Style(s): Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel
Dubbel (Double), Tripel (Triple), and Quadrupel (Quad). These are familiar terms to beer lovers all over the world, but what does each style represent, where does it come from and what are the differences?
I have had my own answers to these questions, but i have never taken the time to really find out where they come from, and their exact definitions.
So if you were wondering the same thing, this is your lucky day!
So, lets start with the Dubbel.
A Dubbel is a trappist naming convention, the first to use this term being the Abbey of Westmalle, all the way back in 1856!
The monks of Westmalle originally brewed a light beer (which nowadays is often referred to as patersbier). Later on, the monks started brewing a stronger variant which was brown in color but still retained the sweetness of the original flavor. Later on, in 1926, the brew was altered and became stronger and more like the dubbel style that we know today.
The first recorded sale of the "dubbel" beer of Westmalle was back in 1861, but in terms of popularity, the beer really took off after World War 2. Due to its popularity, the Westmalle Dubbel was copied by other breweries (independent and trappist alike). This popularity and the following imitation led to the emergence of the style "dubbel". Dubbels are now characterized by being fairly strong in terms of alcohol percentage (6-8%), having a brown colour, and a fruity character.
So lets move on, time for the Tripel!
Last but not least, lets talk about the Quadrupel!
So, there you have it, the history behind each style and its notable differences!
Dubbel (Double), Tripel (Triple), and Quadrupel (Quad). These are familiar terms to beer lovers all over the world, but what does each style represent, where does it come from and what are the differences?
I have had my own answers to these questions, but i have never taken the time to really find out where they come from, and their exact definitions.
So if you were wondering the same thing, this is your lucky day!
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| Trappist Ales |
So, lets start with the Dubbel.
A Dubbel is a trappist naming convention, the first to use this term being the Abbey of Westmalle, all the way back in 1856!
The monks of Westmalle originally brewed a light beer (which nowadays is often referred to as patersbier). Later on, the monks started brewing a stronger variant which was brown in color but still retained the sweetness of the original flavor. Later on, in 1926, the brew was altered and became stronger and more like the dubbel style that we know today.
The first recorded sale of the "dubbel" beer of Westmalle was back in 1861, but in terms of popularity, the beer really took off after World War 2. Due to its popularity, the Westmalle Dubbel was copied by other breweries (independent and trappist alike). This popularity and the following imitation led to the emergence of the style "dubbel". Dubbels are now characterized by being fairly strong in terms of alcohol percentage (6-8%), having a brown colour, and a fruity character.
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| Me, enjoying a Westmalle Dubbel! |
Our friends at Westmalle were at it again, they too were responsible for the emergence of this style of beer!
The Tripel was a naming convention used by the monks at Westmalle to rename their strongest beer, back in 1956! The original name of the beer was "Superbier" or "Superbeer", so lets all be glad that they changed the name.
Is it a bird?, is it a plane? No!…. its SUPER BEER!!!
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| Source: Incrediblethings |
Once again, the popularity of the brand Westmalle, ensured that this term was copied by other brewers, and once again led to the emergence of a new beer style. The Westmalle recipe was changed in 1956, and has remained essentially unchanged ever since. There were some recorded beers using the name tripel, prior to 1956, but low awareness caused these to have faded away into history (apparently some were also dark in colour).
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| Enjoying a Westmalle Tripel |
Last but not least, lets talk about the Quadrupel!
And no, it wasn't invented by Westmalle..
The Quadrupel is intended to be stronger than the Tripel, and as such should be stronger than the average Tripel. This is pretty much where the guidelines for the style end, making this the least defined beer style of the three. So a Quad will usually have an alcohol percentage of 10% or more.
Therefore, Quadrupel or Quad is an umbrella term used to usually describe a (trappist) breweries strongest beer, the term Quad has become quite popular to describe such a beer. The term Quadrupel is used by La Trappe, a trappist brewery in the Netherands, as a name for their strongest beer.
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| Me, enjoying a La Trappe Quadrupel |
Go out there and enjoy these great beer styles!
Cheers!
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