. And you actually should drink a belgian beer from the glass the brewery makes especially for the beer you are drinking.
Well, most of the big names...everybody knows which I mean, right! Did had to adapt their output to the global demand and invested in larger equipment to produce more hectoliter per day/year and eventually needed to adapt the recipe to the new tech they installed. The brewers did struggle to find the perfect balance and eventually did. This is what you've tasted, the transition...
Delicious 😊 after 16 tripples you might go off as well, no pun intended 😂.
Anyway, great to learn that the commercial brewers get it spot on occasionally 😊
For me personally, Ill buy a crate or 2 of kasteel triple, why not... 11°abv, vanilla at the front and the bach end. Lovely times we live in 🎉cheers 🍻
Missed opportunity to review De Garre! it's a big at 11-12%, but I think that ranks among the elite of Tripels, though I am aware it is a challenge to track down, but adds to the mystique of the bar in Bruges. Great video, time to track down some Kasteel!
Absolutely agree! De Garre is for me the best tripel out there, by far. 11% ABV hidden in elegant interplay of clove, banana and solid malt backbone that make it surprisingly drinkable and, in my opinion, give it this structured edge over all the other tripels out there.
When I was in Belgium I really tried to find it but couldn't. From what I remember it is the highest rated Belgium tripel.
@@nopenopenein8243 its down a really small alley just before you reach the blood chapel, can't remember what the square is called
we also say "schol" instead of proost
Found a case of Kasteel Triple that was 15 years old. All 75cls and all were brilliant to drink. Powerful beer
Poor La Fin du Monde. I love that beer so much and I think you should give it another chance! It’s a great example of this style and one of the best outside of Belgium. Cheers from Canada, excellent video.
Absolutely will! Totally realised this bad bottle was my fault not the brewery's
Me too, a big fan of LFDM and disappointed that his bottle was past its prime…
personal favorite is the triple bertimchamps, quite refreshing in comparison to other triple imo
Speaking as a Canadian, I was literally chatting about the Fin Du Monde the other day with Kyle from Toronto Brewing. He's been trying to replicate it, as he thinks the recipe went downhill about a decade ago. In Ontario, you can really only get that periodically, and it's in a mixed twelve pack in 341ml screw top bottles with a decorative foil sleeve that keeps the cap on during refermentation. It's not currently up to scratch, and that oxidative character is probably a hallmark of that beer at this point.
There's some properly funky beers being made in Canada and Ontario just now. The world needs to know about our craft beers more!
Ah that's a real shame. I've heard so many good things about Fin Du Monde. One day we'll make it over and explore the scene.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel always welcome on these shores for proper beer and poutine!
For Belgian-style beers, check out the Napanee Beer Company. Geordan's Belgian Dubbel is fantastic even though it was EXPENSIVE.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel interestingly, Montréal (where I live) and is only about 20 minutes from Chambly (where Fin is made) is very into the NEIPA.
Unibroue is pretty unique as a brewery in Canada. I used to drink a lot of Fin in Halifax, Nova Scotia (another good beer city in Canada, probably the best imo, definitely the most underrated, but I’m from Halifax and wear my bias on my sleeve) and it’s surprisingly good from a Keg. But you can get it around every corner in Montréal, but the quality is hit-or-miss, as most corner stores do not store their beer with care. I find tue best Fin I’ve had comes from the Keg, and from what I remember it’s much spicier than in the corked bottle (where, in my experience, it’s much less flavourful).
I watched this alongside looking at how I rated all my tripels on untappd. Seems I had the same top 4 / 5 - with the exception of Marsedous Tripel (which you didn’t test) in mine.
This is probably my favourite beer style in the world.
Not sure how you didn’t end up going arse over tit out of your brew shed after all of those though! 😂
Who's to say I didn't? I just edited it out.
Now do this with Quads!
Beers that make you forgetful, make the best memories 😂😂😂
I had the same experience with the Kasteel Tripel very recently, was surprised at how good it was! Westmalle is still my favourite but it has some serious competition.
Chimay is my favorite triple.
La Chouffe is my favorite Belgian strong blonde.
Chimay Blue is my favorite dark beer.
If you want to try something interesting and amazing, try a Sea Change Blonde if you can find it. Made in Edmonton Alberta.
Very interesting comparison, especially the note about not aging Tripels.
I recently found a bottle of the Westmalle and to be honest it wasn't as enjoyable as the Rochfort. Given where I found it though it's actually reasonable to assume that it had been there for 12 months or more.
i would LOVE if you did something on brasserie d'achouffe! they make such amazing beers
I can live with this report :-)
One of my favourite styles, and this has to be one of my favourite blind taste tests yet. Glad to see you walked out at the end, rather than Brad carrying you out in a fireman's lift. Save that for the Quads, right?
Well, that gives me something to consider in Bruges next week.
Watching this video took me back. I remember back in the early Aughts, the owner of the beer store I was going to, gave me a bottle of Westmalle Triple for free. It was a great gesture. I really liked the beer. Back then I always described the banana notes as bubblegum. After watching this video I logged on to my old ratebeer account to see what I thought of some of the beers shown here.
