Reviewed by Ye Olde Scribe

YOS has been somewhat nasty as of late when reviewing beer. But LOOK! The sky is clearing! The birds are chirping. Quick, go get the blunderbuss! We’ll have a feast. And once we’re done we can crack open a bottle of Maredsous Annaye-Abdi Tripel.

Unlike the picture it’s a strong pale straw to light gold at best. More a strong straw as if they added every bit of straw to get the color as they say, “And that’s the last straw!”

Now Scribe would rather have a nice nectar of the Gods like a Barleywine, Imperial IPA or Russian Imperial, personally. But if, like that famous tilted tower in Italy, your tastes lean towards Belgian Tripels; with that beet sugar driven 10% in this case, then quaffe ho! (Scribe has quaffed a few hos in his time, but that’s a different story you DON’T want to read.) And don’t worry the beet won’t beat your tongue. It’s pretty much tasteless. That’s the point behind using it. Unlike dark Belgian candi sugar the light or white has little taste. In fact it also seems to hide the high 10 ABV just a teensy weensy bit. This stuff will sneak up on you.

(Yes, Scribe let a joke slip by there after mentioning hos and someone who could be named Belgian Candi Sugar, but give him a break. He’s trying to be as classy as Maredsous. Indeed almost respectful to this holy beverage.)

And the Abbey Tripel said, “Let just a bit of sweet and moderate body with high carbonation fill the void called your mouth. And the Belgian Candi Sugar fill your glass with foam. Not your mouth. Holy Ab-enski. Boy do you gotta dirty mind!”

And… after too much of the 6th course: Maredsous for dessert, the quaffer rested.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz………….

(Here’s a short blurb about Abbey Ales and an ed-je-ca-shun-al link for da uninitiated.)

Non-Trappist Abbey beers

There are also many non-Trappist Abbey beers associated with other abbeys, convents, and beguinages*, of which there are many in Belgium. Some abbey beers are named after deconsecrated abbeys, or even ruins, while others may celebrate local churches, shrines, or saints. One of the most revered and honored is
Maredsous: Abbaye de Maredsous

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