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What does triple hopped mean?

Three additions, three hops or three times the hops: what brewers mean by “triple hopped”, whether it makes beer more bitter, and how it differs from triple IPA, tripel and TDH.

By Rich, founder of Unhopped · Published 6 November 2026 · Sources checked 6 November 2026

The short answer

There’s no official definition, so it means whatever the brewer means. On cans you’ll meet three versions. Hops added at three stages of the brew, the “traditional three hops-addition steps” for bitterness, flavour and aroma.[1] Three hop varieties: Curious Brewery calls its Session IPA “triple hopped” and brews it “with three complementary hops – English Golding, Chinook & Cascade”.[2] Three times the hops: Impossibrew says its alcohol-free Triple Hopped IPA has “3x the hops”.[3] Triple hopped isn’t the same as a triple IPA (a strength, not a hop count), a Belgian tripel, or triple dry hopped. And it doesn’t have to mean more bitter.

Below: the three meanings with real examples, whether triple hopped means more bitter, and how it differs from triple IPA, tripel and TDH. For the basics, see what are hops?; for the last stage of hopping, what is dry hopping?

The three things “triple hopped” can mean

Three meanings of “triple hopped”, with what each brewer says. None of these is an official standard.
MeaningWhat it isExampleIn the brewer’s words
Three additionsHops go in at three points: early in the boil for bitterness, later for flavour, at the end for aromaThe traditional brewing method“The traditional three hops-addition steps”[1]
Three varietiesThree different hops in the recipeCurious Session IPA, 4.4%“three complementary hops – English Golding, Chinook & Cascade”[2]
Three times the hopsA bigger dose of hops than usualImpossibrew Triple Hopped IPA, 0.5%“3x the hops”[3]

Some beers with “triple” in the name don’t say which they mean. Bitburger and Sierra Nevada’s Triple Hop’d Lager named three American hops, Cascade, Centennial and Chinook, “paired together with ‘Siegelhopfen’ – Bitburger’s proprietary and unique hop blend”.[4] And Belgium’s Piraat Triple Hop is made by adding “four additional hops” to the classic Piraat, at 10.5%.[5] If it matters to you, the brewer’s own description is the place to check.

Meaning one: hops at three stages of the brew

This is the traditional way to hop a beer. “The traditional three hops-addition steps are a compromise”: the first “goes all in for Team Bitter”, added “early in the boil, spending the most time in the kettle, usually 60 minutes or more.” The second “will still extract some bitterness, but the important thing is what happens to the aromatics.” The last “is made either in the last few minutes of the boil or at flameout”, and “very little bitterness is added, but many of the pleasant aromatics remain.”[1]

The three classic hop additionsAnd the stages many modern brewers add after the boil.
  1. 1. BitteringEarly in the boil, “usually 60 minutes or more”.
  2. 2. FlavourMid-boil: some bitterness, mostly about the aromatics.
  3. 3. AromaThe last few minutes, or at flameout: “very little bitterness”.
  4. WhirlpoolHot wort, 60–77°C: keeps “almost all of their character”.
  5. Dry hopIn the fermenter: hop oils, “no measurable IBUs”.

Sources: Craft Beer & Brewing.[1][6]

Many modern brewers hop at more than three points, adding a whirlpool and one or more dry hop additions. So by this meaning, plenty of beers that don’t say “triple hopped” on the can are hopped three times or more.

Meaning two: three hop varieties

Curious Brewery’s Session IPA, 4.4%, is “a triple hopped Session IPA”, “with three complementary hops – English Golding, Chinook & Cascade”.[2] That’s one British hop and two American ones. Plenty of beers use three or more hops without saying “triple hopped”: in our directory, Brulo 7 Hop 7 Grain DDH IPA names seven, Nelson Sauvin, Sabro, Simcoe, Azacca, Citra, Columbus and Mosaic. Our guide to the types of hops explains what each one brings.

Meaning three: three times the hops

Impossibrew’s Triple Hopped IPA is the alcohol-free one: “Non-alcoholic Triple Hopped IPA, 0.5% ABV.” Impossibrew says it has “3x the hops” and is “Triple-hopped for maximum boldness”. Its page doesn’t name the hop varieties or say when they go in. It lists mango puree and lactose among its ingredients, and Impossibrew describes “Creamy, smooth, hazy bitterness, vibrant stone fruits, and bold juicy mango.”[3] Our page on it: Impossibrew Triple Hopped IPA.

Does triple hopped mean more bitter?

Not necessarily. Bitterness comes from alpha acids that have been boiled long enough to change: “the boiling time must usually be long enough (at least 45 minutes for most hop varieties)”.[7] Late hops give much less: utilisation “may vary from as low as 5% for late additions”, and “Hops added after the boil in the whirlpool or hop back do not isomerize efficiently”.[8] Dry hops add “no measurable IBUs, since there’s no heat involved.”[6] So a beer hopped three times late in the process can be very aromatic and only gently bitter, while a beer with one big addition at the start of the boil can be very bitter. The style says more than the word “triple”: a German pils runs 22–40 IBU and an American IPA 40–70.[9][10] What are hops? has the chart for ten styles.

