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Amarillo DIPA-ish – ABV 9.3%

The way to Amarillo is lined with Saaz Hops reminiscent of a Pilsner, accompanied with orange, grapefruit pine and strong alcohol warmth.

Look: Clear in the bottle, it pours slightly hazy with a long lasting white head.

Aroma: The Saaz Hops initially put you in mind of a Czech Pilsner, but with an almost equal amount of citrus and pine; and these are the flavours that become more dominant in the taste.

Taste: Bursting with orange, grapefruit and the warmth of alcohol it becomes increasingly DIPA-like on the palette. It is everything a double IPA ought to be, and a little bit more besides.

Food pairing: This beer works really well with Indian food. Try it with the fresh green chillies of a Jalfrezi.

Westport Extra Blonde Tripel – ABV 9%

Spicy and herbal with background notes of caramel and toffee and some alcohol warmth and sweet booziness – a Belgian Tripel at its best.

Look: Dark hazy amber with foamy white head and good lacing.

Aroma: Driven by candy sweetness with undertones of spice and herbal hops.

Taste: Bold and full-bodied, with medium carbonation. On the taste it’s bitter and drier with a juicier sweeter finish and some minimal booziness warmth.

Verdict: Everything a Belgian Tripel should be the folks in Westport, Ireland.

14|04 – Tripel – Hallertau Blanc – ABV 8.5%

BBNo’s Abbey tripel uses the Hallertau Blanc hop which produces notes of white grapes and a refreshing bite to balance that classic Belgian sweetness.The fourth version of the traditional Abbey beer comes hot on the heels of 14/01 Mosaic, 14/02 Wai-Iti and 14/03 Ella.

Look: Hazy amber-gold on the pour with a just off-white foam which lasts nicely throughout, plus fine to moderate carbonation.

Aroma: Fresh and sweet with some soft sweet fruits thanks to that Hallertau Blanc hop – there’s an almost candied orange peel feel to it. Sweet caramel and toffee are interspersed with subtle spice for nice balance.

Taste: The first thing you notice is that it doesn’t get too sweet – a bit of a signature (and smart) Brew by Numbers manoeuvre to keep it drier and more bitter than usual – the hoppy finish keeps it nicely crisp. There is still of course a lot of grape and fruit sweetness, including jam, fruit peel again with some light spice and stewed fruits, plus toffee and caramel.

Verdict: Sweet but not cloying and surprisingly refreshing for a tripel. If this doesn’t make you want to move to Belgium and become a monk, not much will.

Dulle Teve (Mad Bitch) – ABV 10%

dulle teve

De Dolle’s yeast-forward, high-density Belgian Tripel made with pale malt and candi sugars taking it to double digit ABV.

Look: Pours hazy orange with a thin fluffy white head.

Aroma: Fruity esters of banana, mango and bready yeast.

Taste: Stone fruit and caramel balance out the yeast and with some citrus sharpness and a nice long bitter finish.

Verdict: This mad bitch is a beautifully balanced Tripel that gives you more of everything; yeast, hops and alcohol. Superb.

West by Three Abbey Tripel ABV 10.7%

This beer has all of the hallmarks of Belgian Strong Ale, it is light bodied with notes of plum, apricot and citrus fruits.

Surprisingly refreshing for a high gravity strong ale, this monster comes across session-able but beware, at 10.7% it’s a strong one. In the words of Ice Cube “check yourself, before you wreck yourself” and enjoy this fantastic example of a Belgian style tripel ale responsibly.

If you have any left-over, it is perfectly age-able and will mature in your cellar, we recommend a minimum of 6 months before there is a noticeable change in flavour.

Serving Directions: Chill the bottle in the fridge. Once chilled, pour 2/3 of the bottle into a glass with a generous lemon slice. Swirl the bottle to wash all of the yeast into the remaining beer and then pour directly into the glass.

Amalgamation – ABV 8.0%

Amalgamation is a mix of ideas – part tripel, part Belgian IPA. Based around a traditional tripel recipe, we reinterpret this classic by amping up the bitterness and adding a big charge of hops right at the end of the brew.

14/03 Tripel Ella 750ml 9.5%

For their third Tripel, BBNo returned to using hops the southern hemisphere, this time using Australian hop Ella, noted for its pronounced floral and juicy fruit character.

The indulgently fruity nose evokes peach and apple blossom, pineapple cocktails and tropical fruit sundaes, whilst that crucially smooth and slick Tripel body all but glides across the palate, with just a prickle of gentle spicing coriander and orange peel to balance the beer’s yeast character.

Beavertown Tempus Project Uptown Monk ABV 9.3%

Brewed in collaboration with Brouwerij Alvinne. The nose is complex with cloves and sweet candy like notes mixing with earthy, floral and wine like characteristics. The flavour is deep leading with classic triple flavours of sweet-malt, figs and a touch of honey. The finish is peppery with some fruit courtesy of the wine barrels. The are some funky notes hanging out in the background with a small gang of candied orange tones. The mouthfeel is round and warming.