Tripel

Tripel is a term used in the Low Countries to describe a strong pale ale. The term was used in 1956 by the Trappist brewery at Westmalle to rename the strongest beer in their range, although both the term Tripel and the style of beer associated with the name existed before then. Westmalle Tripel was widely copied by the breweries of Belgium, and in 1987 another Trappist brewery, Koningshoeven in the Netherlands, also expanded their range with La Trappe Tripel. The term is applied by a range of secular brewers to a strong pale ale in the style of Westmalle Tripel.