Duvel Tripel Hop 2014

My dad is visiting at the moment and has been dragged by his rubber arm to a host of beer events around Cape Town. “So what’s happening tonight?” he asked, as we headed for Beerhouse on Long. “Well, there’s this Belgian beer that is made with three hops, and each year they change the third hop,” I explained. “Tonight is the launch of this year’s beer and we’ll find out which hop they’ve used.”

IMG_20140303_175210It was this moment when I realised the heights of my beer nerdery. I couldn’t wait to get there and see what a difference a hop makes; to  sample this year’s brew alongside the 2013 release. So I joined the usual beer geeks as the Belgian Beer Company unveiled the 2014 Duvel Tripel Hop. I did have a sneak peek on Duvel’s website, so I knew they’d used the Mosaic hop but have to admit I didn’t know much about it. For the uber brew geeks out there, all the information you’ll ever need is here. For those with a passing interest, it’s a newish (2012) US hop and the daughter of Simcoe. RebelBrewer.com even goes so far as to say: “Some have described it as Citra on steroids, but it’s much more than that. Rich in Mango, lemon, citrus, earthy pine, tropical fruit, herbal and stone fruit notes.” One thing’s for sure – Duvel sure know how to pick a hop.

One sniff of the new Duvel vintage and it’s clear that Mosaic is a stunning aroma hop. On inhaling I was transported to some luxury island resort serving fruit platters for breakfast. By which I mean it’s full of grapefruit and tropical fruit aromas. For me the extra hoppage makes Duvel dangerously quaffable (remember, it is 9.5%) and adds a complexity to the Belgian ale. The 2014 Tripel Hop finishes quite dry, leaving the palate cleansed in a way high alcohol beers often can’t.

IMG_20140303_183335Tripel  Hop was first brewed in response to the average beer lover’s insatiable thirst for hops. As well as the Saaz-Saaz and Styrian Golding hops used in the standard Duvel, a third hop is used in the boil and again for dry hopping. While we were being beer geeks, we decided to try a vertical tasting alongside the 2013 Tripel Hop, which used the Japanese strain Sorachi Ace. Grab a bottle of the 2013 while it’s still available and see for yourself  the amazing difference a sole hop can make to a beer. (Remember though, that hop aromas dissipate over time, so you need to sip and not just sniff if you want to compare).

Duvel Tripel Hop is now available in the usual Belgian beer outlets – try it at Den Anker or get in touch with the Belgian Beer Company for a list of stockists. And don’t forget to let me know what you think of the latest version.

This post first appeared on The Craft Beer Project.

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