Better Beer Blog

The first time we were at The Trappist, Sammy and I ran across a flyer that promoted a Belgian beer tasting class to be hosted at The Trappist by Nicole and Nate. Unfortunately, we didn’t RSVP soon enough so we ended up missing out on that one. Lucky for us, the event generated enough interest that Nicole and Nate added a second date that we immediately reserved spots for. We had tentatively planned another event for this same day but we decided to bump it in favor of tasting Belgian ales.

In case you’ve never been, The Trappist is located in downtown Oakland, close to Oakland’s Chinatown. It is a very intimate bar, which is to say it’s small. The seating capacity is limited to 49, or so people. By the time we found parking and arrived, the bar area was full.

Nicole and Nate were our hosts for the event. Nicole and Nate both work at The Trappist. They are both recent BJCP judges (having taken the exam a week after myself), and Nate is an award-winning homebrewer. Unlike myself, where I took first and third in different categories, Nate has won Best of Show multiple times. In a nutshell, these people know their stuff and I like talking to and learning new things from people who know their stuff.

Normally in a tasting, you would go from lighter to darker, subtle flavors to more robust flavors, less bitter to more bitter and lower in alcohol to higher in alcohol. This is done primarily to avoid palette fatigue. Also, when dealing with a wide variety of beers, you would arrange your tastings to those guidelines to ease into the event. But if you really take a look at what you’re serving, it’s okay to change things up a bit. Afterall, these are just guidelines.

That being said, Nicole and Nate decided to pour out the tripels before the dubbels. While the tripels are higher in alcohol than the dubbels, the dubbels have a flavor profile that tends to stick a little more and have a mouthfeel heavier than the tripels.

For whatever reason, I always assumed that Tripels were an older beer style when they weren’t. The styles was “invented” at the Trappist brewery Westmalle shortly after World War 2. These beers were brewed in response to the lighter beers (lagers) coming out of Germany at the time. Despite the lightness in color, these beers pack a punch and have an ABV that ranges from7.5% - 9.5%. The higher alcohol content is said to come from a Belgian law banning distilled spirits from being consumed in public. Here are my notes in the order we were served:

• Witkap Tripel - The Witkap Tripel was the lightest beer of the day. With noticeable peppery, pear and apple aromas in the nose, some citrus and slight clove and banana notes. This was a very pale, straw yellow ale. The flavors matched the aroma as I tasted some of the pear and apple flavors balanced by the spicy, peppery flavors from the yeast. There was very low hop bitterness and flavor. Medium-low in body, good carbonation, it as a good beer to start off with.
• Westmalle Tripel - Westmalle is a Trappist brewery, one of only seven in the world. I initially smelled a very, slight sourness in the aroma when I first took a whiff that eventually went away. Some yeastiness in the nose with a good amount of spiciness. When compared to the Witkap, I found the Westmalle to be fuller in body, similar carbonation but with more spicy/peppery notes in the flavor and aroma.
• Chimay Cinq Cents - Of all the Belgian breweries we would be trying today, Chimay is the Trappist brewery most concerned with commercial output. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that any of their beers have been “dumbed down” for mass consumption. This beer, like the two other before it, shares many of the same characteristics that make it a Tripel. There are the spicy/peppery aromas and flavors, the pear and apple fruit aromas and flavors, citrus aromas and flavors, as well as the clove phenolics and banana esters. Unlike the other two beers, the Chimay Tripel is noticeable hoppier than it’s predecessors.
• La Rulle Tripel - This was probably the most interesting Tripel of the day. It is brewed by Brasserie Artisinale de Rulles and is the youngest of the breweries having been started in 1999 by Grégory Verhelst. Sweeter than the others, this Tripel had a slightly different hop flavor than the others as well as noticeable citrus notes. I asked Sammy to confirm this but I also got a whiff of fish sauce in the aroma. Served warmer than the other, this Tripel had noticeable alcohol flavors and aroma. What makes this beer especially different than the others was the use of American hops varieties, Amarillo and Warrior. This gave the beer a different flavor characteristic as well as bringing out American citrus characteristics. A good and interesting beer.

By contrast, the Dubbel style is one of the oldest styles of beers made today. This particular style of beer was developed in monasteries during the middle ages. Dubbels are also brewed with Belgian candy sugar which is developed from beets (instead of sugar cane) and are caramelized. Brewing with candy sugar ups the alcohol level and thins out the body slightly. Here are my notes for the Dubbels:

• Westmalle Dubbel - Unsurprisingly, Westmalle brews a Dubbel as well. This beer has a sweet, complex, malty aroma with the spicy yeasty aromas less prominent than in the Tripels. There are some banana esters, biscuit aromas and dark fruit aromas as well. The flavor is well indicated by the aromas as the complex malt flavors are sweet, with hints of caramel, molasses and dark fruit flavors. This is a medium bodied, high-carbonated ale.
• Koningshoven Dubbel - According to Nicole, Koningshoven and Westmalle have a bit of a rivalry going on. Their Dubbels are in direct competition with one another and usually people either love or hate one or the other. While I don’t necessarily hate the Westmalle, I do prefer the Koningshoven. Out of the seven Trappist breweries, this is the only one not located in Belgium but in the Netherlands. Koningshoven has the “black sheep” label among the Trappist breweries as they, at one point in time, lost their Trappist status only to get it back. Ah, the drama of the beer world! This beer is sweet with slight sherry notes, dark fruit aromas and flavors, with slight banana esters. The flavor is reminiscent of the Petrus Oud Bruin, just without the sourness. My favorite so far.
• Serafijn Donker - From what Nicole and Nathan said Serafijn Donker is brewed by Microbrouwerij Achille, or Achille Microbrewery. Despite the exotic, yet refined name, Microbrouwerij Achille is little more than a large scale homebrew operation. It’s always good to hear an “amateur” turn “pro” in this industry, gives hope to the rest of us. This is a dark, caramel colored beer with ruby highlights and an off-white head. Sweet, complex malt flavors, some dark fruit and some nut flavors as well.

