Abbaye des Rocs Triple Impériale

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

Thanks to Walt for this one. Poured a sunset body. Coriander nose with yeasty phenols. I still can’t get over how dark this is for a tripel. Marshmallow, lemon and charcoal flavor with a honey finish. There are some maple notes to this too. Rich and yeasty, bready and good. Nice tang in the finish. There is a lot of vanilla going here. Nice clay aspect and peaches, man this is good. Ap-3 ar-8 tas-8 pal-5 ov-17

Poured into a trappist glass. I opened the bottle to a gusher. Once I got it into the glass I got a firey brown ale with a creamy beige head that left behind some lace. Cooked brown sugar, cherry, floral notes, toffee, rye bread dough aromas throughout. Light peppery notes with sweet candy. Cherry syrup. Palate is full and round. Very soft. A bit of an alcohol kicker. Superb on every level.

From bottle. Dark ruby pour with thick tan head. Highly carbonated. Nose of brown sugar, caramel, dark fruits and hints of dough. Flavor is a silky version. Somewhat bitter finish and some alcohol heat. Good brew, but certainly not a triple.

Thanks to gputty for sharing this during our Des Rocs tasting. 12 oz bottle. Hazy golden brown with some floaties. Fruity, yeasty nose, dark fruits mostly. Sweet flavor, certainly yeasty, more fruit. Sweet malt and caramel round out the palate. Very good, not all that far from the Bruine.

Not much to improve on here. Really nice aroma... in many ways this beer is reminsicent of a good barley wine. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel, spicy aroma with an alcoholic warmth that balance with a sweet body.

Chocolate brown with an ample tan head. Looks and tastes more like a Dubble or Quad. Typical banana, date, bready, yeasty aroma and flavor. Effervecsent and quenching. Yum

A dark tripel, huh? Sounds interesting. Bottle is probably about a year old. Poured a cloudy mahogany with a fizzy light tan head. Aroma is sweet brown sugar, grapes, a touch of raspberry acidity, some doughy yeastiness. Flavor is lightly sweet with brown sugar notes, some light cherry/raspberry acidity, some dryness, and some doughy yeastiness. Flavor is balanced and quite complex. Probably my favorite Abbaye des Rocs yet.

From 750mL Bottle. Upon opening the bottle, a massive eruption of foam spews from the top and flows all over my kitchen table. Since the bottle has been sitting undisturbed in my cellar for the past three months, I think its safe to assume some serious bottle conditioning has been going on. Pours the color of beaten leather with some orange-apricot highlights and a ruby plum tinge. Clear, even consistency. A medium layer of creamy beige foam rests on top. Intoxicating aroma of sherried figs, sweetened with honey, thickened with molasses, and garnished with plenty of raisins. Some lighter citrusy tangerine zest and herbal incense found only in a head shop. Medium bodied mouthfeel with a silky smooth texture. Flavors of smokey oak ash and bitter belgian chocolate, spiced with some freshly ground white pepper. At first, I couldn’t help but think this tasted a bit like clove cigarettes, but my impression slowly improved over time as I got used to the bitter, ashy spiciness. The finish was a bit more uplifting, as some sweeter dark fruit notes took over. Final smack of port soaked raisins.