Ten Top Tripels: #2, Denizens Third Party Triple, Silver Spring, Maryland

Date:  March 9, 2019

The Story— To re-purpose a loftier idea: “A top brew is not without honor except in its own county.”  I suppose we’ll be accused of rooting for the home team here; we live about 15 minutes from the brewery, but there are lots of local DC favorites brewed by good friends which didn’t make this list.

For more on the style, click “more reviews” below and check out yesterday’s post.  Tripels, as we’ve said repeatedly in this series, are very difficult beers to brew well consistently.   This is a very good example of the style in any context, but what puts it so high on our list is the fact that we’ve had several separate opportunities over time to taste this beer thoughtfully and it’s been a home run every time.

Denizens is fonder of funk that we are, but they produce a wide range of beers and can pretty well match any drinker’s level of adventurousness.   They have an extensive menu and an ongoing commitment to a better community and a better country.   In short, they’re the kind of neighbors you like to have.

A digression:    Further commendations go to Denizens for having the guts and foresight to become one of the first to succeed in what used to be the Great Dismal Beerswamp of Montgomery County, Maryland.   MoCo is the only county in the United States that buys and distributes all beer and wine, and the county distribution center has had a choke hold on the craft movement for decades.   It’s loosening, but still worse than annoying.   The county, by the way, says it can’t provide all the neat services — such as pot hole repair within two weeks to a month in residential neighborhoods– if it didn’t have the beer income.   It’s such a lucrative idea, in fact that of the 3006 other counties in the US, it’s been copied by …. exactly none of them.

The Beer—  Not exactly Westmalle, but a very nice US interpretation.  Flavors are authentic, not that they really need to be with this style, but it’s no easy task to get them “right.”   Starts with some metal with flowers and finishes as the hops give a soft, near melon roundness.  Slight metallic tin at the end is well within style and it’s so very returnable.   Even if the taste isn’t a straight match it captures the essence and purpose of a tripel exceptionally well.  Ellie found it smooth sweet fruity and… dangerous.  For me, if weren’t so danged strong (9.4%) I’d drink it by the liter.

Value —  Very good to excellent.  It’s so much cheaper than a flight to Belgium.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 To start the month of March we’re featuring our top ten tripels over the past several years– these are wonderfully complex and even delicate strong golden ales.   At their best, Tripels are among the best beers in the world.   At their common norm, they’re heavy handed, big-boozed and barely better than the malt liquors of the 20th century.   Here are ten beers that could show the rest of the country how it’s done.

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Ten Top Tripels: #3  Brewers Art  Green Peppercorn Tripel at Sly Fox, Royersford

Date:  March 8, 2019

The Story—  Brewers Art was a part of the first craft explosion, opening its doors in 1996.  From the outset visitors debated whether the big draw was the classy cuisine or the first rate beer, but we heard precious few complaints about either.   It remains a destination brewery-restaurant and a required stop on a Baltimore beer crawl.

At one point, Brewers Art could brew more beer than the in house consumption required and it began to bottle the beers.   Belgian quality beers with local freshness were a big hit and their small house brewery faced then had the problem of trying to meet demand.   Their answer was to contract bottles at Sly Fox’s brewery in Royersford.  We had some trepidation about the move; complex Belgian beers are hard to duplicate on different scales at different breweries.   They were lucky enough to have the guiding hand of Brian O’Reilly, one of the most talented brewers in the Mid Atlantic to ensure the project’s success.   We will be on the lookout for a bottle this spring, though, since O’Reilly has moved on to his own place in Philly (What is it with that city??!!!)

We haven’t had this beer in a few years, and it’s on our list for revisiting.   It is, however, one of our highest rated tripels among the nearly 400 we have tasted over the years.  We were also skeptical about the green peppercorns, but some of Belgium’s best craft brewers use peppercorns and they add complexity without getting in the way of the delicate balance between malt and hops.

We note from the website that this year’s version will be on tap soon.  We assume that will be a house-made version, and it’s been a long time since we’ve tasted that.    It’s worth your time to take a field trip — we might see you there.

The Beer—  Way too easy to drink.  Slightly sugary light fruit and inviting spice.  It’s not just complex, it’s bewildering. Touch of heat shows the 9.2% ABV, but it’s remarkably moreish for a beer of this strength.

Value — Very Good.  Most of the house-brewed beers go for $6.50 a goblet and you can cut that to four bucks with a visit to the bar during happy hour.  This beer received one of the highest scores we’ve ever given a tripel.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 To start the month of March we’re featuring our top ten tripels over the past several years– these are wonderfully complex and even delicate strong golden ales.   At their best, Tripels are among the best beers in the world.   At their common norm, they’re heavy handed, big-boozed and barely better than the malt liquors of the 20th century.   Here are ten beers that could show the rest of the country how it’s done.

CAVEAT:  The days of flagship beers, except for the Sierra Nevadas of the world, are gone.   Most breweries have a handful of beers they produce regularly, but even the lists of “usuals” vary with time.  Reviews posted here about craft beers on both sides of the Atlantic are intended to provide a sense of the strengths of the breweries featured and are subject to change.

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Ten Top Tripels: #4  Root Down Tripel, Phoenixville, Pa.

Date:  March 7, 2019

The Story—  We featured this beer over a year ago, but felt it deserved another showing in the context of unusually good tripel ales.   The original post is here. and gives you information about Root Down and Phoenixville.

Some information on the style that we haven’t offered before:   We’ve tasted nearly 400 beers that claim to be tripels.   Only a fraction measure up to our concept of the style.   A tripel at its best is similar to a strong devil-ish Belgian gold, but not quite as dry and with a bit of a more pronounced fruitiness.

