Style: Belgian Tripel
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat (Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium)
ABV: 10%
IBUs: unknown
Availability: year round

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Ah, you crazy monks. How you make such good beer. I know I should be drinking syrupy sweet American barleywines this month but something keeps bringing me back to these great, golden brews. Maredsous Tripel, however, does not come from a Trappist Monastery. Instead, it is commissioned and brewed by makers of Duvel at Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat. The result is a beer brewed with bigger brewery consistency and pricing without sacrificing the subtle notes characteristic of Belgian beers.

Appearance: The Maredsous Tripel exploded (literally) after the cork and cage were removed. After the vigorous overflow of foam, it poured a light amber with a stately tan head that resided slowly to leave nice lacing on the glass.

Smell: There’s a full bouquet of floral and chamomile notes up front here along with hints of honey, toffee and dirty oranges that are a bit muted but still notable.

Taste: As expected, the flavor is sweet and full of golden malt. But there is also a unique, bright taste from spicy pepper notes, yeasty apple hints, and some subtle orange flavors. If you dig deep enough, there’s even a musky undertone distanct to Maredsous’ cousin brew, Duvel, but it is something that goes unnoticed unless you hunt it down. The alcohol is very well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Maredsous Tripel has a medium bodyand a very active carbonation that finishes clean with a bit sweetness.

Drinkability: Tripels tend to be a bit less easy-going than their lower-alcohol cousin, the dubbel. This one, however, is very drinkable. It’s got big sweetness and a bright, golden flavor that is not overpowering.

Overall: Maredsous Tripel is a extremely well made beer and a good transition for someone who has tried the more common Belgians (Duvel, Chimay, etc) but may not be ready to delve into the funky ones such as Orval. Since it comes from a rather large brewery, you can get this at a good price and it’s well worth trying.

Tags: Belgian, Big Beer Month, maredsous, Tripel.

Style: Belgian Abbey Triple Dark Ale
Brewery: Brasserie Des Rocs (Montignies-sur-Rocs, Belgium)
ABV: 10%
IBUs:
Availability: year round
Pairing: vanilla ice cream, glass of water, Carbonnade Flamande

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You can’t go wrong with Belgian beers. That’s my logic at least and so today I am continuing my love for those classic big beer styles with Triple Imperiale which comes from a more modern Belgian brewery, Brasserie de Rocs. Founded in 1979 on the border between France and Belgian, Brasserie de Rocs brews in the traditional style and all their beers are double fermented without additional sugars, bottle conditioned, and unfiltered. Triple Imperiale – the brewery’s strongest offering – is a unique dark tripel that straddles the line between an abbey dubbel and a British barleywine.

Appearance: Pours a deep reddish-brown with a vigorous tan head that recedes slowly to leave little lacing

Smell: There’s a big nose on this one. Lots of burnt caramel malt notes mixed with crisp apple and orange peel… some peppery spice as well.

Taste: Lots of malt flavor here. Tastes of maple syrup and golden delicious apples. Behind that there are nice pepper elements and an underlying hint of oaked vanilla. You can taste the 10% alcohol here but it manages to finish out very even.

Mouthfeel: You could almost call this one oily as the rich, thick mouthfeel and vigorous, fine carbonation result in a syrupy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: The thick mouthfeel, assertive malt, and big alcohol here would overpower a lot of drinkers but I could sip one slowly on a cold day. While it finishes dry, cracking another bottle would be a reach for me.

Overall: The Triple Imperiale is an ambitious beer, the heaviest of all the Brasserie de Rocs offerings. It is a little too massive for my tastes but would probably serve you well during the winter months of monastery life or in the French Alps. Sip slowly, perhaps with a glass of water on the side, and enjoy.

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Tags: Belgian, Big Beer Month, Tripel.

Style: Belgian Abbey Dubbel
Brewery: Brasserie de Rochefort / Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy (Rochefort, Belgium)
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 22
Availability: year round
Pairing: soft cheese, s’mores, small game, fish with butter or cream sauce

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The tough thing about Big Beer month (besides the intoxication after two or three beers) is that a lot of these brews need to be laid down for a bit. Because we are talking about beers in the 10 or 11% alcohol range, a lot of them need at least a year to mellow out. Other just become too syrupy to get through 12oz (let a long a 750ml) unless you are out camping in the cold. So, since I fell short of a beer a day last week (note: I had them, just didn’t want to talk about them) I figured I’d start the week off with some tried and true big beers. These are favorites that I fell in love with years ago and still drink regularly to this day. To me, there is something to be said groundbreaking brews but there is also something to those perfect beers that have been brewed for decades (or centruries). With that, I tip my cup to a personal favorite, Trappistes Rochefort 8

Appearance: Pours a deep brown with rich, tan head with lots of carbonation from the bottle fermentation that slowly resides to leave little lacing

Smell: The nose has lots of vanilla and toffee notes up front along with some marshmallow, sweet apples, and a bit of plywood.

Taste: The taste goes right along with the nose as there are lots of vanilla and deep caramel flavors. Behind that there are some tart flavors of dark fruits and a bit of unassuming spice.

