Chimay Triple / Blanche (White)

25 ounce bottle. Pours a murky golden-amber color with a massive, soapy white head. Taste is of hops, malt wheat, yeast and is fruity. It is really bitter, but it complements the beer. The aroma matches the taste. On par with the Chimay Rogue (Red). Like the Red, this is a pretty excellent beer as it is rather tasty, easy to drink, and for the quality it is priced fairly.

Hazy orange with a thick white head that ends up a bit bubbly with suds clinging to the side of the glass. Yeasty sour aroma with fruity overtones - I got pear. Bubbly mouthfeel but not too much, just made it unique. Toffee in the palate. Not as rich and creamy as I expected. Also I can pick out quite a bit of hops, not well integrated. Okay but not great, or living up to the hype.

Draft at Chappy’s. Hazy yellow with a fine head. Belgian yeast and fruit notes are the biggest feature of the aroma. Smooth sweetness and very drinkable. A little bit of a creamy texture and good carbonation. Very good triple.

Tasted side by side with Westmalle Tripel and St. Bernardus Tripel. All three were great, but Chimay was my least favorite of the three. I struggled to pin down what bugged me about it. By contrast, both the St. Bernardus and the Westmalle seemed to be "continuous" and "integrated", with all the elements holding together: In Westmalle the ester profile gives way naturally to the alcohol then malt, then hop bitterness and dryness---each element seems to anticipate the next. In Chimay white though, I get the chimay yeast banana ester profile, then CLUNK the malt, then CLUNK the hop bitterness. St. Bernardus Tripel fell between the Chimay and the Westmalle, being more like the Chimay in flavors and aromas, but with better integration.

Draft at Chappys Tap Room & Grille in Dayton. This place is known for offering the only available Chimay White draft in a 200 mile radius. So I had to try it. I usually don’t enjoy Tripels that much, but this one was much better than I expected. It looks fantastic. Golden amber in color with a perfectly formed white foamy and fizzy head. Aroma is the standard Belgian yeast but has some citrus as well. Has a nice sweet flavor with some spiciness. Nice carbonation and a great crisp, slightly bitter finish.

Not as good as Chimay blue, but definately as good as a Chimay should be. I love this company and all of its brews. Sweet, warm, and inviting, like the girl from prom night....can’t say no to that!

On tap at the Malthouse. Pours a cloudy deep golden. Big head when served but dissipates to a thin layer which lingers. Stronger aromas than what I remember out of a bottle of citrus and vanilla. A bitter palate with loads of spice and a subtle sweetness. Finishes smoothly with a lingering bitterness.

A quite overrated beer in my opinion. I expected a lot better for a Belgian tripel. Drinkable, enjoyable, but lacking in flavor and character for the price. Doesn’t compare to the Chimay Blue. Won’t be having again.