Why aren't Tripels more popular?

[Pehlman17]

Why aren't Tripels more popular commercially? To me they hit so many of the same marks that a lot of IPAs and DIPAs are going for these days. Super lean, dry, fruity. Not to mention 8%-9% ABV. Plus, they last. I don't worry if a tripel is 6 months old. They can actually take a fair bit of hopping, but also don't need the 5+ pounds per barrel most brewers are throwing at their IPAs now. They've got to be cheaper to produce too comparatively. Im curious where the lack of demand might be coming from. Does the term "Belgian" just turn people off? I guess I've always been a bit curious why Belgian beer isn't more popular. I would imagine that they would fit the modern palate quite well. At least the classic Trappist/Abbey styles.

 

[mschoeffler]

I have wondered the same thing. I suspect that the average joe’s experience is with an Americanized version, which will have too complex of a grain bill and too many phenols from higher temperatures and the wrong yeast. Of course, my version is better and a perfect summer sipper. Most have not had the real thing…it’s a beautiful thing.

 

[Pehlman17]

I have wondered the same thing. I suspect that the average joe’s experience is with an Americanized version, which will have too complex of a grain bill and too many phenols from higher temperatures and the wrong yeast. Of course, my version is better and a perfect summer sipper. Most have not had the real thing…it’s a beautiful thing.

I had the same exact thought. Outside of maybe Allagash and Ommegang, most American versions were overly heavy and messy. But so was IPA for a while. They were malty and over-bittered at the same time. But brewers went about fixing it as opposed to abandoning the style. I feel like Belgians have just sort of been dropped. Why not work at making them better?

 

[khannon]

Tripels are my Achille's heel. They were my gateway beer (Thanks Victory and Unibroue..) I make a Tripel every year on my birthday to enjoy year round.
Allagash makes a great one, and also did a blend with their tripel and another brewery's pilsner(?) called Cur8 that was great.

Recently, I did a tripel for 2 homebrew fests, and it was incredibly well received. I called my breakfast tripel (a play on a breakfast stout) The day before the fests, I added maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the keg. It came out damn close to french toast.

I prefer traditional tripels myself, and never hesitate to buy anyone's commercial example. I wish there were more, but for now, I guess I'll keep making my own.

 

[user 246304]

I had the same exact thought. Outside of maybe Allagash and Ommegang, most American versions were overly heavy and messy. But so was IPA for a while. They were malty and over-bittered at the same time. But brewers went about fixing it as opposed to abandoning the style. I feel like Belgians have just sort of been dropped. Why not work at making them better?

So funny you posted this thread - literally just thinking of making one. In fact, I just pitched a Festbier day before last and I have the grist for a 1952 Lee's Mild ready to go - and I brew 95% or so British ales only. But on this warm day, a beautiful, refreshing - even at 9%! - Belgian, with its devilishly light palate and balance - would be just the ticket. So planning on another tripel, recipe that worked beautifully last time.

 

[Bramling Cross]

They were wildly popular in the late 90's but, for whatever reason, fell out of fashion. A properly made Tripel is a real tour de force of brewing skill. In my opinion, it's one of the hardest styles to get right. Not just okay, but really, really right.

My seemingly inexhaustible thirst for Tripels and Dubbels was a primary impetus for me to start brewing. They were expensive and I was broke. A few decades later, I'm a much more competent brewer and sometimes toy with the idea of going back and revisiting these styles. But, solidly parked in middle age as I am and keenly aware that beers need to be paid for in exercise, the idea of having 5-6 gallons of those rather large beers clogging up my fridge doesn't seem quite as appealing when I stop with the day dreaming and try to shoehorn them into my brewery's schedule.

They're amazing beers, but I think I prefer them as every so often treats rather than staple beers.

 

[Bramling Cross]

So funny you posted this thread - literally just thinking of making one. In fact, I just pitched a Festbier day before last and I have the grist for a 1952 Lee's Mild ready to go - and I brew 95% or so British ales only. But on this warm day, a beautiful, refreshing - even at 9%! - Belgian, with its devilishly light palate and balance - would be just the ticket. So planning on another tripel, recipe that worked beautifully last time.

View attachment 856251

That is a fine looking ale, sir.

 

[user 246304]

That is a fine looking ale, sir.

Thanks buddy!

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

I agree. I read this and went looking for a Triple I made. Must have drank it all, which proves the point when I think about it.

 

[mac_1103]

keenly aware that beers need to be paid for in exercise

Get a Beagle.

