St-Idesbald Tripel

The Brewery Huyghe has been in existence since 1654; it’s a commercial fact since 1906. Established in Melle, East Flanders, Belgium, it’s still a family-run company. Its flagship product is the well-known Delirium Tremens, but I enjoyed here one of their more unsung beers, the St-Idesbald Tripel.

It’s an Abbey beer, which supposes an arrangement with an existing monastery. And it’s a Triple, which means a strong pale ale – here, 9% ABV.

It’s a crystal-clear beer. The nose exudes a surprising vinous character that we find a little bit of on the palate too, reminiscent of brut champagne. Spiced by hops, aromas of malts are very present. At first sour, the aftertaste is slightly bitter. For an Abbey, the feeling is disconcerting – in this case, very positively outside the norm.