Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet

First published in BEER April 2008 as part of a piece on beer in Sainsbury’s. More Sainsbury’s beers in previous post.

ABV: 8 per cent
Origin: Buggenhout, East Flanders, Belgium
Website www.bestbelgianspecialbeers.be

Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet

Flemish independent Bosteels, still in the hands of the same family that founded it in 1791, is best known for Pauwel Kwak – or rather for that beer’s elaborate glass, which looks like a piece of lab equipment in a wooden bracket. Kwak itself is a drinkable enough beer with some character, but much better is this lesser known speciality from the same brewery, which comes with rather more sensible glassware.

It’s a bottle conditioned golden abbey beer with a difference, made with three grains – barley, wheat and oats in both malted and unmalted forms, plus Styrian Goldings hops and spices – and allegedly based on a 1679 recipe from the Carmelite monastery in nearby Dendermonde.

The beer pours with a thick white head and a scented coriander and rye bread aroma. A complex, dry cereal palate has a velvety note from the oats and unusual spirity flavours – perhaps genever gin or good vodka – with pear, vanilla and more coriander. Citrus notes lift the obvious alcoholic weight, with a long, bready and botanical spiced orange finish.

The beer is one of a number of interesting Belgian and German imports currently available at Sainsbury’s alongside domestic specialities from Meantime and others. 

Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tripel-karmeliet/5368/