 

[MaxStout]

I've taken a few swings at Tripel and its close relative, Belgian golden strong, and managed to make so-so beer. @Bramling Cross is right in that it takes a good bit of skill. Seemed that success at this was tantalizingly out of my reach.

Those are examples of some styles that I enjoy, but never built up the brewing-fu to make to my satisfaction, so those are beers that I buy. I don't drink the big Belgians a lot, so it's easy to go to the store and pick some up once in a while as a treat.

Hazies are another such style. I like them, but have never hit success with them. Being a bottler puts me at a disadvantage on hop-forward beers like that, so I pick 'em up at the store. I'm not copping out. I could keep trying those, but there are so many other styles I like and can emulate well, and those are core competencies I stick with.

As for popularity, I remember seeing a lot more of the big Belgians at breweries 10-15 years ago. There was one place in Minneapolis, Harriet Brewing, that specialized in them and made excellent beers. Unfortunately, it closed up several years ago. Today I see an occasional Belgian offered in some breweries, but more often Dubbels and Saisons. They're typically seasonals. I can't recall seeing a Tripel on tap in a long time, but then I don't go to as many breweries as I did in the past.

I've also noticed smaller selections of Belgian beers on store shelves now, FWIW.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Get a Beagle.

Boy would I love to! I'm doing five miles 5-6 times a week in some woods along the Potomac. It would be fun to share those slogs with a dog.

 

[user 246304]

Boy would I love to! I'm doing five miles 5-6 times a week in some woods along the Potomac. It would be fun to share those slogs with a dog.

Big congrats man! To me there's no better exercise than doing it in nature. Unfortunately after the Olympics I'm screwed. Watching Katie Ledecky, I've returned to training in the pool after 40 years away. 8500 or so yards over the last couple of weeks. In other words, what Katie does in one workout. Thanks, Katie.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Oh yeah! That first week is brutal!

 

[Agent]

Ignorance is bliss. Having never experienced a benchmark-grade Tripel, I have been quite happy with my few attempts.

Their popularity is probably low because we humans are simple creatures. When picking a beer, we choose between Hops, Malt, Roast, Light, or Flavored. Balanced between multiple categories? Fat chance!

 

[user 246304]

Oh yeah! That first week is brutal!

Yessir. Sucking wind doesn't begin to cover it. Still, for a 63 year old dude, I think I'm rockin' it. See?

 

[Bramling Cross]

Actually, having thought about it a bit more while cleaning up after today's brew day, Tripels have a very simple grain and hops bill, but they're quite unique bills compared to what most breweries are using (at least they're unique here in the States).

As homebrewers we're really lucky, we don't need to buy ingredients by the tractor trailer load. It's easy for us to keep 2-4 base malts on hand and a crayola box worth of specialty malts. A production brewery doesn't have that luxury, especially when it comes to base malts. Making a quality Tripel requires a brewery to make a big commitment to some very expensive pils malt. Then they've got to think about the sugar, they're going to need a lot of it. That's expensive and it takes up a lot of space. They could make the sugar, but that requires new capital and even more space.

Then there's the hops. Most breweries are big into the fruity pebbles hops these days, so they're going to have to open a supply chain for specific hops for their Tripel. Again, more space, more complication, more money.

And then there's the yeast... Enough said.

All for a style that was wildly popular for 8-10 years, then quickly receded. That's just not a risk most breweries would care to take.

 

[MaxStout]

Maybe this is part of a bigger trend away from "traditional styles made traditionally." People want new flavors, are willing to mix it up. They want fruit, spices, herbs, flavor extracts, and Fruity Pebbles. European beers brewed with American hops. Dogs and cats living together.

There are just fewer beers still made to tradition. It's not all bad.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Maybe this is part of a bigger trend away from "traditional styles made traditionally." People want new flavors, are willing to mix it up. They want fruit, spices, herbs, flavor extracts, and Fruity Pebbles. European beers brewed with American hops. Dogs and cats living together.

There are just fewer beers still made to tradition. It's not all bad.

I remember listening to a brewing podcast while I was stuck running a COVID night shift and the brewer was asked about why sweet, fruity, and sour beers were so ubiquitous these days. He said something along the lines of, "I have to brew beers for people that were raised on sour patch kids."

That made me chuckle.

 

[mac_1103]

So anyway, I love Belgians in general and tripels in particular. And everybody loves my tripels. Except me. I think they're just OK. Same goes for my golden ales. Need to keep working at it. I was a bit happier with my last (smaller) blonde. OTOH, my quads are awesome if I do say so myself. It's actually a much more forgiving style to brew IMO.

