Multi-cereal beer, tripel type, high fermentation, with second fermentation in bottle.
The Karmeliet Tripel comes with a complex range of colours from gold to bronze and a layer of dense and creamy foam.
The varied selection of cereals used is the origin of a set of aromas that surprises us when approaching the nose: Golden apple, banana, vanilla and orange. Its fine, dry taste finishes with a touch of ripe and candied fruit. The Karmeliet Tripel is served in one of the most elegant glasses, designed by Antoine Bosteels and decorated with a flower of lys, symbol of its nobility and very refined character.
The Bosteels brewery, which impresses with its architectural beauty (the family house painted white, with a central courtyard bordered by the buildings of the brewery, of which the tower-shaped drawing room stands out), was founded by Jozef Bosteels in 1791 in the Flemish village of Buggenhout. Six generations of Bosteels have been dedicated to creating and brewing some of Belgium’s most iconic beers, known around the world as the Kwak. Today, 50% of its production is exported.
After several years of testing, Tripel Karmeliet, the last creation of the Bosteels brewery, was born in late 1996.
The idea of brewing a multicereal beer came when Antoine Bosteels, a young owner of the Bosteels Brewery, realized the success of multi-grain bread, a richer product, more balanced and healthier than single-grain bread. Since beer is liquid bread, he chose three cereals to make his new beer: barley, wheat and oats. As the three cereals are used in both raw and malted versions, one could speak of the use of six cereals.
After finding their final version, they found in a history book that the Carmelites of Dendermonde were already brewing multicereal beer around 1680. Antoine Bosteels’s surprise was enormous when in the archives of the town of Dendermonde found the recipe of this beer, which Curiously coincided with hers. That’s why they decided to call their Tripel Karmeliet beer.
This three-grain beer brewed with Steiermark hops has good herbal flavours. It owes its fruity character (banana and vanilla) to the home-cultured yeast. The vanilla mingles with the orange-like aroma from the hops. Not only does it have the lightness and freshness of the wheat, it also has the creaminess of oats and a herbal, lemony dryness almost reminiscent of quinine.
There is plenty of citrus in the note, also bitter lemon and sugar. A bit of malt on the tongue combined with sweet ripe fruit – exotic like banana. The finish also offers light citrusy touches but sweet malts as well.