Barry's Beer Reviews I Westmalle Tripel and Cheese

[Barry's Beer Reviews]

Having tried the Westmalle Dubbel in the past, this was an easy choice for my first video review of a Belgian trappist ale. Also, since tripel is amongsts my favorite styles of Belgian ales, I love trying new ones when I get the chance. Surprisingly before drinking this fine beer, I hadn't had a trappist ale in quite a while. One thing I had never done before the review was pair a tripel with cheese. So I asked the cheese people at Whole Foods (97th and Columbus, NYC) for a good cheese to pair with the Westmalle Tripel, and luckily they recommended one of my favorite cheddar cheeses i.e. Montgomery raw-milk cheddar. In general, a good rule of thumb for choosing a cheese to pair with a beer, is to match intensities. As such, a sharp/flavorful cheddar with a full-flavored / high ABV tripel. The carbonation of the beer cut through the creaminess of the cheddar and made for a great flavor combination. As for the beer, the dominant flavors were a nice tart lemon, spicy clove, sweetness from the malts and light candi sugar, and some breadiness from the yeast. Some alcohol esters were in the aftertaste. Drinkability was great due to the carbonation and pretty well hidden ABV. Mouthfeel was on the medium side, not too much carbonation felt on my palate. One characteristic that stood out was the great head retention, I owe to my Weyerbacher tulip glass and the quality of his fine Trappist Ale. 9/10

Westmalle Abbey History:

On 22 April 1836 the monastery became a Trappist abbey. In the same year abbot Martinus Dom started construction of a small brewery. In 1921, the monks decided to sell their beer to the beer trade, whereby sales increased further. In the early ‘30s, a new brewing hall, yeast room and workshop came into use. Some buildings of the current brewery date from this period. The bottling plant was modernised in 1956, and in 1968 the abbey obtained its own water treatment plant, long before there was any legal requirement for it. In 1991, they invested in a computer-controlled brewing hall. Recent examples of the drive towards better quality are the new bottling plant that came into use in 2000, and the just completed maturing cellar. In that underground store the beer ferments a second time in almost ideal conditions. With both investments, special attention was also paid to the working conditions and respect for the environment.

For almost 170 years, the brewery has only used pure ingredients: water, malt, hops, sugar and yeast. All this time they have made 100% natural beer with them. And with each investment, they aim for a better quality of the Trappist beer. That is the leitmotiv through the history of the brewery.


Recent Ratings:

Westmalle Dubbel: 4/5 Deschutes Jubelale: 4/5 Moylan's IPA: 3.7/5 Moylan's Double IPA: 4/5

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout: 4.1/5