The Naked Pint (30 page)

Although the Trappist name does represent a paramount level of quality and craftsmanship, it doesn’t necessarily define a beer’s style. They fall under the Trappist name because, as we said earlier, they are made by monks. Trappist beers come in many different styles, colors, and ABVs. All of the Trappist beers are bottom-fermenting ales and are famously higher in alcohol content than your average pint. But while Belgians obviously respect and honor their traditional brewing methods, they have also historically allowed a certain amount of creativity. They have taken some of the brewing traditions from the Trappist breweries and created their own versions of strong Belgian Ales, often called—you guessed it—Belgian Strong Ales. Many of these beers are so complex or unique that they can’t simply be pigeonholed into a single style, thus the rather large umbrella-style name. (That’s fine with us; we’d prefer to let our palates decide.) However, some Trappist Ales have developed a huge following and have been so highly lauded and so often imitated that a style has arisen from those particular beers. These are styles that tried to stay quite close to the flavor profiles of the Trappist Ales. Two such beer styles are Dubbels (Doubles) and Tripels (Trippels or Triples).

Again, like many things in the beer world, a lot of speculation surrounds how these beer styles got their names. Many people wonder what a Dubbel is and assume that it is a beer that is twice the strength of a mysterious original beer. Although it might be true that the term
Dubbel
was used to imply a certain relative beer strength, there’s little proof that this is the true definition. Many people assert that a Dubbel is a beer that has been fermented twice, and while that is sometimes true, the term refers mainly to style parameters. A Dubbel is a dark, relatively high alcohol content beer (6.5% to 7% ABV) that is fairly malty and sweet, with a spice profile that can have notes of clove, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom. Dubbels usually have secondary flavors of dark, Old World fruit, like figs and plums. Fruity yeast esters should definitely be present in the nose. These beers are typically medium bodied, and while they have the potential to be fairly cloying beers, the skill and quality of the style comes through in their dry finish and high effervescence level, which should lift the ale off the palate.

Tripels were made popular by the Westmalle Tripel, and this beer style, too, suffers the same misunderstandings that Dubbels have. People assume that
tripel
means that the beer is three times stronger than some mysterious original ale or that it is a beer that has been fermented three times. However, once again, it comes down to the style parameters. A Tripel is a complex, lighter colored beer that has distinct citrus and herbal characteristics. This relatively full bodied beer should have slightly higher alcohol content than a Dubbel, ideally running between 7.5% and 9.5% ABV. Again, fruity esters should be present from the yeast strain used, and there should be a dry and mildly bitter hop presence along with sparkling carbonation to assist with a long but lean finish.

This does beg the question though, If there be a Dubbel and a Tripel, wherest is the Single? Does the Belgian Single exist? Is that the elusive “original” beer? The answer is yes, but it’s very unlikely that you will get your hands on an authentic one (and if you do, call us). These Single Abbey Ales are the beers that the monks make to drink themselves. It’s often their table beer. Though these beers are much lighter bodied than their brethren, they still have complexity and spice. This is a great style for the monks, who could drink the ale with their meal and still concentrate on their meditations and their work. Many beers today are made in this style under many titles. Sometimes they are called Belgian Pale Ales, sometimes simply Belgian Ales, and sometimes (but
rarely
) called Single-Style Ales. The following are a few of these styles we praise:

We can’t talk about the Devout without talking about another Belgian beer style that got its roots in the Trappist tradition but then became its own style because it was so often imitated. This delicious treat is known as a Strong Golden Ale. A famous example is Duvel, brewed by the Moortgat brewery. Duvel, which is Flemish for “devil,” is one of the top-selling beers in Belgium and has become a beacon for many other breweries, defining an Abbey-style ale that is light golden to amber with big but rounded flavors. This beer style usually sports a huge cotton-like head and has soft tropical and stone fruit notes in the nose. The spice comes through in the end of this beer along with a welcoming warmth that comes from a high alcohol content. Here’s some gold for you: