MdV: Merchant du
Vin beer e-newsletter –
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NEWS, EVENTS, ARTICLES
Westmalle Trappist Ale is now
becoming available at stores, restaurants, and bars across the
Saveur magazine (www.saveur.com) listed Porter as one of the
“Saveur 100” favorite things of 2003 in the current issue, #72. We agree with them: Samuel Smith’s Taddy
Porter “sets the standard, with its smooth, soft essence and notes of roasted
coffee beans.”
Beer, Wine, and Spirits Beverage
Retailer Magazine picked Lindemans Framboise as a “must-try fruit beer,” in its
December ’03 issue; the Chicago Tribune loved Winter Welcome (Winter Beers,
12/10/03); and Cigar Aficianado listed Traquair House Ale, Pike 5X Stout, and Samuel
Smith Winter Welcome as great “cigar beers,” on 12/30/03: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Features/CA_Feature_Basic_Template/0,2344,1122,00.html
Beer dinners, festivals, tastings,
and education available in all parts of the country! Check our detailed listing at:
http://merchantduvin.com/pages/3_pike_brewing/news_events.htm
BEER CHAT FROM THE
Americans are seeking and
discovering more great Belgian and Belgian-style ales every day. As they do, they are also learning about
Belgian beer culture, history, and terminology . . . and the terms "Tripel"
and "Dubbel" are a common question.
Here's an attempt to satisfy the thirst for information:
In
Brewing historians think that early
abbey ales were fairly dark (because very pale barley malt didn't come along
until the mid-19th century) and probably of moderate alcoholic strength. As Trappist and abbey brewers began to
realize that they could sell their beer to people outside the abbey, they
frequently added a second style to their offerings, and often it was stronger
and more flavorful. It is likely that
they needed to distinguish this different product from their original brew in
an era when not everyone could read, and two marks or "X's" on the
cask may have been the simplest manner.
Then, in the middle of the 20th century, when Belgian breweries began to
make golden-colored strong ales, many of them already had a precedent: this
third addition to their menu was given three marks, and became known as "Tripel." Of course not every abbey or Trappist brewery
followed this protocol, but enough did that the terms have developed specific
meanings to brewers and beer drinkers in the present day.
The terms describe beers of
different styles and flavor: they don't mean "double strong,"
"double fermented," "triple strong," or "triple
fermented." (Brewers sometimes do
talk about "primary" and "secondary" fermentation, but they
are really parts to the same process. Bottle conditioning – really not comparable to
fermentation – will be in the next issue of e-news)
A Belgian or Belgian-style tripel is
typically deep golden-colored; strong in alcohol (6.3 - 10% by volume,
according to American Homebrewers Assn guidelines); and will offer Belgian
yeast character in the aroma -- sometimes notes of clove, or spice. Hops can be low to moderate, and candi sugar
(crystallized sucrose) is a common ingredient, its high fermentability leading
to alcoholic strength without heavy body. Tripels are rich, deep and complex. Classically, there are no spices in tripels.
A Belgian dubbel is amber ranging to
brown; fairly strong in alcohol (3.2 - 7.8% by volume, with most nearer the
higher end); and brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. Hops are subdued, with the emphasis on maltiness,
and dark candi sugar is frequently used.
When one brewery makes both a tripel and a dubbel, the tripel will
always be paler in color and alcoholically stronger than the dubbel, but one
brewery's dubbel could be lighter and stronger than another brewery's tripel.
But please: try them and form your
own opinion.
Merchant
merchantduvin.com