Style: Tripel
Brewery: Brouwerij Bosteels
Origin: Belgium
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 8.4%
Price: 32kr
Systembolaget: 71418
Tripel Karmeliet is brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels, which also brews Kwak. Created by Jean-Baptiste Bosteels in 1791, the brewery existed 39 years before the Kingdom of Belgium formed! This is brewed using a 3-grain
recipe that was discovered written in an old monastery in the 1700s, with barley, wheat, and oats all used in the beers’ production. This has been one of my go-to beers in my local pub for a while now, so I’m actually surprised it’s taken me this long to put this beer into a tasting!
The beer was bright gold in colour with a massive bubble bath frothy head. Lemon, sweet wheat, white sugar, cloves and yeast made up an enticing aroma. A very high carbonation filled the mouth when the beer was sipped, coating the palate completely. The taste was very similar to the aroma, with the citrus, wheat and yeast notes at the forefront. The warming alcohol was noticeable when swallowed, but it wasn’t to the detriment of the beer. The aftertaste was rather short but sweet, with the cloves continuing for some time after swallowing.
As I said, this is a beer I have drank many times and I like the combination of fresh flavours and easy drinkability along with the robust alcohol that adds another edge to the beer. I feel like I will be drinking this for many years to come!