 

[Pehlman17]

I remember listening to a brewing podcast while I was stuck running a COVID night shift and the brewer was asked about why sweet, fruity, and sour beers were so ubiquitous these days. He said something along the lines of, "I have to brew beers for people that were raised on sour patch kids."

That made me chuckle.

Man, I've been saying something similar for years. Beer is an adult beverage, but for some reason we seem to be making beer for children now. Most coolers at the local liquor store basically look like the cereal aisle of a grocery store.

 

[Snuffy]

I remember listening to a brewing podcast while I was stuck running a COVID night shift and the brewer was asked about why sweet, fruity, and sour beers were so ubiquitous these days. He said something along the lines of, "I have to brew beers for people that were raised on sour patch kids."

That made me chuckle.

I think that whole fruit beer scene was designed to get women into the brew pubs. Problem is, it worked.

Not that I have a problem with women enjoying beer. It's more about the ever looser interpretation of the term and the smaller and smaller portion of the list that has anything I would order on it. Of course, I'm not anybody's target demographic anymore, so I'll brew my own, thank you.

 

[Pehlman17]

Dogs and cats living together.

Mass hysteria.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Love Belgian's!

There is a little place in north western (not UP) Mich that I feel does them well. Stormcloud brewing out of Frankfort. Sadly, I only get one or two visits a year when we are on vacation, but I highly recommend them to those that make it up that way.

Love almost all of their stuff (short of the sours) and the food is good too!

 

[Pehlman17]

To me, Tripel and other Belgian styles have actually made great gateway beers in the past. They're so unique that people who only knew macro lagers and maybe Guinness had no idea beer could taste like that. Obviously craft beer opened people's eyes to so much more the past couple decades. But I feel like we've sort of lost that in a way. Variety has kind of gone away, or at least is much more limited. Of course there are other factors (Covid, etc) but I feel like the import beer section at places like Total Wine and BevMo used to be huge. I remember studying for the Cicerone exam back in 2012 and I could find pretty much any style on the shelf, often from the place of origin. I recall sitting down with 5 English porters side by side. Now if I'm lucky I can find Samuel Smith's... Fuller's has basically disappeared near me. Anyway, with prices rising and hop crops being so hit and miss due to climate factors, I don't see why something like Belgian Tripel or even Belgian Single can't be something to catch on.

 

[mac_1103]

Mass hysteria.

Biblical.

 

[Pehlman17]

I don't know. I just hear the way people (brewers) talk about IPA these days and it makes me wonder why thats the style we're all chasing. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy them, and yes I've even started coming around on the hazies a bit more, but the way they're being made now I can only imagine is maddening. It's like if the wind blows the wrong way, or god forbid a single molecule of oxygen touches the thing, and its dead. A month-old IPA is like a 40 year old actress in Hollywood. I just don't get why that's the route everyone is taking when there is another style that has so many similarities but relatively so few of the drawbacks.

 

[jrgtr42]

There was a big fascination with Belgian beers in the craft scene a ways back - like 20 years ago. Part may have come from the “discovery” of Westvlerten, but other factors too.
In any case, for a while every brewery had “Belgian” this and “Belgian-style” that - mostly taking standard recipes and using Belgian yeasts. There were a few Belgian IPAs that actually worked out pretty well - again this was using more traditional hops versus the candy ones out now.

But for homebrewing I’ve done a Tripel a couple times, and Saison a couple more. They’re simple recipes- tripel is just the base grain with some sugar added - but it’s the process you want to get spot on. Even with something that big, any flaws will show through - oxidation, diacetyl, and so on.
Saisons are a bit more complex, but still need to make sure your process is right.
Dubbels and quads are more complex with the recipe, but a bit more forgiving for process. The bigger flavors can hide a little bit of variation.

 

[gaviga]

Why aren't Tripels more popular commercially? To me they hit so many of the same marks that a lot of IPAs and DIPAs are going for these days. Super lean, dry, fruity. Not to mention 8%-9% ABV. Plus, they last. I don't worry if a tripel is 6 months old. They can actually take a fair bit of hopping, but also don't need the 5+ pounds per barrel most brewers are throwing at their IPAs now. They've got to be cheaper to produce too comparatively. Im curious where the lack of demand might be coming from. Does the term "Belgian" just turn people off? I guess I've always been a bit curious why Belgian beer isn't more popular. I would imagine that they would fit the modern palate quite well. At least the classic Trappist/Abbey styles.

The strength. If you drink 2+ a night, you'll be legally drunk.

 

[gaviga]

Get a Beagle.

I have 2. I still have to moderate!