Belgian Tripel/New Belgium Trippel BITTER?!

[woozy]

1. What is a Belgian Tripel?

2. Is New Belgian Trippel a Belgian Tripel?

3. Palmer in his 2-D graph of Beers puts a Belgian Tripel as very bitter (and very fruity). Really?!?!?!?

So, it trying out new styles of beer that I might like to try brewing I picked up a six pack of New Belgium Trippel to see if I'd like it.

Man! Is it *not* the beer for me! I really didn't like it. I thought it was much too sweet for my taste. (I'd describe it as "cloying" if I wanted to be mean which I don't.) Which is no big deal. I don't seem to like sweet beers and that seems to be my taste and it's all to my benefit that I learn to develop and articulate what I like and if it turns out I dislike sweet beers that'll just help me figure out which beers to try and which ones to not bother with.

So I look on Palmer's graphic and ?!?!?!?this is supposed to be **bitter**?!?!?!? So... is the graphic wrong? Is New Belgium Trippel (with two p's) not a Tripel (with one p)? Am I confusing Sweet with Fruity and it's Fruity that I don't like? (What is "fruity" anyway? I like Kolsch straight in the middle just fine.) Or did I have a stroke when I wasn't looking?

 

[Ramitt]

I don't thinnk New Belgians version is a great tripel. Try th eCHimay white or westmalle tripel for a better example imo.

 

[steelbier]

I'm no expert, but to get used to the kind of Belgian candy-like sugar depth of flavor try their spin on a "dubbel." It's called abbey ale. There are technical specifications that categorize Belgian beers that they don't quite adhere to, but that sugary aspect you mentioned is a positive in the Abbey ale IMO.

 

[woozy]

In general are belgian ales sweet? I'll give abbey ale a try eventually. Is the chimay white and westmalle tripel sweet?

I'm just trying to determine what I do and don't like and I don't think I like sweet. At least not heavy sweet. I might very well end up not liking Beligian Style beers in general. (I very much dislike Stella Artois because it is too sweet. I've had New Belgian Fat Tire which was a perfectly acceptable amber ale.)

But I'm perplexed as to why the graphic listed a Belgian Tripel as bitter.