On my first night in Germany I shared a few Belgian beers with Bobby. They are super prevalent over here in western Germany.

We started out with Verboden Vrucht, which translates to the forbidden fruit, a strong dark ale. It was super tasty. As I poured it into my fancy chalice, I caught a big whiff of that classic Belgian yeast. It tasted like figs and cloves. Surprisingly, the forbidden fruit is actually brewed by Hoegaarden even though they never mention it on their website. And unsurprisingly Hoegaarden is owned by Anheuser Busch.

We followed up with some tripels. First, Straffe Hendrik from De Halve Maan in Bruges. I don’t really understand tripels. I’m always expecting more fruit flavor and getting nothing but yeast. This one was no exception, super bubbly and full with a nebulous dry flavor. 

The second tripel from Affligem was very similar, but the full body was backed with a really pleasant bitter bite. It was even drier and spicier.