Last month we had the Straffe Hendrik Tripel, which I believe is among Belgium best lot of Tripels. Once a year, they take a batch of the tripel and referment in the bottle with a wild Brettanomyces yeast. And the 2023 version is the 10th edition of this special beer.
‘Brett’ beers are in interesting creature, the yeast has a very strong aroma and flavour effect on the beer which makes them quite divisive. Those that like Brett beers absolutely love them, but there are just as many people who don’t like them. (So I apologise in advance to those people, but do try and stick it out!)
I think this is a particularly strong dose of Brett in this beer, it is quite aggressive in the aroma as well as the taste. Leather is probably the first thing that comes to mind when I start this tasting.
The backbone is the same malty tripel as last month, but the wild yeast characteristics really do throw themselves over the top of that. I also get some fruit flavours like peach and pineapple, a woodiness mixed with herbal hops and some peppery spice. It finishes quite dry for such a big beer, with a really full and lingering aftertaste.
I like Brett beers for the amazingly complex flavours and aromas you can get, and I did enjoy this beer. But I don’t think I’d want the Brett to be any more dominant than it is!