Maredsous 10 Tripel

Brewed By: Duvel Moortgat in Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium 
Purchased: Single bottle (11.2oz) from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2011
Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 10.0%

Let me tell you a story about Duvel. A long time ago I was a noobie beer drinker, and I was interested in trying some "exotic" beer. I saw a big old 750ml bomber of Duvel at the store one day, so I brought it home not knowing what to expect. I did know that the beer clocked in at 8.5% ABV, and I had 750ml of the stuff. Being new to beer I was understandably a little nervous. I opened that bottle of Duvel up, poured a glass of the glorious gold creation, and was blown away forever. Duvel is still one of my absolute favorite beers, and I consider it a beer you could never do wrong by drinking.

Maredsous is actually a different branding under Duvel Moortgat. The bottle states "brewed in accordance with the Benedictine tradition of the community of Maredsous Abbey." And then in small print on the side it says "Brewed and bottled by Duvel Moortgat." The Maredsous Abbey is a legit Benedictine monastery founded on November 15, 1872. The abbey licenses its name to Duvel, who makes the Maredsous beer. So that's kind of gimmicky, but you can't blame Duvel, a Belgian company, for jumping on the Abbey beer trend.

Duvel was founded in 1871 by Jan-Leonard Moortgat. The brewery is probably most famously known for their absolutely kick-ass, divine Belgian Strong Ale, Duvel. Duvel has seen increasing sales, and is now the second largest brewer (in terms of revenue) after global leader Anheuser-Busch.

That's the history, but what about today's beer. Today's beer is Duvel's Abbey Tripel. Appropriately branded under the Abbey Maredsous, this is a typical take on the Tripel style. And when I say typical, I mean "hahahaha....shiiiit." I had three bottles of this stuff back in July, and it was good. Lots of subtle banana and spice, and huge candied orange notes. But this beer absolutely walloped my palate with the 10% ABV. Tripels are supposed to be high in alcohol, but the alcohol is supposed to be sneaky and subtle. This beer was anything but, and I was picking up a ton of heat. I don't mind heat, and I'm willing to adapt, but I wanted to see how this beer would fare in a couple of months. So here we are trying the Maredsous 10 Tripel. Will it still be super hot? 

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The pour yields something that already looks "outside the box." For a Tripel, this beer is very orange. The pour gives way to a giant, fluffy, 4-finger head that is orange-white in color. The body is hazy and super carbonated; this is a very effervescent beer. But the big draw is the gorgeous gold-orange color you get from the body of the beer. Excellent clarity, even if it's a little darker than you typically expect.

A beautiful dark orange color.

The aroma is big big candy orange notes. I smell candied oranges and candied lemons dusted with light white sugar. There are big characteristic Duvel pale malt aromas, fresh coriander and big clove, some pepper, subtle banana-vanilla with touches of sugar, orange tea, orange juice, and mild perfume esters. Very, very nice, and no alcohol this time around. Yay!

Well...there is definitely some alcohol in the taste. It has mellowed out a bit over the past few months, and I imagine if you cellar this it will continue to calm down. The bottle has a 2013 expiration date, and this was bottled sometime in 2011 most likely. The taste is full of big pale malts, some dough, perfume, big orange candies, orange liquor, a wallop of clove-alcohol and pepper-alcohol, some astringent nuttiness, veggie notes, or even some woodiness, and some soft fruits like peach or berries. Complex with the malts playing a big role, and boozy. 

Maredsous 10 Tripel

The mouthfeel is pretty fucking viscous on this beer, especially for the style. I would call this a medium-full beer with moderate depth and big complexity. I would also call this a viscous warmer. I'm getting a big warming feeling in my stomach and on the back back stretch of my palate. The front of my palate is getting carbonation, clove-alcohol, pepper-alcohol, and candied oranges. The middle roles into more spices and some dough/grain. The back end has alcohol, spices, astringency, and some of those veggies, woody notes, and soft fruits. I think a lot of the unique flavors are the result of the big alcohol. 

Rating: Average
Score: 73%

3 months does not a cellaring make. I probably should have slept on this beer for another 6 to 9 months. But this is a Tripel, a style that is supposed to have a lot of alcohol and deliver you that alcohol in a subtle and quiet way. I appreciate the 10% ABV, I really do. Sometimes you want a beer that is big and bold, and I think this beer would cut through a lot of heavy cheeses or a big hearty dinner meal. And I really appreciate the complexity of flavors in this beer. This is by far one of the most complex Tripels I have tried. In some regards, this is better than the New Belgium Tripel because it isn't as spice-assertive.

So here's my final thought: this is a good beer, but an okay Tripel. It's a bit too boozy for the style. I would like to try a bottle that has been aged for 1 or 2 years to see how it stacks up. Considering that a 4-pack of this stuff costs anywhere from 15-20 dollars, I would say you can find a better Tripel elsewhere. Still, this is worth trying and it will not let you down if you like boozy and complex beers.