Maredsous Triple

I have uncorked the 10% alcohol Maredsous Triple.  Having returned from a four-day weekend visiting my family, I thought what a better way to cap off the weekend than to drink this foamy beer.

At 10% alcohol this should be an entertaining ride.  As you will note the color, it's a bit amber:

Just so you are aware Triple (or Tripel as our brethren in the "Land of Ideas" calls it) refers to a strong pale ale.  Apparently the 2" foam dissipates slowly, according to other beer aficionados.  The first sips seemed to be a bit tart (being very hoppy) and maybe it's the alcohol talking but this beer is starting to go down rather smoothly.  There are some other flavors in there, I cannot say, I'm more focused getting my drink on.

This blog gets updated almost as frequently as my runkeeper.com profile, where I track how many miles I have been riding my road bike.  I'm training for the Triple Bypass, a 120 mile ride, where you gain over 10,000 feet in elevation, in one day.  The reason it's called the Triple Bypass is due to the three mountain passes one must climb over to reach the very delicious BBQ at the end, or so I'm told.  I imagine anything will taste good after being on a bike for about 10 hours.  They should serve this triple for the triple.  Why isn't Maredsous sponsoring this bike ride?!

As to the origin of the name 'Tripel'/'Triple', that should be an interesting story, say a brewer, in order to claim his beer as a 'triple' must climb three peaks in the Alps nobody else dared, in say, a day, and they must also yodel, wear lederhousen and drag that huge horn with them, as well as all the equipment to ferment beer. 

All I can find so far as to the 'triple' designation is that there is a second fermentation, but what about the third?  According to Google translate, 'Tripel' does mean 'triples'.  Triple beers?  Triple headaches?  The Holy Trinity of inebriation?  It is stated that triples have at least twice the amount of alcohol as regular beers, so why wouldn't they be called Doppel...but then there is a doppelbock, which refers to a strong lager, of German origin, which is not a Tripel.  Again, I have been lost in my own wonderment as to why something is something and Google, Wikipedia, and beeradvocate.com are not giving me the answer.

It is very possible that I will not be riding my bike in the morning to train for the Triple Bypass, thanks Maredsous Triple!