Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Brewed by Brasserie d’Achouffe (Moortgat)
Style: Abbey Tripel
Achouffe, Belgium

75 cL bottle. Pours hazy orange with a slowly collapsing yet quite stable head. Off-white. Aroma is fantastic, smooth and mellow yeasty, mild spiced and caramel malt in a classic and almost supurb mix. In addition the aroma hops of amarillo, tomahawk and saaz join in giving a great twist to this. Flavour is dense spiced mixed with a nice mellow mix of yeast and caramel malt. Again the oily hops work quite well with this mix providing even more strength to the classic triple flavour. This is so smooth and so flavourful a triple - fantastic. Only downside - a vague bit too strong flavoured perhaps.

(bottle): Foam & head everywhere! Extremely foamy, even opening after warming for a bit. Very cloudy, golden body. Big foamy white head, somewhat lasting. Belgian flowery aroma. Some graininess, slight amount of alcohol, somg spices. Watery taste, light flowery taste, some spice. Weakish for 9%. Very light flavor, watery.

Bottle from sam the beer man. Golden yellow pour with a small fluffy white head that lasted. Aroma is very fruity and hoppy, well balanced hop aroma. Tasted is very dry and hoppy. Lots of hops with some fruity notes mixed in. Very good.

11.2 oz bottle. Huge billowy, frothy off white head...lingers, laces. Sticky looking foam stays in center like ancient ruins while larger bubbles dissipate along outer edges. Murky, cloudy golden orange with floaters. Aroma of malt, sugar. Typical belgian tripel smell. Some fruit, yeast, apricot, some citrus hop aroma. Malty tripel flavor, semi bitter, some mild alcohol flavor present, hints of citrus, ever so faint grassy notes. Not overly sweet or dry. Well balanced and unique but the hops only stand out slightly more than average tripels. Slight astringency fades with carbonation. Very solid.

Bottle, bought @ the brewery, tasted @ home. Hazy golden colour, thick white head. Aroma of hops, perfume, flowers. Taste is malty, lots of hops and loads of perfume. I don’t like drinking eau de cologne, and this was too much like that. Completely out of balance. Soft mouthfeel though. I will try this again someday, but the first impression was not good. Re-rate: Less perfumy than I recall, especially after a few sips, but still too harsh and bitter. The first score stays.

Nice pour, good head and lacing. Strong sweet and floral hops in the nose, like candied flowers. Perfumy character. Initial taste is bitterish and bready. Light woodiness. Belgian malt character subdued by the hop profile. Decent, but not a favorite.

Bright, bright honey gold and a massive, rich and frothy rocky mountain head with lots of lace. The aroma is intense! Starts with fresh, lively, stringent pine from the double dose of hops. Then there’s a load of vanilla, citrus, some grapefruit, and a perfect malt balance, keeping the "tripel" part of the beer alive. The taste is a whole new experience in and of itself. Very interesting, with honey, vanilla pod, pineapple, spruce, and intense bitterness overwhelming the palate. Still, it is very well balanced, and ferociously appetizing. A perfect aperitif. Very American in it’s hop profile, very Belgian in it’s special yeasty, spicy fruitiness. This ale is the perfect marriage of cultures, and interesting beyong words. I have loved every beer released by Brasserie d’Achouffe, and this one proves that they are as innovative and individual as it gets.

33 cl bottle. It’s a cloudy golden color with a very unusual fluffy cotton-like head that settles very slowly and unevenly. The head remains unique and is the basis for the "5". Malt is considerably more apparent in the nose than hops, odd for an IPA but this new balance seems to be their focus. Carmamel first, then grapefruit, then a range of pleasant esters. An even medium and slightly bitter body that settles across your tongue for a long bitter finish. The 9% remains unapparent. Not as hoppy as I expected but it turned out to be an excellent mix of styles that I’d highly recommend.