Perhaps tripels vary as widely as they do because the style is a very recent one and really only developed as brewers copied ideas and terminology about strong beers from other brewers.   Some tripels really do have “triple” the malt and triple the alcohol of the brewery’s “singel” but for most it’s just a designation of well above average strength.

Tripels emerged from abbey breweries, but only relatively recently  Its abbey origins usually mean using a yeast that yields a bit more funk than an average strong Belgian ale and the style lends itself for some non-traditional spicing if the brewer isn’t heavy handed with the adjuncts.  Both the concept and the term have been around for a long time, but some vague consensus on a style concept only began in the 1930s.  Originally tripels were usually dark — just up a stage from dubbels– but today the term implies a golden color.  It wasn’t until 1956 that Westmalle renamed their “Superior” strong gold ale “Westmalle Tripel” and truly set the standard.  The Westmalle easily makes our top ten tripel scores, but I don’t trust our tasting notes from 1989.

The Beer—  The Root Down version is slightly heavy for the style but unusually authentic for a US brewery.   Metallic and quite spicy with a nice bit of pepper and tropical that increases as it drinks.  Ellie found a long bitter and some salt from the alcohol.

Value —  Good.  a $4 taster (about four ounces as best) is pricey, but this one is worth the dough.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 To start the month of March we’re featuring our top ten tripels over the past several years– these are wonderfully complex and even delicate strong golden ales.   At their best, Tripels are among the best beers in the world.   At their common norm, they’re heavy handed, big-boozed and barely better than the malt liquors of the 20th century.   Here are ten beers that could show the rest of the country how it’s done.

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Ten Top Tripels: #5 De Gouden Boom (Palm) Brugge Tripel

Date:  March 6, 2019

The Story— Brewing in and around Bruges dates from at least the 11th century and the brewers of De Gouden Boom would love to have you believe they’re still using the original fathers’ recipe.   The web site is filled with a good deal of puffery– we’ll bet you didn’t know that drinking beer instead of water can protect you from the plague.   But it seems that  Steenbrugge’s abbey double does have monastic roots,  though after the Germans melted the kettles during WWII, the brothers focused on wine.

A series of secular brewers picked up the name and supposedly the recipe.  The De Gouden Boom name dates from 1983.  Palm bought De Gouden Boom and the rights to Steenbrugge and recently the “Swinkles Family Brewers” — formerly “Bavaria” brewery in the Netherlands, bought Palm.  As far as we know it’s still brewed in Bruges.  We believe all the Steenbrugge beers are spiced with a proprietary house blend that they simply call “gruut.”

We tasted this beer on the overnight ferry from Bruges  to England having picked it up at the Bruges Beer Museum.  The trip was a… trip– a throwback to the days when the chunnel made the overnight ferries almost obsolete.  If you’re headed to Yorkshire and would like to skip the hassle of a transfers in Brussels and London it’s still a great option if you have the time.  The ship is no resort cruiser, but it’s big enough to fill a night’s entertainment.   The bars were fun but didn’t pour anything that would keep us there late into the night,  so we retired to our cabin for this superior beer.

The Beer— This tripel recalls our impression of Steenbrugge’s house character,  with a bit more of the spice and notes of  orange peel and maybe a bit of coriander,  but all of it pretty subtle.  Metal and floral notes escape the spice sachet as it drinks.   Some subtle spicing remains, but the balance made us glad we were drinking this in our cabin rather than the yellow stuff at the bar.

Value — This was a gift from the curator at the museum.  We’re not sure what you’d pay for it — but it’s probably a good use of your money.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 To start the month of March we’re featuring our top ten tripels over the past several years– these are wonderfully complex and even delicate strong golden ales.   At their best, Tripels are among the best beers in the world.   At their common norm, they’re heavy handed, big-boozed and barely better than the malt liquors of the 20th century.   Here are ten beers that could show the rest of the country how it’s done.

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Ten Top Tripels: #6 Wyndridge Whiskey Barrel Maple Tripel, Wyndridge Farm Brewing, Dallasville, Pa.

Date:  March 5, 2019

The Story— One of the best trends for beer lovers is that states are increasingly treating local wineries and local breweries with a more or less even hand,  It’s allowed wineries to add breweries and that’s happened especially all  over the Mid Atlantic region.

Wyndridge at first glance seems like a winery that added a brewery, but the whole package seems to have evolved together   Steve Groff, a surgeon, was nailed by a careless driver and as he recovered he realized his farm could bring more happiness to others than his medical skills.  So Wyndridge opened about 5  years ago.  You’ll see their beers in bottles in plenty of outlets in the area, but it’s best to try them on premise.

The beers are good– we didn’t find a mistake in our enjoyable afternoon with them, but their best when we were there was the oh so difficult to brew Tripel. This edition was barrel aged which is unusual for the style but added to the depth and breadth of the beer,

The Beer—It’s a believably Belgian authentic tripel with a big barrel finish.  Warming booze is within style.  The barrel, which is not common for the style, actually adds some breadth.  Notes of vanilla and wood with maple that’s  fairly well leashed, resides in the aftertaste.

Value — good.  Like most farm breweries, they’re not in the business of giving you the cheapest beer you can find.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 To start the month of March we’re featuring our top ten tripels over the past several years– these are wonderfully complex and even delicate strong golden ales.   At their best, Tripels are among the best beers in the world.   At their common norm, they’re heavy handed, big-boozed and barely better than the malt liquors of the 20th century.   Here are ten beers that could show the rest of the country how it’s done.

CAVEAT:  The days of flagship beers, except for the Sierra Nevadas of the world, are gone.   Most breweries have a handful of beers they produce regularly, but even the lists of “usuals” vary with time.  Reviews posted here about craft beers on both sides of the Atlantic are intended to provide a sense of the strengths of the breweries featured and are subject to change.

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”