Cafe Trappisten-Westmalle Tripel

Well, I am back now from a mind-blowing two weeks of backpacking around Europe, and in the next few posts, I hope to be able to share every detail with you all. The first beer I had was at the Cafe Trappisten in Malle, Belgium. On account of the brewery being within the walls of the monastery, you are not actually able to see where those monks brew these impressive beers, but must settle for the cafe across the street. Although the crowd is a bit older than I (by about 50 years at least), it was still an honor to enjoy this incredible beer as close to the source as one can get.

It was poured into the goblet with a hazy light gold color and two finger fluffy, rocky white head. The Belgian yeast character really pours out of this beer with strong aromas of banana and peppery phenolics. The taste is very effervescent and pilsner grainy upfront but turns to a strong creamy banana flavor shortly thereafter. It has a nice dry, but slightly alcoholic finish. At 9.5% ABV this beer is not for the light of heart, and does taste strong and powerful, but is not too much to enjoy this amazing beer. For the listed ABV, the monks hide the strength pretty well. Overall, this "mother of all tripels" lived up to the hype and made an excellent first beer of the trip.

Although I had this beer on my first day in Belgium, we first started our journey in the Netherlands with some time in Amsterdam. Our travels started on a great note with me receiving a job offer for the summer and a smooth flight to land easily in Amsterdam. After we found our hostel, we ventured out into the city this first night, but because of the timing of the flight were starving and needed a good bite to eat. To satisfy our stomachs we had the Dutch treat, poffertjies, miniature doughy pancakes covered in toppings like powdered sugar and nutella. After we made our way into the Red Light District and experienced the packed, tourist filled streets, which make up this notorious part of the city.

The next day, refreshed from a long previous day, we made our way along the canals in the Jordaan area. The beautiful morning made us truly realize how romantic a city Amsterdam is, with cute townhouses flanking the canals with pretty arced bridges and house boats making for a picturesque scene. On top of being romantic, the city is also extremely vibrant with people buzzing all over the place, making the whole day exciting. Late in the morning we took a canal cruise, offering a mix of sites and history throughout the whole city. A trip here is not complete without experiencing it from the water. We then walked through the Red Light District during the day, which has a much different vibe than later in the night, but the sheer number of tourists remains about the same. We sat for awhile in the Dam Square, watching people fight through flocks of pigeons for an opportunity to snap a photo of the impressive palace. Later in the afternoon, we tried to go to the Anne Frank House, but with the line stretching down the block and around the corner. If you want to make it here, just buy the tickets online about a month or so in advance and you will not have these same troubles. Defeated, we made our way towards the Reijksmusuem to see some Dutch Golden Age art. Unfortunately, here too we were defeated, but this time not by the crowds but by the clock. Becky and I then wandered around the Vondelpark to kill some time before meeting my Aunt Karen for an Indonesian dinner. The coolest part about this was the format of the dinner. Instead of ordering an entree and appetizers you order an assortment of different dishes, numbering anywhere from 10-18 different items and you get to try a bit of each one. The experience was amazing, but get ready for some spice on a few things and if you like coconut, you will absolutely love Indonesian.

Sadly, we had to leave Amsterdam wishing we had an additional day to see the museums we wanted, but Belgium, its chocolate, beer, frites, and waffles were calling.