To start, let's break down Belgian beer into several distinct categories; each with their own characteristics: Saison/Farmhouse Ale, Tripel, Quadruppel, Dubbel, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgian IPA.
Saison/Farmhouse Ale: A typical farmhouse ale will be brewed in the winter and is meant to be enjoyed in the summer months. Farmhouse ales are typically quite complex, usually involving earthy yeast tones, moderate tartness/bitterness, and spices. This style typically sports an ABV in the neighborhood of 5 - 8% Examples: Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin, Goose Island's Pepe Nero, Three Floyd's Rabbid Rabbit, etc.
Tripel: Tripels typically have a lot of dense head and are yellow/orange in color, with spicy/yeasty aromas mixed with fruit and candied sugars. The beer is typically bitter, but has a light body and, though highly alcoholic, are usually very good sipping beers. Tripels will typically be between 8 - 12% ABV. Examples: Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde, Victory's Golden Monkey, Chimay Tripel, Bell's Sparkling Ale, etc.
Quadruppel: Usually deep red, garnet, or brownish this style is definitely darker than its brethen, the Dubbel or Tripel. This beer should be very sweet and malty, with low bitterness and an alcohol that you can taste. ABV should be in the neighborhood of 9 - 13%. Examples: Brewery Ommegang's Three Philosophers, Victory's V-Twelve, Lost Abbey's Judgment Day, etc.
Dubbel: A dark beer, with a medium to full body, the dubbel offers you a rich maltiness, very low hop bitterness, and some of the Belgian spice that the yeast imparts. These will often have the flavor of dark fruits, candied sugars, and caramel. Their ABV should rest between 6.5 and 9%! Examples: Brewery Ommegang's Abbey Ale, Chimay Premiere (Red), Goose Island's Pere Jacques, etc.
Belgian Pale Ale: Ranging from pale straw yellow to amber in color, and sporting a thick, rocky white head, the Belgian pale ale will sweet or toasty malts and lower bitterness due to the use of aged hops. Some of these beers are naturally spiced by the yeast and hops, yet others involve actual spices in the brewing process. The ABV should be somewhere in the 4 - 7% range. Examples: Brewery Ommegang's Rare Vos, Abbaye de Leffe's Leffe Blond, Russian River's Redemption, Lost Abbey's Devotion Ale, etc.
Belgian Strong Pale Ale: Belgian Strong Pale Ales will be much the same as the Belgian Pale ale, except they will be hoppier and will have a much more noticeable alcohol presence. The typical ABV will be in the range of 7 - 12% Examples: Duvel, Delirium Tremens, Russian River's Damnation Ale, Goose Island's Matilda, etc.
Belgian IPA: just because we Americans love hops (and thus created American IPA and the American Double IPA) the Belgians finally caught on and, in an effort to compete in the American beer market, began developing a Belgian IPA. As such, most of the same American hops are used, but the beer is fermented using Belgian yeast strains. This should basically taste like an American IPA and a Belgian Tripel had a baby. You will get a more clean (rather than grating) bitter finish to the beer, but it will tend to be a bit drier than the American IPA. These beers are typically more towards the orange/amber color, are typically quite hazy, and sport a BIG ABV between 6 - 12%. Examples: Flying Dog's Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, Victory's Wild Devil, Duvel Tripel Hop, and Ale Asylum's Bedlam!
So there you have it - a review of the basic styles of Belgian beers. Now here are the beers I've reviewed so far with their respective grades:
Bedlam! - Ale Asylum: A (Belgian IPA)
Leffe Blonde - Abbaye Leffe S.A.: B (Belgian Pale Ale)
Delirium Tremens - Brouwerji Huyghe: A- (Belgian Strong Pale Ale)
Rabbid Rabbit - Three Floyds Brewing: C+ (Saison/Farmhouse Ale)
Abbey Triple - Sprecher Brewing Company: B (Tripel)
Raging Bitch - Flying Dog Brewery: B- (Belgian IPA)
Abt - New Glarus: B (Quadruppel)
Pepe Nero - Goose Island: C (Farmhouse Ale)
Tripel Nova - Ale Asylum: B+ (Tripel)
Fleur - Goose Island: B (Belgian Pale Ale)
Golden Ale - New Glarus: B+ (Belgian Pale Ale)
Bedlam! - Ale Asylum: A (Belgian IPA)
Leffe Blonde - Abbaye Leffe S.A.: B (Belgian Pale Ale)
Delirium Tremens - Brouwerji Huyghe: A- (Belgian Strong Pale Ale)
Rabbid Rabbit - Three Floyds Brewing: C+ (Saison/Farmhouse Ale)
Abbey Triple - Sprecher Brewing Company: B (Tripel)
Raging Bitch - Flying Dog Brewery: B- (Belgian IPA)
Abt - New Glarus: B (Quadruppel)
Pepe Nero - Goose Island: C (Farmhouse Ale)
Tripel Nova - Ale Asylum: B+ (Tripel)
Fleur - Goose Island: B (Belgian Pale Ale)
Golden Ale - New Glarus: B+ (Belgian Pale Ale)
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Hurls
Editors note: Thanks to BeerAdvocate.com for some help with the characteristics/descriptions.