I'm sure you'll hear of the many tripels you missed. Let me throw Carolus Tripel into the mix. It is my local tipple and didn't quite determine my decision to live here but certainly helped.
Tasted it last week for the first time in years and loved it. Very fruits.
Good to see Kasteel doing well. They have so many great beers and some pretty bad ones too. Straffe is just amazing. Kinda surprised to see La Guillotine there - it is more a Belgian Strong than a Tripel. Also kinda surprised to see you missing La Trappe, Gouden Carolus, Maredsous, Lefort and Zundert. All pretty classic tripels. A really underrated one that I would have loved to see you try is Leffe's tripel - surprisingly it is pretty good. This is such an interesting style - not many breweries outside of Belgium or probably Netherlands end up hitting the right notes for the style - they either end up making them like weiss beer or like a new england lemony/hazy beer.
La Trappe is not a Belgian beer.
I really like that you cleared the table and went through all the beers that scored 24, but I wish you could have included the 23's also... I would have enjoyed stacking up Westmalle with this smaller group and hearing your notes, but an excellent job, definitely will be trying Kasteel again because of this.
Will you still finish your Trappist series?
I'll be doing that myself again soon, so many I should live stream it. Still can't believe the result. Oh, and yep Trappist series still in the works. Orval goes live in a few weeks.
brilliant video. my first visit to your channel. some of these tripels i've known and appreciated for quite some time now; some (about half) i've never drunk or even ever heard of. i liked your comments, revealing expertise, and indeed: don't age tripels. that said, the st-bernardus tripel can develop a pleasant hint of walnut when just past peak. i actually prefer it there. in my opinion tripel karmeliet reached a much higher level a few years ago. i quite agree with your current assessment here. kasteelbier is brewed just about in my backyard, not half a mile away in the village where i live, so i should feel honoured by your conclusion. i love the beer, drink it quite often, and i love its creamy opulence, but still: westmalle is the best tripel in the world. still. to me, its complexity is unrivaled, the hop touch included. i always like chimay, a bit rustic, so a winter beer. and straffe hendrik revives. recently it came to my attention again, and these days it's top notch.
and the best beer in the world? orval, no? you múst let that one age.
gezondheid!
The thing about Belgian beers, I find, is that it's quite important to drink them "in order". Now, that contradicts the premise of blind tasting but you dont necessarily get the real taste of a beer in the way you've done it if you are bouncing between, say, very robust Belgian beers with strong flavours - banana, vanilla, bread etc then you hit a Westmalle Tripel and the natural inclination would be to be slightly underwhelmed or jarred by the crispness. Whereas the other way round, you can savour the Wetmalle then appreciate the fuller tipel, e.g Karmaliet or Kasteel after it. That said, I think you're right in the centre of the ballpark (mixed metaphor there), Straffe Hendrik - what a beer. I just wish Westmalle Tripel had made 24 because its a thing of beauty. I can't put my finger on it, I've had many (too many) belgian beers over time but some beers stand out in the right conditions as being consistent (Straffe Hendrik) but some produce beautifual moments - Westmalle Tripel and of all things, Duvel! Duvel, with the right bottle at the right temp. in the right mood, with a tight, super smooth head is unbeatable. 1 out of 10 Duvels, may be 1 out of 20 is like this but when it is...
Must try the Kasteel Tripel though, never had it.
I like a good Tripel, but shout out to Double beers. These dark beers are severely underrated
15:28 you are not far off its struktuur in dutch/flemish 😂😂
Any plan to include La Trappe in any of these tastings? A brewery with a very interesting history, and offer some great beers including their Tripel, but especially their Quadrupel which is stunning.
Agreed with the La Trappe quad. My favourite of the Trappist quads. Even blind taste tested alongside Chimay, Rochefort and Westvleteren to convince myself.
La Trappe is a good beer but is not Belgian.
I hope you come to Montreal and the province of Quebec at some points. Vermont, Oregon and Quebec are the 3 regions in the North America with the most microbreweries per capita. So many good beer here, you'll love it!
That was brilliantly done and very funny. Like you, had never bothered with Kasteel before, always comes across as a bit supermarket own-brand. As St B and Westmalle were my previous favourites will definitely reach for your winner next time I’m in the beer aisle.
You can find their fruit beer (Rogue) in most supermarkets in Europe which really really gives them a supermarket type of brewery feel. They do make some amazing beers tho - Donker and Cuvée du Château are both amazing Quadrupels (especially the Cuvee), Filou is an interesting alternative of Duvel (I think they actually sued them?), their Blonde and Kasteel Xtra are bouth smashable Blonde beers with a lower ABV (The Xtra is only 4.5% and works as a session IPA).
the results may vary depending how long you aged your trippel. in my experience Kasteel and Strafe shines after a year of shelf life. before that time they quite boozy (probably as bottle fermentation goes on). Westmalle is fine at any conditions. that's why it's appreciated more by people and rating systems
First and foremost - I’ll roshambo you for that Czech check shirt - it’s amazing. Second, I’m now off to find some Tripels, I want a warm Belgian glow like you had in this vid!
