US Vs Belgium...Battle Tripel

In this heavyweight matchup between the reigning world champ Belgium and the spunky underdog US it's BATTLE TRIPEL. 

The contestants?

Fighting with the Belgian flag on its shoulders it's Brouwerij Bosteels with their Tripel Karmeliet!

Fighting for the red, white, and blue it's Tradewinds Tripel from The Bruery!

The US is in the far left corner while the Belgians occupy the spot right next to them.

To be fair the US has a bit of a handicap with Bosteels being in existence for WELL over 200 years.

The Bruery clocks in at somewhere around well, a LOT less than that. 

The US is playing dirty and messing with tradition since their Tripel is not totally to style. They have replaced the candi sugar used by the Belgians with rice. They also have a healthy dose of Thai basil thrown in the mix.

Belgium uses the classic yeast as well as their proprietary mix of the 3 grains wheat, oats, and barley. Tripel having dual meanings in this case with 3 grains and an ABV of 8.4 which is near the classic Westmalle Tripel that started it all.

The US came out swinging with a sweet and a bit spicy aroma of Thai basil. First sip? CRISP. Lots of carbonation and a tad sweeter than any Belgian style beer I've ever had. I didn't really taste the basil much just a mild spiciness but ouch that alcohol kicks in. This was just an ok tripel. The body was thin for me and The Bruery actually writes on their site that they used the rice to lighten the body. Overall it was just ok.

Next up is Belgium. On the nose there is a distinct vanilla sweetness but not too overpowering. Very clean, very nice. First sip? This blows the US out of the water. Not as sweet, a nice thick body from the grains, a little citrus, and not too much carbonation. This is smooth. A classic it is. The US had no chance.