Cazeau Tournay Blond/Dorée

Brewed by Brasserie de Cazeau
Style: Abbey Tripel
Templeuve, Belgium

In short: A crisp and highly drinkable Belgian blonde ale. Medium dry and refreshing. Need more…
How: Bottle 330ml. Consumed fresh soon after receiving it from the brewery through private importation
The look: Very cloudy blonde body with an initially big white head with low retention
In long: Crisp cookie malts for a light but full body. Bonus points go to the yeast which had this Saison-ish quality to it with a little wilderness going on. Carbonation was a lot (and I mean a lot) of very small bubbles, not aggressive though, just adding to the spiciness tickling sensation. The fruitiness was peachy and I also got some olive flavours (although I’m probably the only one to get it). Spicy hops to perfectly balance the whole thing. Finish has low bitterness and medium dryness. Overall this was dangerously delicious. The bottle has this long text written in Old French that was just a blast to read, provided you can read french. A pleasant surprise. Very hard to come by. For North Americans this may prove to be almost as hard to find as those weapons of mass destruction, except that the Tournay does exist.

Generous white head with belgian rockiness slowly becomes a memory while the fiery bubbly hazy golden foundation displays a maximum of activity. Exotic juicy fruitiness appear in a wheaty, yeasty nose. Summer-like nature. This is how I like my pilsner malts extracted, letting bright, farmhouse crisp natural nature come through while maintaining a thin, yet almost chewy toastiness that avoids sweetness or overly simplistic cerealic affairs. A deliciously polished, light and lively ale. Excellent cleansing carbonation is engaging and natural. Hugely drinkable. Delicate noble hops add some pleasure toward the end through both a mild citrusy bite and a gently herbal, floral bright aroma range. Yummy!

Any first impressions?
-A big-bubbled sheet of foam dissipates into the hazy blond gown.
-Banana esters leap from the doughy yeast presence to form a fruity, spicy nose.
-Those bananas sweeten up the flavor profile, and nearly cover the yeasty bite. Pretty much what the nose had predicted.
-The creamy body is emboldened by the soft effervescence. Rich and drinkable, this is mouthfeel is quite a success.

What if you dig deeper?
-The yeast’s spiciness works with the herbal nature of the finishing hops.
-Wheat can easily be imagined here, lending that delicate citrusy character to obvious banana esters.
-I wouldn’t call it an Abbey Tripel myself, but who cares, this is a talented Belgian ale made for large gulps.

Bottled; best before 07/2007.

[Bottled at Vinens Verden] Medium strong blonde with fruity character. Rather good at all. Maybe I should try it again tomorrow.

(Bottle, lot no. 04, best before 06/2007) Pours a murky burnt orange body with a small off-white head. Aroma of mustiness, apple cider, vanilla, and ginger. Flavor of toasted malt, caramel, and apple.

Bottle. Golden in color the aroma is a littel weak.medium body and a bit on the fizzy side and small tast of fruits.

Tasted at Vinens Verden... Another Blonde. White head and golden yellow colour. Taste is a bit bitter/sweet.

Bottle. Quite raw in character, lots of alcoholic warmth, which i guess is also a character of the style. Some slightly stewed peach fruit and a citric, ligtly detergenty citric yeast character, quite sharp with a lot of alcohol, o its not my favourit tripel, but its not a bad beer.