16 Belgian biers we appreciate your dedication
This was great. I need to do this someday. Would be super fun. I was surprised when I checked Untappd and saw that I have checked-in 121 different Belgian Tripel beers (not all from Belgium of course). Westmalle and Karmeliet are at the top for me. Then Dulle Teve, Maredsous, De Gare, Ename, Zundert, and Finesse right behind. Followed by St Bernardus, Gouden Carolous, and Sraffe Hendrik.
I have Kasteel rated low. It's been a while since I've had one, so I'll have to revisit it. I am curious how my ratings would change in a blind test. I am sure they would since I have become more serious and educated by studying for Cicerone certification.
Well. color me surpriced. I'd never expected Kasteel to be that good, nor to see Straffe up there as well. St bernadus yes of course. They make some VERY good beer and I'd go for that any day. That and shun Karmeleit.
Very interesting tasting. Cheers!
you should try herkenrode's tripel. its incredible and raisiny, cinnamon-ey, and reminds me of a rum baba
I love tripels! The triple stuffed Oreos of the beer world!! I’ll have to track down Kasteels now.
How to get bashed quickly:
PROOF of how to get bashed quickly
St. Bernardus 12 is my all time favorite
Unibroue was once the top of the craft scene in Canada, like 15 years ago, I haven't seen a corked bottle of it in ages.
Here in the Detroit area, virtually every store has stopped carrying the bomber sizes (22 oz and 750 ml).
It's all 12 or 11.2 ounces now. Occasional pints, but not among Belgians.
I asked my beer guy why, and he told me, "It's simple. My distributors don't sell enough of those bottles."
Great video! I do love me a tripel as well. My favorite tripel is not even Belgian. I think Allagash Tripel, and especially the barrel and bean version is absolutely delicious! 😁
Curieux is ace... but very different to these!
One of the tops for me.
Will keep an eye out for the top versions. I see beers from them localy, but not their Tripels. Allagash might get my vote for the best made US Tripel. Tripel is one of my favorite styles and I have one in my fermenter now! Dubbel might be my favorite style, "sessionable" at only 8% ABV.
I first had La Fin Du Monde 25 years ago and it was incredible. Unfortunately, after changing hands I don’t know how many times, it’s nothing like it used to be.
My personal favourite tripel is Tongerlo Prior. Not a huge fan of tripels though. I'm more of a dubbel and quadrupel drinker. And when it comes to paler beers, I go for the Belgian Strong Ales, like Duvel.
Enjoyed the video. What is the title of the book that you were citing?
Great exercise and I applaud you not rating an old bottle of La Fin du Monde, but you do need to rate it and Im sure it will be a top tier tripel for you. It’s the best tripel IMHO, but it’s fun to debate and compare notes.
Not a tripel, but one of the best belgian beers, hand down, is Popperings Hommel Bier. Just great. 7,5 ABV. Delicious. Must try it.
I've always been a St Bernie guy... Westmalle is solid. I do now want to try the Kasteel. Entertaining stuff my friend.
Roll on the Quads tasting 😂🎉
Oh it's coming. I just need to find a shoot day with literally nothing to do for a following few days.
I'm living in malle so the westmalle is my go to off course then im going for the Sint Bernardus and the saint foullien grandcru
I'm always choose the kasteel as least option but deff going to try that soon again
Yeah, it is worth getting it off the tap. :)
My favorite type
Great video mate. Were any of the beers Lemony? 😂😉
Of all tripels that I have had, which isn't that many, I think La Fin du Monde is my favorite.
As a Belgian who's been a staunch Westmalle Tripel drinker since legal beerdrinking age (16 over here), I was over-the-moon excited the second I saw this video thumbnail!
Belgian ways to say cheers: Schol, santé, proost, tchin-tchin
Kasteel doés have a slightly trashy imago around my parts, but you certainly convinced me to give it another shot :)
Kasteel is still a brand that infuses its beer with extra sugars. never liked it, but never had the triple version. Westmalle tripel, chimay and Westvleteren (rare) are still my favorites. Unlike you belgians, we need to drink it at a slower pace. I got absolutely hammered on drinking 6 belgian beers in 4 hours (with food!), they did not taste strong, but were all above 8%. My Belgian friend told me to better prepare and eat enough food not only while drinking but beforehand . Skol !!
Well Done Sir, and thank you for sacrificing yourself on the Altar of Tripel.
My preferred local beer (INDIE FERM, or Independent Fermentations) is a honey tripel runs 9% abv, IBU of 20 or so. The honey is local, as is the water, and some of the hops are also grown on land rented to the brewery.
I have made up a list of your test subjects, and will spend a bit of time with the usual suspects in sampling them.
A few I've had...the La Fin Du Monde was obviously far too old. Find a fresh bottle, you will not be so disappointed.
A couple local stores carry most of these, so the adventure begins!
Oh, yes, sorry, I'm in Plymouth MA USA
still standing at the end - impressive! (words, spelling - not so much)
To bad about the La Fin Du Mond being so old. Great North American beer. I would have like to see how it measured up again the Belgium's.
New Belgium tripel for me here in the US. I prefer over St B. Try to track one down