Tripel

Trappist brewery, Westmalle, to rename the strongest beer in their range, though both the term Tripel and the style of beer associated with the name (strong pale ale), were in existence before 1956.^[2]

strong pale ale for his own brewery, the Witkap Pater (now known as Witkap Tripel, produced by the Slaghmuylder Brewery).^[9] It was a strong blonde ale and was very likely based on a blonde beer the monks had been brewing sporadically since 1931. In 1956 they renamed it Tripel, and the popularity of that brand ensured the name is still strongly associated with the Westmalle brewery,^[10] though both the term Tripel and the style of beer associated with the name (strong pale ale), were in existence before 1956.^[2] In 1956, the recipe was modified by the head brewer of Westmalle, Brother Thomas,^[11] by the addition of more hops, and it then took on the name Tripel. It has remained essentially unchanged since. Tim Webb in his Good Beer Guide to Belgium says that some of the pre-1956 beers called Tripel were dark, in contrast to modern beers using the term.^[12]