Monday, January 18, 2016

Duvel Tripel Hop

Duval beer bier Belgian ale golden abbey IPA hops Celiac test results bottle low gluten
Beer: Duvel Tripel Hop
Style: Belgian IPA
Brewing location: Belgium
Originating country: Belgium
Alcohol by Volume: 9.5% 
Ingredients: malted barley, hops, yeast and water
Format tested: 12 oz bottle purchased in Los Angeles, CA
Beeradvocate rating: 91/100
Ratebeer rating: 94/100
Test kit: E-Z Gluten

Miscellaneous
  • Duvel Tripel Hop is brewed with three hop varieties and each year the third hop is changed to provide its own unique taste and aroma.
  • For 2015 the brewers selected the aromatic hop EQUINOX from the USA.
  • Brewed by Duvel Moortgat, in Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium. Moortgat brewery was founded in 1871 by Jan-Leonard Moortgat.
  • Duvel Moortgat was an original investor in the Brewery Ommegang craft brewery founded in Cooperstown, NY, in the late 1990s.
  • July 2015, it was announced that Duvel Moortgat would be acquiring a stake in Paso Robles, California craft brewer Firestone Walker Brewing Company.

Test result photo
Duval beer bier Belgian ale golden abbey IPA hops Celiac test results bottle low gluten


Test result

Negative at 20 parts per million (ppm), meaning it is less than 20 ppm. Though standards vary from country to country, according to the FDA, "In order to use the term 'gluten free' on its label a food must meet all the requirements of the definition, including that the food must contain less than 20 ppm gluten."  It is said that products with a gluten content below 20 ppm are suitable for people with celiac disease.

My experience drinking Duvel Tripel Hop

I am a big fan of the original Duvel but this seems like a way to cash in on the current craze for American-style IPAs and highly-hopped beers. Surely there are enough of those already? To be honest, if I tasted this blind I would never have guessed it was Duvel. Why ruin a perfectly good beer? It's like putting ketchup on caviar.

I am not sure where I fall in the gluten tolerance spectrum; I am gluten intolerant but not celiac. I definitely know what it feels like to be “glutened” i.e. gluten exposure, but I have not deliberately pushed my gluten consumption limits with any food or beer. I consumed this 12 oz bottle and felt none of my typical gluten effects.