Beer Styles

What is a Tripel? A strong, pale, top-fermented Belgian beer with a golden color, a dry finish, and noticeably more alcohol than its appearance would suggest. Westmalle released the first Tripel in 1934, now regarded as the template for the style, and revised the recipe in 1956.

The Dubbel is its dark sister. Westmalle first sold a strong brown beer to abbey visitors in 1856, considered the first Dubbel. Today the name stands for a dark, malty-fruity beer with notes of bread, caramel and dried fruit. It's weaker than the Tripel, but not lighter in flavor, since the dark malt gives it body while the yeast contributes spice and fruit.

The name 'Trappist,' by contrast, isn't a style at all. It only describes where and how a beer is made. A Tripel can come from monks or from a secular brewery like Het Anker, whose Gouden Carolus Tripel is brewed in Mechelen.

Duvel is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale: pale, dry, lively and very strong. The difference from Tripel is subtle. Golden Strong tends to feel lighter, fruitier and crisper, while Tripel comes across as spicier and rounder.

Bolleke, meanwhile, belongs to the Spéciale Belge category, a style of amber, malty-fruity beers. It's considerably weaker than the abbey beers and suits a hand holding it through a long evening. The contrast matters here: abbey beers for contemplation, Bolleke for standing at the bar. Both worlds belong to Antwerp, and people drink them on different occasions and at different speeds.