Triple hopped vs triple IPA, tripel and TDH

Four “triples” that are easy to confuse
What it meansAbout the hops?
Triple hoppedThree additions, three varieties or three times the hops, depending on the brewerYes
Triple IPAA very strong IPA. One rule of thumb: “after 10.6 it becomes a Triple”, though “plenty of brewers release Triples as Doubles, and vice versa.” The BJCP doesn’t list it as a style.[11]Mostly about strength
Belgian tripel“A strong, pale, somewhat spicy Belgian ale”, 7.5–9.5%, “Popularized by the monastery at Westmalle, first brewed in 1934.”[12]No
TDH, triple dry hoppedDry hopped three times. BarthHaas: “the best DDH is TDH (triple dry hopping).”[13]Yes, the dry hop only

A triple IPA is far from alcohol-free, and so is a tripel. Double IPAs alone run 7.5–10.0%.[14] For the alcohol-free beers that are heavy on hops, see the best hoppy alcohol-free beers; for DDH and TDH, what is dry hopping?

Alcohol-free beers with plenty of hops

Impossibrew’s is the alcohol-free beer in our directory that calls itself triple hopped. Others say how many hops, or how many dry hops: Brulo 7 Hop 7 Grain DDH IPA names seven hops and is double dry-hopped; Brulo Lust for Life DDH IPA, Big Drop Poolside DDH IPA and Alefarm Paraglow DDH IPA are double dry-hopped too. For the 11 best hop-forward alcohol-free beers in stock, ranked by our scores with prices, see the best hoppy alcohol-free beers.

Questions people ask

What does triple hopped mean?

There’s no fixed definition. Brewers use it for hops added at three stages of the brew, for three hop varieties, or for three times the usual amount of hops. Check the brewer’s description.

Is triple hopped beer more bitter?

Not necessarily. Bitterness mainly comes from hops boiled for a long time. Hops added late, or as dry hops, add aroma and little bitterness.

Is triple hopped the same as a triple IPA?

No. A triple IPA is a very strong IPA, around 10.6% or more by one rule of thumb. Triple hopped describes the hopping, not the strength.

Is there an alcohol-free triple hopped beer?

Yes: Impossibrew Triple Hopped IPA, 0.5%, which Impossibrew says has “3x the hops”.

What does TDH mean on a beer?

Triple dry hopped: hops added after the boil three times. It’s a step beyond DDH, double dry hopped.

Sources

Opened and checked on 6 November 2026. Beer facts, prices and stock come from each beer’s page on Unhopped and the shops’ own listings on the same day.

  1. Goldman J. Learning Lab: Standard Hops Additions. Craft Beer & Brewing, 25 January 2020. Opened 6 November 2026. beerandbrewing.com
  2. Curious Brewery. Session IPA (product page). Opened 6 November 2026. curiousbrewery.com
  3. Impossibrew. Triple Hopped IPA (product page). Opened 6 November 2026. impossibrew.co.uk
  4. Brewbound. Bitburger Brewery and Sierra Nevada collaborate on Triple Hop’d Lager (news article, undated; about a beer brewed in December 2019). Opened 6 November 2026. brewbound.com
  5. Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Piraat Triple Hop (product page). Opened 6 November 2026. vansteenberge.com
  6. Weikert J. Hops: Start to Finish. Craft Beer & Brewing, 7 July 2018. Opened 6 November 2026. beerandbrewing.com
  7. Carollo Blake V. Hops. In: The Oxford Companion to Beer, ed. Garrett Oliver (Oxford University Press, 2012), via Craft Beer & Brewing. beerandbrewing.com
  8. Brynildson M. Alpha acids. In: The Oxford Companion to Beer, ed. Garrett Oliver (Oxford University Press, 2012), via Craft Beer & Brewing. beerandbrewing.com
  9. Beer Judge Certification Program. 2021 Beer Style Guidelines: 5D German Pils. styles.bjcp.org
  10. Beer Judge Certification Program. 2021 Beer Style Guidelines: 21A American IPA. styles.bjcp.org
  11. O’Connell P. Death By Hops: Triple IPAs Are Pointless and Gross. VinePair, 14 July 2023. Opened 6 November 2026. vinepair.com
  12. Beer Judge Certification Program. 2021 Beer Style Guidelines: 26C Belgian Tripel. styles.bjcp.org
  13. Kopp S. What is double dry hopping (DDH)? BarthHaas blog, 20 September 2021. Opened 6 November 2026. barthhaas.com
  14. Beer Judge Certification Program. 2021 Beer Style Guidelines: 22A Double IPA. styles.bjcp.org

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