4 Types of Trappist Ales

ok, all this bitching that i've done about being in germany and wanting some micro brews, there is one good thing about being in germany that i do like. i just picked up 4 different trappist ales. 2 each from 2 different breweries. i got La Trappe Tripel which is 8%, La Trappe Quadrupel which is 10%, Westmalle Trappist dubbel which is 7% and Westmalle Trappist tripel which is 9.5%. i haven't tasted any of these yet but i will try and get to a couple of them this weekend. the 2 from La Trappe are in ceramic bottles 750 Ml each, the Quadrupel is in a black ceramic bottle and the Tripel is in a Cream or White colored bottle. the Westmalle was a gift set that came with a very nice glass goblet. most likely i'll try the gift set first and hit the 2 big bottles next weekend, i have a 4 day weekend so i'll have tons of time to try them. i'll post some tasting notes once i try each one. if any one has ever had any of these, let us know what you think. wish me luck!!! :cross:

no ones had em huh??

The Westmalle Tripel is one of the most magical things in life.

Ive had the Westmalle dubble, and i must say that it is a magnificent brew. I pick one up every now and then. I may be biased towards it since it was my first trappist, but either way i will continue to enjoy it for years to come

Haven't had any of them. Honestly, I'm not a huge Belgian beer fan yet. I'm sure I'll evolve eventually.....

Man, I've got to look for these. I've got "belgium fever"

i just opened the Dubbel, i'm letting it warm up right now, i'll give some tasting notes in a few. i did notice that there is of course yeast in the bottom so i'm trying to make a starter with it, not that i'm brewing any time soon, i just want to see if it will grow. that way i know for when i start doing trappist ales.

justbrewit said:

i did notice that there is of course yeast in the bottom so i'm trying to make a starter with it, not that i'm brewing any time soon, i just want to see if it will grow.

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This resource indicates that it's a difficult strain to culture, but it only costs a few cents and a little time to try. I recently failed trying to culture an Aventinus, but I'll try it again sometime.

http://www.nada.kth.se/~alun/Beer/Bottle-Yeasts/

tasting notes for the dubbel

slightly roasty, a little bit of malt flavor, not much bitterness. almost a slight sour taste to it. over all, pretty good! almost reminds me of what a brown ale tastes like but more concentrated. if that makes any sense

edit: also a slight alcohol taste, not every strong, but its there.

tasting notes on the Westmalle Trappist tripel:

nice clean flavor, malty, slightly fruity. i think i poured a little of the yeast in while decanting, slight off flavor and after taste. still a very pleasant beer, very refreshing. this one is 9.5% but you really can't taste the alcohol at all.

if i could afford it, i'd make this one a daily drinker

All four of those beers are terrific, and for the most part readily available in the USA when you return. I'm a HUGE fan of Westmalle, and would make both the tripel and dubble daily drinkers if my pocket and liver could afford it.