Sometimes, I go through these weird beer cravings. I mean, I’m a dedicated hop head, so I’m almost always in the mood for an IPA. But, lately I’ve been wanting Belgian brews. I haven’t had any in awhile, so that could be why. So, last weekend (which was also conveniently Belgian Independence Day), I headed to one of my favorite beer bars in New Jersey (Twin Light Tap House) and had some of their Belgians on tap. This was the first one.
ABV: 9%
Style: Tripel
Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Straffe Hendrik is a Bitter Tripel Ale of 9% abv. The beer was originally from Bruges and brewed in Bruges by brewery De Halve Maan. In 1981, Henri Maes and his daughter Véronique followed the demand of the mayor and created a strong blond beer for the inaugration of the statue of Sint-Arnoldus, the saint of all beer-brewers. However, the beer became so popular, that the demand fot the beer continued. It was given the name of Straffe Hendrik (Strong Hendrick), since it was a rich and strong beer. Today, Straffe Hendrik is the last authentic Tripel Ale of Bruges.”
Random: This was recommended to me by Mark. I hadn’t even heard of this one before, but he said that it was great on tap.
This bad boy poured with a one finger, off white head on a cloudy orange body. It dissipated very slowly and left some lacing on the glass. There was no visible carbonation on the brew due to the cloudiness. The nose was just great. I got golden fruit, lemon, Belgian yeast and spice. Although, it is worth mentioning that this wasn’t as heavy a nose as I’m used to for a tripel. The taste was just as good as the nose. It teemed with golden fruit, apricot and coriander. Lemon came through as well after a few sips. This was really bright for a tripel. Some other notes came through later of wheat and hay. There really was a lot going on with this beer. The booze let you know that it was there with some slight warming. The body was medium thickness with moderate carbonation. The brew had a length finish with Belgian yeast. I loved this beer. One of the more interesting and bright Belgians. I would definitely have this again.
Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0
