Tasting- Duvel Tripel Hop

Duvel Tripel (not triple) Hop

DUVEL Tripel Hop 9.5%

A: Green beer! Tinged green color on the straw hay matte. Fast falling head. Sounds fizzy like champagne.

S: Hop pellets, caramel and a green hillside of spices, mostly clove.

T: Bitter lemon lime soda. Still very Duvel in malt and spice but for sure they added hops. Check.

M: Medium body with a shockingly uncomfortable hop bitter that messes up the taste buds.

O: Not redeeming this hops thing. Hops and belgiuan bitter. Bitter beer face happened around the table. This is not what Americans are looking for either.

Ugh and Meh but it is the closest thing to a hop blossom I've nosed in weeks- Yum!

The Tripel Hop bounces itself out of the Belgian family tree into the mouths of the chirping American craft beer drinkers in an attempt to be hip with the hop. Unfortunately you have you have more then just a heavy handed hop wholesaler to make a pint sing with the green, instead of just looking ill. Duvel did a great job of sticking to it's guns and keeping their hyper caramelized Belgian national the same as it was (meh) while adding triple the amount of hops.

Although three hops are used, the two base stay the same (Saaz or Citra I assume), the third changes each year 'for the true beer lover' says the website. This year there was Sorachi Ace Hops.

By using three instead of two hop varieties to brew, we obtain additional hop aromas and an increased bitterness. The typical Duvel palate is enriched with Sorachi Ace hops providing fresh notes of citrus and mint.

[caption id="attachment_1170" align="alignright" width="432"] Duvel isn't the right color for the Emerald Hop City inhabitants, but that'll change[/caption]

The Tripe Hop does have that tangy, refreshing bouquet that the hop hunter cocks the gun for, but on a better examination Duvel isn't the beast we are seeking. Still out of season. Give the company a few more years of (american) beer culture saturation and we'll be able to tear into the thing with raw hop addicted abandon. They've been making Mr.Tripel Hope since 2007, which isn't surprising. This isn't an IPA, mind you, but a Belgian Strong Ale- an animal of a different color (mostly green) all together.

Nitch MIGHT be purchasing Duvel Tripel Hop again, seeing as how it is oddly exotic, changes annually and (in France at least) is more easily accessible then an IPA.

XOXO