Brewed By: Brouwerij Bosteels in Buggenhout, Belgium
Purchased: 33cl/330ml/11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 8.4%
Tonight I am diving into one of the highest rated Tripels available in the world. In fact, Tripel Karmeliet is the number one rated Tripel on Ratebeer and the fourth best Tripel on BeerAdvocate. This is an epic beer, in every sense of the word.
Tripel Karmeliet is brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels, or "Bosteels Brewery." You can read about their beer and find out about the brewery on their website HERE. Their website is flash heavy and features annoying looping music, so be warned. The brewery was established by Evarist Bosteels in 1791, and has been family run by the Bosteels for over 200 years and seven generations.
The brewery website has a very cool section called A Passion For Brewing where they talk about their brewing process, and the way they pick and choose their ingredients. The website states that "water, beautiful plump summer barley, hops and yeast are the most important basic ingredients in brewing beer."
There is a lot of time and attention to detail put into the beer that Bosteels brews, and these nuances are not missed with the Tripel Karmeliet. The Karmeliet is brewed with 3 grains, and is based on an authentic recipe from 1679 from the Carmelite monastery. The 3 grains used are wheat, oats, and barley. The website states that the beer has hints of vanilla and citrus on the nose, and tastes light and fresh from the wheat, creamy from the oats, and slightly spicy and citrus-like. I am beyond excited to try this beer, so let's dive in.
Tripel Karmeliet is brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels, or "Bosteels Brewery." You can read about their beer and find out about the brewery on their website HERE. Their website is flash heavy and features annoying looping music, so be warned. The brewery was established by Evarist Bosteels in 1791, and has been family run by the Bosteels for over 200 years and seven generations.
The brewery website has a very cool section called A Passion For Brewing where they talk about their brewing process, and the way they pick and choose their ingredients. The website states that "water, beautiful plump summer barley, hops and yeast are the most important basic ingredients in brewing beer."
There is a lot of time and attention to detail put into the beer that Bosteels brews, and these nuances are not missed with the Tripel Karmeliet. The Karmeliet is brewed with 3 grains, and is based on an authentic recipe from 1679 from the Carmelite monastery. The 3 grains used are wheat, oats, and barley. The website states that the beer has hints of vanilla and citrus on the nose, and tastes light and fresh from the wheat, creamy from the oats, and slightly spicy and citrus-like. I am beyond excited to try this beer, so let's dive in.
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| Tripel Karmeliet |
The Tripel Karmeliet glass may very well be my favorite beer glass. It is an epic beer glass with a thick stem, wonderful lilies on the base of the glass, and the Tripel Karmeliet logo on the side of the glass. The glass has a huge bowl that narrows towards the top. This is a huge glass. The bowl is as large as the Duvel glass, only on a stem. This is a glass that will hold beers with big heads. And the thing about the Karmeliet glass...you need it for this epic beer.
Forget Duvel. Forget Guinness. The Karmeliet takes the cake as far as beers with huge heads are concerned. I got 7 or 8 fingers of HUGE, fluffy, white head from this beer. This beer is fucking gorgeous, maybe the best looking beer I have ever poured. In low light this beer has a pale orange/yellow/straw color. When held to bright light this beer is clearly a pale/yellow/golden, hazy, straw color. This beer is super carbonated and very effervescent; as a Tripel SHOULD be. There is already great lacing on my glass, and my guess is the head will in fact hang around.
Forget Duvel. Forget Guinness. The Karmeliet takes the cake as far as beers with huge heads are concerned. I got 7 or 8 fingers of HUGE, fluffy, white head from this beer. This beer is fucking gorgeous, maybe the best looking beer I have ever poured. In low light this beer has a pale orange/yellow/straw color. When held to bright light this beer is clearly a pale/yellow/golden, hazy, straw color. This beer is super carbonated and very effervescent; as a Tripel SHOULD be. There is already great lacing on my glass, and my guess is the head will in fact hang around.
The aroma on this beer is clutch. This beer smells amazing, and it accomplishes the wonderful aromas without the outrageous malts like the Chimay White. I'm smelling creamy oats, wheat, and grainy malts. This is very creamy and smooth on the nose. I'm also picking up huge aromas of citrus; herbal orange and lemon tea, fresh lemon, lemon grass, sharp orange, lemon wheat, and hints of apricots and honey. I'm picking up hints of sugar, pepper, and alcohol. The booziness is subdued, and fits the 8.4% ABV. It isn't assaulting your nostrils like the Maredsous 10. There are also waves of candied oranges and lemons. This smells fresh, clean, refined, and subtle. This invites you to take a drink. I'm excited!
Wow. Yummy. This tastes absolutely fantastic. You're greeted with a huge creamy head (which is hanging around quite nicely), and then met with creamy oats. This is cut by oranges, lemons, pepper, grain, and a whirlwind of delicious malts and hops. The finish is wheat, candied oranges and candied lemons, and a tingle of alcohol dancing on the back palate. I'm tasting oats, grain, wheat, candied lemon and oranges, hints of white sugar, apricots, and pleasant booziness that meshes with the grains on the back end.
This is refined, mature, clean, fresh, and delicious. The palate depth is wonderful, this is wildly complex, and it drinks very well. The alcohol is subtle like it should be for the style. This is medium-light bodied, well-carbonated, and drinks like an effervescent Belgian Strong Ale should. The front is creamy oats, creamy head, hints of lemon and orange; the middle rolls into pepper and spice, more fruits, grain and wheat, candied oranges and candied lemons, white sugar; the back end is grain, wheat, candied fruits, alcohol. The finish is slightly dry with tingling alcohol. This has so much depth and dimension, I love it.
Rating: Divine Brew
Score: 98%There is nothing wrong with this brew. Nothing. If you see this beer, buy it. If you like Tripels, buy this beer. If you want to store a classy Belgian Strong Ale in your cellar, grab this Tripel. It is effervescent, bubbly, dry, and would give any glass of champagne a run for its money.
This is love. This is a beer epiphany. This is the best Tripel I've had to date...barring some minor subtleties. For example, the Chimay White is a wonderful, raunchy, malty bomb. The La Fin Du Monde from Unibroue is a very yeasty beer with wonderful flavors from the yeasts. The Tripel Karmeliet relies on a wonderful balance of grains and malts, and is just plain brilliant. These are all top-tier Tripels, each with a slightly different approach to the style.
With that said...cheers. If you love beer, you owe it to yourself to try the Tripel Karmeliet.
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