This past weekend I departed on a Caribbean cruise, so it seems only appropriate to post this week about tropical(ish) things. One of those that I’ve been meaning to write about for awhile is Piraat Triple IPA. While not technically from the Caribbean, the thought of pirates always takes my mind there.

Piraat is actual from Van Steenberge brewery in Belgium. I didn’t realize that there were many swashbucklers in the North Sea, but then again I’ve never researched such things. What I do know is that they make amazing beer over in Belgium, and this is one of the best that I’ve had.

This light ambercoloured Piraat with full foam head overwhelms with an aroma of bitter, spicy, malty and alcoholic scents. What follows is a perfect combination of malty, sweet and hopbitter tastes, after which you are drowned in a very long, semi-sweet after taste with bitter undertone.

Not surprisingly, the brewery’s description is pretty spot on. When you make a beer this good, you don’t need a spinster to weave in filler. The facts will suffice. It’s smooth and malty and feels almost creamy in the mouth. You wouldn’t know from tasting it that it’s a whopping 10.5% ABV, but it definitely packs a punch once you’re done.

Because there is a secondary fermentation in the bottle, this is a prime candidate to age. Unfortunately, I drank the only two that I had. What can I say, I’m impulsive. Beer can only last so long in my refrigerator, and I don’t have a garage in which to hide it away. I’ll have to get my hands on an aged bottle through other means.

BeerAdvocate gives it a 95, good for one of the highest year-round beers, and RateBeer gives it a 96. Van Steenberge certainly did Belgium proud with this one. Don’t skip the video; this guy is just too funny.