The Cistercian abbey of Westmalle furnishes us with two fantastic beers, the Dubbel and Tripel - the latter being possibly the most famous of all Trappist beers, and arguably the one that started the whole bandwagon off.
The Dubbel is a dark satisfying beer with a nice balanced sweetness and a reasonable alchohol content at ABV 7%. The balance between the bitterness of the hops and the soft fruityness makes this a very comfortable drink, especially in autumn and winter.
The Tripel is a golden coloured, strong (ABV 9,5%) complex beer, perhaps one of the most multifaceted beers of all. It combines many tastes, fruit, bitterness, softness (if that is a taste) and has real staying power in the mouth. A long complex symphony of flavours that is more like a good wine than a beer. The alcohol content gives it a strong sweetness, but this is balanced perfectly by the other flavours in the mix. In my opinion it is best served colder than the recommended temperature on a sunny day sitting
opposite a church - heavenly! Truly a word class beer.