At the end of the tasting session, we were able to get a full pour from whatever The Trappist had on tap. I ordered the Allagash White while Sammy ordered the Oud Beersel Framboise. Here are my notes for each:

• Allagash White - Brewery out of Portland, Maine, they have been crafting beers since the summer of 1995. Allagash White is their interpretation of a Belgian Wheat Ale. This beer was a hazy, pale gold color with white head. Clovey, spicey phenolics dominate the aroma and flavor. It is light in body with good carbonation. Within the range of acceptible flavors of a witbier, the Allagash White favors the spicey end of the flavor spectrum. While a refreshing beer, I don’t recall tasting any of the slight tartness usually associated with the style. This beer is not as sweet, either. By comparison, a Hoegaarden is sweeter with less phenolics. 5% ABV.
• Oud Beersel Framboise - This is a lambic style ale flavored with raspberries. I only took a quick sip of this. There is a noticeable tartness in both the aroma and flavor with almost no hop aroma, flavor or bitterness. The raspberry flavors are upfront but are balanced out by the sour flavors. When compared to the widely accessible Lindemans Framboise, the Oud Beersel is a more traditional interpretation of the style. The Lindemans is almost cloyingly sweet and the trademark sourness of a lambic is a shadow of the Our Beersel Framboise. For first time fruit lambic drinkers, I’d recommend the Lindemans but if you’re the adventurous type, I would recommend the Oud Beersel instead. 6% ABV.

As with most beer events we go to, Sammy and I were able to meet some new people. We were able to talk to Nicole more while I was able to speak to Nate more in depth. He is very down to earth and an accomplished homebrewer winning Best of Show at the 2008 BABO (Bay Area Brew Off), where my altbier took 1st in it’s category. He also did very well at the 2008 World Cup Homebrew Competition. Nate is supposed to stop by Beer and Winemakers of America and Rabbit’s Foot sometime in the future and I invited him to contact me whenever he’d be in town so we could grab a couple of beers.

We also got to talk with briefly with Will, Andy, and Frank. I wanted to speak with them a bit more but I got carried away talking with Nate.

Sammy and I also had the good fortune to speak with and get to know Roland and Holly as well. Roland is a regular at The Trappist (Lucky!), visiting about twice a week. His original goal was to try all the beers in the “Bible” as he calls it (actually The Trappist beer menu) but has since changed his mind as the remaining beers are Belgian styles he isn’t too enamored with. Roland was kind enough to introduce me to his “poison”, as he calls it. Here are my notes:

• Mahler Dark Brut - This is a big, beautiful beer. Even though this beer clocks in at 12% ABV, you don’t taste any of the alcohol, nor is it in the aroma. This beer is a cross between Duchess de Bourgogne and Petrus Oud Bruin. The aromas are complex, with sweet malt, dark fruit, sherry, and wood at the tip of the aromatic iceberg. The flavors are no less complex as the sweet malt, dark fruit and even coffee flavors have a rave in my mouth. Despite the sweetness, this is a dry beer. I completely understand why Roland describes this as his “poison”. At $36/bottle, this will easily kill my discretionary spending budget!

At the end of our time there, Sammy and I had a lot of fun. As much as I like to think I know about beer, it is always great to go someplace to learn more. I was already familiar with the Triple and Dubbel styles but this tasting has given me a greater respect and understanding of these two Belgian styles. I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is interested in beer to attend a tasting session hosted by The Trappist. At the very least, you’ll be able to figure out what’s on their beer menu!

Tripel and Dubbels Tasting at the Trappist Click to view complete gallery

This past week the class covered the Amber Hybrid and Belgian ale styles. I forget now but at the time, I remember contemplating whether or not I should go to class. I am very glad that I decided to go as the Belgian ale portion of the class was really enjoyable. Talk about complexities! There’s a lot of beer going on in the Belgian ales. You could, literally, take an entire college semesters going over just Belgian ales. While there are a few broad categories, the sheer number of variations within those categories is staggering.

We’re talking about a country where beer is as much a part of the national diet as soda is for the United States. Sure, Germany has long been known for being the “beer capital” of the world but I think the ales that Belgium produces have so much going on and are consistent. There’s the subdued malts and hop flavors, the fruity esters and spiciness, the aromas and flavors… wow. Good stuff.

I know I used to do do individual beer reviews but they took a lot of time and effort. I get… reviewed out by the end of class and by then, I just really want to crack open a cold one for the sake of enjoyment and not because I have to work on it. I’ll bring the individual reviews back after the BJCP classes are over but for now, here are my tasting notes from class.