The Craft Beer Market
New Belgium Brewing Trippel is a Belgian Style Golden Ale brewed by New Belgium Brewing, a craft brewer based in Colorado. The craft beer market had been growing rapidly over the last 40 years after Congress legalized homebrewing in 1978. As a result, this inspired many beer enthusiasts to start their own small breweries. However, today the overall beer market is declining and the number of breweries in the United States is trending down. The predicted “beer apocalypse” is upon us.
New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing began brewing beer in 1991 after a 1988 trip to Belgium. One of their first beers was Fat Tire, a popular amber ale that was reimagined in 2023. The company today has a large selection of beers, including the popular line of Voodoo Ranger IPA, Belgian style beers, Fat Tire and more. They have tasting rooms and brewery tours in Fort Collins, Colorado and Asheville, North Carolina.
New Belgium Brewing Trippel Beer
New Belgium describes Trippel as a “Brewed since 1992, this golden beer opens with a bold blast of spicy Noble hops, courtesy of Saaz and Hallertau Mittelfruh, and gives way to fruity aromas from our traditional Belgian yeast. Brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts, Trippel is classically smooth and complex. It also sings with a high-note of sweet citrus before delivering a pleasantly dry finish with a warm, strong boozy bite. But don’t just take our word for it: it also won a gold medal for best Belgian-Style Tripel at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival.” Trippel has a 8.5% ABV, 43 IBU, 240 calories, about 20g carbs, 0g fat and 2.0-2.4g protein. It has a “Very Good” rating on Beer Advocate.
Our Review of New Belgium Trippel
I have had Fat Tire Amber Ale from New Belgium. Despite my preference for amber and red ales, I don’t like it at all. I dislike it so much that I bring my own beer to my friend’s parties, knowing that he only serves Fat Tire. I have not tried any of the VooDoo Ranger beers, but I will.
I have tried three Belgian Tripel beers, Allagash Brewing Tripel, Draughtsmen Aleworks Tipsy Trappist and North Coast Pranqster. I found it interesting that a beer could be so high in alcohol and robust in taste but low On IBU. All were very good, but of the three, I preferred Draughtsmen’s Tripel, which was fine to drink by itself. The other two needed to accompany a meal.
The first thing I noticed about New Belgium Trippel was its 43 IBU, about twice the other three beers. While this is a very good beer (note the Very Good Beer Advocate rating), the IBU difference was very notable. Between that and the 8.5% ABV, I agree that it had a “strong boozy bite.” It pushed the limits of my beer preferences and I probably would not drink it again. I prefer any of the other three.
For other Tripel recommendations, see our reviews of Tipsy Trappist Belgian Tripel at Draughtsmen Aleworks, North Coast PranQster and Allagash Tripel.
For beer nutritional information of all beers we have reviewed see Beer Nutritional Information.
