In previous years, Craccum has provided you with such fantastic articles as the ultra low class booze review. However, in light of the fact that not all students drink merely for the effects of the alcohol and actually enjoy the taste of a good drink, I have taken it upon myself to review some of the finer beers around so that you too can enjoy them. While these beers may be a little more expensive, I think you’ll find it’s worth spending that little bit extra to have a truly enjoyable drink.
This week I will highlight the La Trappe Dubbel (or double), a fine example of Trappist ale. For a beer to be officially designated to be trappist, it must be brewed b y or under the supervision of Trappist monks, and strict quality control is undertaken to ensure that Trappist beers maintain their good reputation. As such there are only 7 places in the world that are currently able to call their beer trappist, 6 in Belgium and 1 in Holland. La Trappe itself is from the Dutch Abbey of De Koningshoeven, and is the most commercialised of the Trappist breweries.
The beer itself is typical of the style of a dubbel (a common style in Belgium), being a slightly dark beer with a burnt caramel taste balanced with nice spicy tones. With the darkness comes a pleasant maltiness and a hint of aniseed, but the taste overall is very smooth. Like many higher quality beers the alcohol content is relatively high at 7% so those who shy away from drunkenness (like myself) should enjoy with caution. Consumed as is, the dubbel is a very nice beer to drink, but when matched with a good dark chocolate (preferably 70% cocoa or higher) the combination far exceeds either element on their own. Even friends of mine that don’t like beer have agreed that it is a fantastic combination. I would highly recommend having some dark chocolate on hand if and when you try this beer.
La Trappe beers can be found at a number of supermarkets, I’ve found New Worlds (Victoria Park in particular) to be the most reliable at stocking them. They’re usually priced at $13 for a 4 pack, which is very reasonable given the quality of the beer. And if you are aiming to economise your alcohol intake you could go for the tripel which is 8% leaving you paying approximately $1.60 per standard drink, although in my mind it would be a shame to waste such a fine beverage in that manner.
Enjoy Expanding your taste!
