Abbaye des Rocs Triple Impériale

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye des Rocs
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Montignies-sur-Roc, Belgium

(07.08.06) One pint 9.4 oz brown bottle from Liquorama. 10% ABV. Best by 5/1/08. Sweet malt aroma. A gusher – bottle nearly shot out hazy dark brown ale with giant off-white foamy head. Foam continued to push its way out of the bottle after the initial pour. Soft carbonation. Full-bodied ale with a moderate sweet malt start. Ripe plums , caramel, and toasted malt flavors. Smooth and rich tasting. Malty finish. No discernable hop presence. A really excellent Belgium ale, probably one of the best that I’ve tried thus far, delicious and smooth all the way.

Bottle marked "Serve by end 2008." Oops, maybe I drank it to soon. Slightly hazy mahogany pour under a big foamy tan head that settled to a thin, fine, bubbly layer in aoub t 10 minutes. Aroma of sweet caramel, raisins, roasted nuts, and some faint floral notes. Lively carbonation eminates from a smooth, medium bodied and slightly sticky palate. Sweet flavors echo the aroma, and there is a hint of sourness and just a touch of bitterness, although the finish is slightly on the sweet side. Alcohol really not evident.There is a lot going on in this beer, and it certainly takes the whole glass to sift through it all.

beautiful beer. sweet nose of spice and malt. very well structured, it evolved nicely on the palate with the initial flavors of brown sugar and spice changing into spiced apple and slipping seamlessly into a nicely bitter finish. delicious.

The Triple Imperiale pours out a dark brown with a nice off white head. The aroma is lots of sweet malt and a hint of fruit. Taste is very full--great palate. Flavors are numerous--caramel malt, raisins, spices, vanilla, and more. Very complex and wonderful brew.

Popped the cap and it quickly foamed up and out of the bottle requiring quick reflexes to keep from spilling any. Waisting even a drop of this stuff should be a crime. Poured huge head of tan foam. Murky amber color. Pretty big aroma of brown sugar, caramel malts, a little spice and yeast. Smells like it will be a tasty brew. Delicious smooth flavor. All the flavors blend until about midway making them tough to distinguish. Just beyond midway a cherry, plum and date fruitiness rose above the flavor din only to be followed by some coriander, cinnamon and other spices. The fruitiness remains to the finish where it left a nice mild flavor until the next sip. Other than the slight warmth I felt there was no other sign of the ABV. Excellent beer.

750 mL bottle w/ Best By 2006 stamped on label... Appears a murky, dark chestnut toned brown with a huge, pillowy, light tan head that slowly fades out and leaves lots of lacing around the glass. The only down side to the appearance of this brew is the over abundance of the yeast & protein floaties that are moving up and down in the glass and sticking along the sides and the pillowy, rocky cap. Unsightly stuff to look at IMO and I’ve seen some nasty stuff during my time homebrewing. Smell is outstanding. Plenty of rich, nutty, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, light cinnamon, vanilla, ripe plums, figs, and raisins. Jeez...I could smell this stuff all night. Taste is just as addictive as the aromas. An array of caramelized, sweet flavors explode along the palate, yet the light, citrusy hop profile buried in the background prevents it from coming close to cloying. There is a little spice evident in the flavor as well. It’s like a cinnamon, clove, and coriander mix. Mouthfeel is sweet, borderline syrupy richness, medium bodied, smooth, boozy, slick, and semi-dry. Again, those darn proteins and yeasty floaties are ruining the brew for me. I actually took it and ran it through a tea strainer and it was much better minus the head. Overall, this one holds it’s own against any of the big boys from Belgium(minus the abundance of floaties).

Bottle. Murky brown with some floaties (due to a full pour) and a thick cream colored head. Sweet malty aroma of caramel, molasses, hazlenuts, figs with a bit of alcohol and yeasty notes. Sweet but not cloying brown sugar, nutty and dried fruit flavors, with a surprisigly dry finish considering the complexity. Light to medium palate with some fine carbonation. Alcohol well hidden. A little different from most tripels..more like a brun. Nonetheless pretty tasty.

Although this is listed as a BSA, I think it is closer to its name (Imperial Triple). Hazy amber with beautiful, lasting off-white head. Good carbonation. Nose catches initial wiff of dark fruits and sweet malts (very evident in the Brune and Grand Cru) but also has an added flavor of spices and a bit of tartnes like you taste in a good tripel. Alcohol well hidden. Another great brew from Abbaye Des Rocs.