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

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.

Style: Winter Warmer
Brewery: Birra del Borgo (Lazio, Italy)
ABV: 9.5%
IBUs: unknown
Availability: unknown

Back across the pond today for the big beer of the day only this time I am giving the Belgians a break and heading to Italy for Birra del Borgo’s 25 Dodici. I first became aware of Birra del Borgo through their collaboration with Dogfish Head on the My Antonia. Leonardo DiVencenzo, head brewer at Birra del Borgo, is often compared to Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione for his adventurous brewing techniques and use of non-traditional adjuncts. And while there spirit is the same, their equally-spectacular results are really quite different.

Appearance: Pours a deep brown with a rich reddish hue. There’s no head at all from the poor but it does leave a bit of residue on the glass as you drink. No lacing.

Smell: The nose is really tart here, almost like orange Starburst candies mixed with lots of fresh berries. There’s a good amount of chocolate and roasted notes as well with really subtle hints of honey and grass. Quite a bit going on once you get into it.

Taste: The flavor is very light but there are a lot of complex elements too it. The bitter orange peel comes forward as well along with some pepper, coriander and burnt caramel. Beneath the initial flavors are some pine and oak notes which make this taste like a cross between a saison and and a pale ale. The orange flavor lingers nicely in the finish.

Mouthfeel: 25 Dodici is dangerously light bodied for a 9.5% alcohol beer. It comes across slightly watery with almost no carbonation and finishes slightly sweet on the tongue.

Drinkability: This is highly, highly drinkable for a big beer. It is light, dry and refreshing. The only off-putting element is the lack of carbonation but it could have just been my bottle. Otherwise, I could easily put back a few of these with dinner (dangerous).

Overall: 25 Dodici is really unique. At first I thought it was way flat but then the lack of carbonation grew on me. It’s a nice introduction into the world of Italian craft beer and the high level of drinkability makes it worth hunting down for a try.

Brewing Notes: Malt: Pilsner malt, munich malt, vienna malt, cara munich malt, cara
weizen, chocolate malt. Hops: Hallertau Northern brewer, Hallertau hersbrucker, styrian golding, simcoe.
Spice: Bitter orange peel

Style: Strong Golden Ale
Brewery: Hair of the Dog (Portland, OR)
ABV: 10%
IBUs: 65
Availability: year round

Okay Belgium, let’s take a break and turn our taste buds to the Pacific Northwest, home of the adventurous brewers at Hair of the Dog. I mean, you have to like a brewery that is on a first name basis with their beers, right? This particular brew, Fred, was named after the breweries first patron; beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt. Fred is a golden special ale which could be considered the baby brother of a barleywine with its paler color and slightly less assertive hop character. (note: this Fred was from batch 4)

Appearance: Fred pours a deep red with a slight cream head. The head dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing on the glass.

Smell: There are a lot of, well, golden notes on this one. Hints of straw and light caramel and even some apricot hints.

Taste: Surprisingly, the flavor is much more complex than the nose. There are notes of raisins and prunes as well as a nice woodsy hop character. Beneath it all is a layer of golden honey flavors.

Mouthfeel: Another thick and syrupy offering. The fine carbonation here leaves a bit of a tingle on the tongue and it finishes even but definitely not dry.

Drinkability: This is a pretty big beer despite the light color and softer malt flavors. As with all these rich flavored beers, Fred is not meant for a session so enjoy one and perhaps split a second with a friend.

Overall: A nice, unique take on the big beer category. I’d call this a fine barelywine if Hair of the Dog did not offer Doggie Claws, a bigger brew with even more malt and hops. This is a nice introduction into big beers that embraces their thick, rich character.

Brewing Notes: Fred was created to honor beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt. This golden strong ale incorporates ten hop varieties from five different countries. Through the use of aromatic and rye malt, the beer achieves a unique balance of flavor. We hope that Fred will inspire you to share your knowledge with others as Fred has with us. Fred is 10% alcohol by volume. (source)

(image source)

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

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.

(image source)

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

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.

(image source)