Whilst placing a recent beer order, my cursor hovered over
an interesting sounding beer brewed in the Belgian Tripel style. The brewery
wasn’t from Belgium but this was their take on that category of beer. There’s
nothing wrong with that; interpretation of borrowed styles is 75% of what I
drink these days. It was a brewery I greatly respect too so why wouldn’t this
be good. Then I noticed the price – nearly £10. Well, I’ve paid more for beer
in the past, so…
But then I thought, why don’t I just buy a Belgian Tripel
from a great Belgian brewer instead? And why wasn’t that my first thought?
It’s been apparent to me for a while that Belgian, and
German beers for that matter, have become anachronistic in the British beer market.
Styles change, and beer is not immune to this, but the more they sequester the
greater the loss to our choices.
My first world beers , those great eons ago, were the
classics; Leffe, Hoegaarden, Erdinger etc and I owe them much to the evolution
of my tastes away from the traditional British ale style. From these
foundations I branched to the next big boys in bars such as Fernandes or Elliots
in Wakefield with beers such as Franziskaner, Weihenstephaner, Grimbergen and
Chimay. All classic beers, but classics for a reason. Delicious but different.
Historic yet evolutionary.
It concerns me that drinkers these days, especially the
“newbies,” are not drinking these beers in favour of the new wave arriving. Some
breweries are becoming the brand names of the beer world that are sought after
at a higher cost, but then why would you reach for an American or Danish interpretation
of a classic without ever having the classic? None of these great new craft
beer bars feel they are worth stocking anymore. Even the Grove’s beer menu has
evolved; where once it contained page upon page of Belgian and German delights,
now they are limited to half a page each as the British and Americans dominate.
So, tonight I’m opening the beer I bought when looking at
THAT Belgian Tripel. But it isn’t even a Belgian Tripel, it’s a Belgian
QUADRUPEL. At 11% this beer is brewed with a variety of complex malts and
designed specifically to improve with age in the bottle. Sound familiar? If
this was from a British or American brewery I’d probably already have read half
a dozen blogs about it
It is the Brouwerij de Halve Maan’s Straffe Hendrik
Quadrupel. It pours a robust black settling with an amber haze. The smell is
big; very vinous with pine, sultanas and a perfume quality. The taste is big
too. There’s a great warm toffee and liquorice feel and then a lick of raisins
that have been soaked in brandy. Then comes the sweetness that is all plums and
dark old fashioned candy. The alcohol does hit and there’s a slight burn
towards the end but the aftertaste is all roasted malts and that sweet Belgian
yeast characteristic. The carbonation is hidden enough to make this far too
enjoyable. In hindsight I wish I was having a hearty beef stew alongside this.
This was fantastic. I’ll certainly be ordering another
bottle to age for longer to see how it develops and I would highly recommend
you do too. And get yourself a range of Belgian beers whilst you’re at it and
appreciate the individuality of this nation.
Oh, and for a fantastic beer in this style and at this
strength was it nearly £10 like the other I nearly bought?
No. It was £2.59
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