27th and 28th at the Tap Room
A good beer is so often about time and place, and our final beer of Tryanuary is a Belgian tripel that not only pays homage to Circuit de Spa Francorchamps, but a special moment that happens only there. We'll get whimsical about this moment soon enough, but first, the beer.
We'll warn you now - at 8.3% this is a beer deserving of respect, and we'd suggest leaving the car at home. It'll lure you in with smooth fruits and sweet honey aromas, with warm bready notes and just a whisper of clove to taste. You may detect hints of the high ABV on the finish but it doesn't drink like a strong beer at all, and when a mate asks if you want another pint, the answer will surely be affirmative. It's a pint of beauty that hides its punch very well indeed.
This is a beer that speaks volumes of its time and place. In the early 1900s German pale lagers were taking over Europe and the Belgians just couldn't let that be the case. Their riposte was a delicious and fruity golden ale that initially went under the name of 'Superbier', until the recipe was refined in 1954 and the tripel as we know it was born.
Any of our our Wriggly Monkey family who have been lucky enough to visit Spa - be it as a driver, engineer, mechanic, photographer or spectator - knows this moment well. A pint of good Belgium tripel at Spa is one of the most enjoyable pints you'll ever have.
Located deep in the Ardennes, Spa Francorchamps is an easy day's drive from England which makes it a popular place for Brits to race. We love our British tracks but you just don't find this kind of elevation change at home. Although today's Spa has been modernised in the name of safety the place still has an aura about it that is unmatched, and you can't help but be moved by the history and topography. It's an exciting track in a beautiful part of the world with a strong local culture - does motorsport get any better?
Perhaps your moment comes on arrival, stepping out of a road car. Maybe it's once you down-tools for the day, or perhaps it comes after your race as you wind down with friends. Perhaps it's at the bar on the roof of the modern pit complex and you are blessed with views of the track dipping and diving through the forest. Maybe it will come at the L'Arbre bar down in the old pits or in the new grandstand at Eau Rouge, but it will come.
It's a moment when you take a sip and stand back thinking - how good is this!
This is a pint to savour, and we wanted to capture this moment in our Belgian Tripel and round-out Tryanuary in the best possible way.
Santé!