Straffe Hendrik Bruges Tripel Ale Wild
I’ve had a few products from Belgium’s Brouwerij De Halve Maan. I believe the first was their Bruges Tripel — this base brew for this wild version. And each beer I’ve had from the company has been excellent. So what have we got here with this 9% ABV tripel?
We’ve got a great beer — that’s what we’ve got. The company has taken a solid offering and made it that much more interesting. There have been several occasions throughout the years where a brewery will play with an alternate version of a product. Sometimes that works out for the best, most it doesn’t.
With Bruges Tripel Ale Wild, we don’t necessarily get a beer that is better, but we certainly don’t get one that’s worse. It’s just an excellent tripel with the added twist of Brettanomyces within its golden depths.
Appearance
The beer pours golden amber in color with a rocky, tawny stack of foam.
Aroma
Yeast, distant stone fruits, grain, a touch of banana and a soft wild twinge all linger on the nose comfortably.
Taste
Ooh… that’s a fun beer. It’s definitely a wild tripel, there’s no bones about that. Yeast, funk, grain, stone fruits and a bit of alcohol hit immediately, hanging around for a good long while before fading to a lingering echo. A welcome wild yeast character that takes over late with latent grain notes and soft alcohol warmth.
Overall
Straffe Hendrik Bruges Tripel Ale Wild is an excellent beer, with a wonderfully fun wild side. I’ll have to sit down and check out this and the original version side-by-side to see which on I actually prefer. As it stands, and as memory serves, both are classic brews.
Rating: 4/5
