Beer of the Weekend #313: La Trappe Tripel
The beer this weekend is not a typical BotW. It is another 750 ml gift of sudsy goodness so it will technically be the beer of Friday night, not the whole weekend. Normally, when I buy sixers, I drink three bottles Friday and the remaining three Saturday. That will not be the case this weekend and I am cool with that. I have three leftover bottles of Eight Ball Stout chilling patiently in the fridge and they will make very good substitutes.
The beer of the weekend (courtesy of my cousin) is La Trappe Tripel, brewed by the Brouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V. of Berkel-Enschot, The Netherlands.
That’s right: Trappist beer from The Netherlands. Who knew?
Serving type: 750 ml bottle. There is a batch code on the label but no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a tulip/snifter. The color is cloudy orange/amber. Three fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated quickly to leave a thin, bubbly lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: It smells like a boozy, tangy hefeweizen. There are a lot of nice fruit scents, mostly banana, apple, orange, pear, lemon, and grapefruit. It is yeasty and spicy, too, and there is a nice caramel presence.
Taste: It basically mirrors the smell, but the fruit is much sharper. The banana, apple, and orange are most prominent, but there is also some play from the lemon and pear. The yeast is also there, but the spice is not as noticeable. Neither is the alcohol, though there is a very light hint. Everything is balanced by subtle caramel. Overall, it is very smooth.
Drinkability: Impressive. It is nothing orgasmic — I can definitely “Taste the Silence” — but it is impressive.
Fun facts about LTT:
-Style: As the name suggests, it is classified as Tripel.
-Price: I do not know and do not care. Thanks, cuz! (Fittingly, he is on the Catholic side of my family.)
-Serving temperature: The beer’s webpage recommends 10-14ºC, which is 50-57.2ºF — surprisingly warm. BA recommends the usual 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends Mediterranean cuisine, sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), pork, and poultry.
-IBU: 27.
-In banner type on the back of the label is this motto: “Taste the Silence.” Precious. Just precious.
-Nerdiness from the back label:
-According to the Brouwerij de Koningshoeven Wikipedia page, the brewery is one of only seven Trappist breweries in the world authorized to use the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo. The six other authorized breweries are in Belgium: Achel, Westvleteren, Orval, Rochefort, Chimay, and Westmalle.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The beer of the weekend (courtesy of my cousin) is La Trappe Tripel, brewed by the Brouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V. of Berkel-Enschot, The Netherlands.
That’s right: Trappist beer from The Netherlands. Who knew?
Serving type: 750 ml bottle. There is a batch code on the label but no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a tulip/snifter. The color is cloudy orange/amber. Three fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated quickly to leave a thin, bubbly lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: It smells like a boozy, tangy hefeweizen. There are a lot of nice fruit scents, mostly banana, apple, orange, pear, lemon, and grapefruit. It is yeasty and spicy, too, and there is a nice caramel presence.
Taste: It basically mirrors the smell, but the fruit is much sharper. The banana, apple, and orange are most prominent, but there is also some play from the lemon and pear. The yeast is also there, but the spice is not as noticeable. Neither is the alcohol, though there is a very light hint. Everything is balanced by subtle caramel. Overall, it is very smooth.
Drinkability: Impressive. It is nothing orgasmic — I can definitely “Taste the Silence” — but it is impressive.
Fun facts about LTT:
-Style: As the name suggests, it is classified as Tripel.
-Price: I do not know and do not care. Thanks, cuz! (Fittingly, he is on the Catholic side of my family.)
-Serving temperature: The beer’s webpage recommends 10-14ºC, which is 50-57.2ºF — surprisingly warm. BA recommends the usual 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends Mediterranean cuisine, sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), pork, and poultry.
-IBU: 27.
-In banner type on the back of the label is this motto: “Taste the Silence.” Precious. Just precious.
-Nerdiness from the back label:
Since 1884, the monks of Koningshoeven have brewed La Trappe Ales to support themselves. Made with traditional ingredients and age old recipes, La Trappe Ales use the most modern quality-control methods to produce beer that is the perfect marriage of the old and the new. Fermentation takes place using a type of yeast which is most active between 62 F and 68 F. This type of fermentation is called top fermentation.
La Trappe Ales are made from carefully selected malts and hops and fermented with a strain of yeast unique to Koningshoeven. Each of the La Trappe Ales bottles is conditioned for a full, complex flavor and long shelf life. Unlike commercially produced, filtered and pasteurized beer, La Trappe Ale can be aged like fine wine.
-According to the Brouwerij de Koningshoeven Wikipedia page, the brewery is one of only seven Trappist breweries in the world authorized to use the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo. The six other authorized breweries are in Belgium: Achel, Westvleteren, Orval, Rochefort, Chimay, and Westmalle.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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