How to pour
a tripel in
Rinse the glass with cold water and shake it out, but don’t dry it. A wet, grease-free surface lets the head build evenly, while grease from a dish towel or leftover rinse aid breaks down the foam.
Hold the glass at an angle of about forty-five degrees and let the tripel run down the side. This angle releases less carbonation at once than pouring straight onto the bottom, which makes a difference with a beer that has undergone secondary fermentation in the bottle.
Set the glass upright once it is two-thirds full and top it up from the center. Now you should release the carbonation, creating a two-finger head that keeps the spicy yeast notes above the beer.
Keep the bottle upright at the end and leave the last little bit with yeast in it, or deliberately pour it in if you want the beer cloudier and fuller. Don’t level off the head: with a tripel, it should remain high in the glass.
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The story
The names single, dubbel, and tripel say something about the strength within a brewery, not about a fixed standard. A brewer who places three beers side by side uses them to distinguish the lightest, middle, and strongest. There is no rule determining from what percentage a beer may be called a tripel, so two tripels from different breweries can vary considerably. What they share is the composition: pale malt for the light color, candi sugar that ferments almost completely and therefore provides alcohol without extra body, and a second fermentation in the bottle that creates the dense head and spicy yeast aromas.
The right glass
A tripel calls for a glass that tapers slightly toward the top: a tulip or a stemmed goblet. This shape keeps the spicy and fruity yeast aromas above the beer instead of letting them disappear, while the stem keeps your hand away from the contents, so a beer at 8 degrees doesn't warm up within a minute. Allow for a capacity of 38 to 40 cl, because besides the 33 cl from the bottle, there still needs to be room for a two-finger head. Looking for the official branded glass of a particular brewery? See the Belgian beer glasses.
Arcoroc Cervoise Beer Glass 38 cl (6 pieces)
Onis Munique Beer Glass 40 cl on Stem (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 60,90.
The right tools
Strictly speaking, for a tripel, all you need besides the glass is a bottle opener, and we don't sell those. If you want to measure out a splash of spirits precisely alongside it, use a jigger, and with a bar spoon, you can carefully layer one on top of another. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you'll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 56,85.
What do you pour alongside it?
The tripel takes center stage; these are the bottles that can sit beside it on the table. Genever is the closest match for its spicy yeast notes. Well-known bottles include Bokma and Beerenburg. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
There is quite a difference within the same family. A blond at 6 to 7 percent is lighter and drier, a dubbel is dark and malty, and a quadrupel goes well beyond that. If you leave a tripel in the bottle for a year, it becomes less lively and the fruit comes through more. If you pour it cloudy, including the yeast sediment, you will taste more clove and banana. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Take the bottle out of the refrigerator half an hour before serving; between 8 and 12 degrees, the spicy notes emerge, while very cold beer leaves little of them. Do not leave the glass in the sun in the meantime, because a tripel warms up quickly in a thin-walled glass. Olives or aged cheese go well with it.
Good to know
Where does the name tripel come from?
It comes from the order within a brewery. Single, dubbel, and tripel indicate which beer is the lightest, middle, and strongest in a series. It is not a standardized scale, so one brewery’s tripel can be very different from another’s.
Why is a tripel so light in color?
Because of the malt. A tripel is brewed with pale malt, which is barely roasted, and the extra alcohol comes from light candi sugar rather than dark malt. This keeps the color golden blond while the beer remains full-bodied.
What does candi sugar do in beer?
It ferments almost completely. The yeast converts the sugar into alcohol but leaves little residual sweetness and little body behind. This allows you to brew a beer of 8 to 9.5 percent that nevertheless remains rounded and drinkable instead of thick and sticky.
What is bottle conditioning?
When the beer is bottled, more yeast and a little sugar are added to the bottle. The yeast continues working there, producing carbon dioxide and creating a fine, dense head. The sediment you see at the bottom of the bottle is this yeast deposit; you can leave it behind or deliberately pour it in.
How cold do you serve a tripel?
Between 8 and 12 degrees. Colder temperatures suppress the aroma, leaving little of the pepper, clove, and banana; above twelve degrees, the alcohol comes through too strongly.
Frequently asked questions
Which glass do you use for a tripel?
A tulip or chalice on a stem, holding 38 to 40 cl. The shape that widens toward the top keeps the spicy and fruity yeast notes above the beer, while the stem keeps your hand away from the contents so the beer does not warm up immediately. The glass should leave room for 33 cl of beer plus a two-finger head.
How much alcohol is in a tripel?
Usually 8 to 9.5 percent. There is no standard that sets this, so you also come across tripels that fall just below or above that range. Because of the light color and rounded flavor, you often taste that strength less than you would expect.
What is the difference between a tripel and a dubbel?
The color and the sugar, not just the strength. A tripel uses pale malt and light candi sugar and stays golden blond; a dubbel uses dark malt and dark candi sugar and becomes dark brown, with caramel and dried fruit. A dubbel is also lower in alcohol, around 6 to 8 percent.
Do you pour in the yeast sediment as well?
You can choose that yourself. If you leave the sediment at the bottom of the bottle, the beer stays clear and tastes a little crisper. If you pour it in as well, the tripel becomes cloudy and the spicy yeast notes come through more strongly.
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