Mouthfeel: There’s lots of carbonation on the Rochefort 8 which leaves a nice tingle on the tongue but with a medium body creates a dry finish. This is a much more palatable brew when compared to others of this ABV.

Drinkability: With its lighter mouthfeel (for 9.2% ABV), the Trappistes Rochefort 8 is a very drinkable strong beer. This is one that you could easily have with dinner and pair with small game, rich cream/butter sauces or even a soft cheese. It’s more of a casual drinker than a sipper.

Overall: Trappistes Rochefort 8 is, to me, the quintessential Abbey. It’s big bodied, sure, but with a perfect balance of flavors that come across as like-minded rather than competing. It’s heavy and sweet without being overwhelming and finishes clean and dry.

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Tags: Abbey, Belgian, Big Beer Month, Dubbel.

Style: Belgian IPA
Brewery: Green Flash (Vista, CA)
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 101
Availability: year round
Pairing: apple salads, funky cheese, creamsicles, mussels in white wine

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Green Flash has been making some of my favorite west coast beers including their flagship West Coast IPA. So, when I found a Green Flash offering that mixes their hophead mastery with Belgian yeast, well, I could not wait to get my lips on it. The result is a medium bodied hop bomb with subtle tart funky notes resulting in a complex, high ABV brew with dry finish and high drinkability

Appearance: A healthy off-white head tops this wildflower honey colored beer. The head dissipates quickly leaving strong lacing on the glass.

Smell: Strong yeast notes with lots of clove and nutmeg. But there’s also some funk to this one with scents of orange rind, limestone and old sock.

Taste: This is a hop monster with woody notes upfront and orange and grapefruit flavors in the back. There are some grassy flavors and some resin as well as lighter honey notes from the malt.

Mouthfeel: Green Flash Le Freak is tart and dry with a medium body and light carbonation. This is a highly drinkable beer that hides its 9.2% alcohol very well.

Drinkability: This one almost too drinkable. The body is light enough to to put a few back and the nice, dry hop flavors leave a clean finish. This beer opens up a lot as it warms so don’t hesitate to let it rest a but

Overall: Le Freak is my favorite offering thus far from one of my favorite west coast breweries. The balance of woody hops and citrus ones creates a nice balance and there are enough golden malt notes to create an even body. The unique Belgian yeast creates subtle fruity, tart undertones that bring this beyond a standard IIPA. Highly recommended!

Brewing Note: “This Belgian Style IPA is an ‘out of the box’ convergence of beer styles where American Imperial IPA meets Belgian Trippel.” source)

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Tags: Belgian, Big Beer Month, California, DIPA, Grean Flash, IIPA.

Brewery: St. Somewhere, Tarpon Springs, FL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Amber Ale
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 28 (approximate)
Availability: year round
Pairing: Roast Pork with Port Cherry sauce, slow cooked meats, savory deserts, sweet chocolate
Summary: Another fine Belgian style from the folks at St. Somewhere. This one pours a bit sweeter and heavier than their other offering but the result is a great evening sipper and friendly introduction to the style.

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St. Somewhere can do no wrong. Time and time again these boys from Tarpon Springs, Florida prove that they can create Belgian styled beers with the best of them. The Lectio Divina is one of their darker offerings which I have seen categorized as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale or – as their bottle states – an Amber Ale. Categorization aside, what we are talking about is a rich, complex belgian style ale. Mine came in the form of a 750ml bottle that was so carbonated that the cork literally shot out on its own upon uncaging.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy orange amber with lots of head which clears to very little lacing on my oversized wine glass

Smell: Very sweet, slightly funky nose. Honey, bread dough and persimmon all come to mind

Taste: There are lots of autumn and stone fruit notes on the tongue initially. Hints of apple, plum, port, cherry and pear come forward. But as the glass warms, darker and sweeter flavors develop transforming Lectio Divina into a completely different beer. Now there are hints of dates, prunes and agave syrup. There’s also quite a nice, complex malt back which goes from almost non-existent when cold to a sweet caramel with undertones of chocolate and a roasted flavor when reaching room temperature.

Mouthfeel: Medium light body with lots of effervescent carbonation. The bottle conditioning results in a bubbly, almost tingling carbonation on the tongue similar to – all though not as extreme as – a champagne. There’s a surprisingly dry mouthfeel for a brew with such a dark color.

Drinkability: The 8.0% alcohol is well hidden making this a really drinkable strong Belgian. But the over-carbonation interrupts the brews drinkability making it more of a celebratory sipper than one to pair with dinner.

Overall: I really like everything St. Somewhere does. It seems that they have found a nice brewing niché and everything coming out of this small, Florida brewery istop notch. While I don’t enjoy this one as much as the Saison Athene or its wine barrel aged cousin Lectio du Chene, that is mostly a personal preference as the Lectio Divina is an extremely well crafted brew. This is a great beer to introduce someone to the complicated flavors of Belgians and if you are a fan of Ommegang’s Abbey Ale then this one will sit nicely with you.

Side Note: According to Wikipedia, “Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or ‘holy reading,’ and represents a traditional Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God’s Word. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray and even sing and rejoice from God’s Word, within the soul.”

Tags: Abbey Ale, Belgian, Ommegang, St. Somewhere.