Bornem Triple

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Abbey Tripel
Ertvelde, Belgium

Slightly oxidized and astringent upfront. Very fast dissipating head with good initial release of gasses. Sulfur and vanilla nose with a touch of grassy hop character. Overly soft with little depth on the palate. Candy sugar prominence and some malt astringency give way to a relatively clean and unlively finish.

Bottle. Nice cloudy golden body with lively carbonation and a thin but lasting white foamy head. Enjoyable yeasty aroma with various light fruity (citrus, banana, cherries) notes. Alcohol is pretty well hidden. Taste carries hoppy flavors which brings some sharp bitterness. The aftertaste lacks the warming effect I expect from a Tripel. This is very drinkable, although it is far from being a great Tripel.

33 cl. bottle from 1999. Dark golden, beige head. malty, yeast and fruity aroma w/ spices, liquorice, berries, sweet, bitter, fresh and sour. Mature and rich. Warming and full taste, well-balanced, sweet, feels more like a dark beer than a light one. Godd bittenress,sweetness and fizzyness. Nothing is lacking or superfluous.

Pours clear gold with a huge head and lots of effervescence. Citrus, alcohol, brine, light hops, and a bit of tartness in the aroma. The flavor is dominated by lemons, with some breadiness and a lightly hoppy finish. Not bad, actually.

33 cl bottle, bbe April 06. Golden with haze, vigorous pearling, big and stable white frothy head leaving some lace. Hops and a good touch of higher esters in the nose. Soft, round and light tarty fruity taste with alcohol and a bunch of hops in the background. Fruity and hoppy aftertaste reminiscent of a saison. Warming and mellow mouthfeel, yet a bit flat and papery. The fruity, Saison Dupont-like component gets nicely expressed with baked fresh cod with mashed potatoes with celery.

Poured with a huge fizzy head, that quickly fizzed out, on top of cloudy orange/tan nectar. The aroma was highly citrus, reminiscent of orange/mango soft drink, with also some alcohol, typical of the tripel. It was quite sweet and syrupy, with some bitterness to finish. It’s a bit too highly carbonated with a cloying aftertaste and a surprisingly thin metallic body. This is the worst tripel I’ve had, but it’s better than most other beers out there!

Like the double, this beer has a huge head that is very light and foamy. Very bitter tasting, also. A golden color with lots of carbonation, it looks somewhat thin. Flavor is dry citrus with lemon quite noticeable. Perhaps a hint of pineapple as well. If this beer is typical of the style, then triple has a lot to offer. A very enjoyable, beer to sample and to drink.

Golden yellow color with a massive and rocky white head. Yeasty smell with hints of tropical fruit and noticeable alcohol. Very lemony flavor with some yeast and a little spice. Decent stuff.