Augustijn Ale, Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V., Belgium (Belgian Tripel) (Along with Guest Connoisseurs Katherine Crawford, Greg Lake, and Pam Hart)
Posted by: admin in EtceteraWelcome back after a long summer of hopefully brewing and tasting. I certainly enjoyed mine, and was welcomed back to law school with a grand slam of a sample, this delectable Belgian Tripel.
As I have elaborated upon in the past, the Belgian Tripel is, if not THE king of all brew styles, at least among the kings in the brewing world (deliberately excluding an American “beer” that markets that title). As I have described in my previous columns, this whopping style utilizes candy sugar to produce both an ABV and a body that is unparalleled in the brewing world. Not only are many of these brews meticulously crafted by Christian monks, they are usually organic, bottle conditioned and corked in 750mL bottles. What makes this class so dominant in the eyes of many brewers and tasters is its pure simplicity of form and attention to detail that create such a depth of character and diversity in palette to leave you intrigued, wine bottle after wine bottle of this delicate goodness.
After wandering to Old World Market (located on the SW corner of the courthouse square in Valparaiso) I man
aged to find not only a unique selection of beers from around the world, but also an assortment of delectable cheeses to compliment such world class craftsmanship. I spent a good deal of time sampling the cheeses until I arrived at the cheese that was meant for this terrifically crafted beer: a Belgian abbey goat cheese fermented with organic, abbey-raised honey.
What a beautiful array of colors emerged as this golden-hued delight slowly drizzled into the snifters! It had the hue of lightly caramel-colored candy sugar or a freshly distilled fall cider. It was in its true form, a creamy, cloudy haze percolated by the most perfect champagne carbonation gave off a
“hefe-like” presence as the light superficial froth hung on the edges of the crystal. I could have literally spent hours wandering through this beer’s aroma, as it permeated my nose with its very floral, peony or hibiscus essence, followed by a chamomile or apricot sweetness. A very balanced mouthfeel was evident upon taking the first grasp of this divine substance; the carbonation’s feel echoed its appearance—as a perfect champagne intensity, and it was relatively full. Its sweet body of concentrated apricot then engulfed my entire palette followed by a distinct sour and almost bitter aftertaste, distinctly evident of granny smith apples or German Gewurstraminer grapes. This sourness intrigued me well after this 750mL was split four ways (the mere cost of good company), and I was left with the mystery of a clean, dry champagne-like finish. The character and body of this beer was so complex that my only regret was not having an assortment of accompaniments to isolate each individual essence. I strongly recommend all of you readers (albeit three of you…) to take a journey over to Old World Market and give this one a try!
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