Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

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

sampled blind at "Better Know a Style: Abbey Tripel". pours hazy golden with creamy white head. nose is citrusy, hops, vanilla, yeasty. flavor is hoppy, faded leathery hops, citrusy. balanced. yeasty, dry finish. this wasn’t a fresh bottle as it probably had just over a year on it and although the hops weren’t fresh or bitter everything seemed perfectly balanced and a joy to drink.

Pour is hazed deep golden yellow with a big dense off white head...smell is warm and soapy at first, with some pepper and yeast coming up in the end...taste is sweet at first, and very malty with hints of dough and spice but hen turning hoppy bitter...nice and interesting, but I’ll take Urthel Hop-It over this I believe...

Thanks to whomever brought this to Noogfest II. Congratulations to the folks at Chouffe for coming up with an experiment that worked. This combination of IPA/IIPA & trippels is very tasty. Lots of different flavors to enjoy with this brew. Try it.

Bottle; overall this was a pretty good big disappointment. I really like triples and this is so highly rated. Poured a ruddy, dull gold w/ a creamy white head. Bottle was a big time gusher. Aroma was definitely hoppy for the style; grass, yeast, banana, spice and fruit dominated the flavor. I’m not sure I liked the hops in the aroma. Flavor was not great; lack a good amount of yeast and triple flavors; would have liked some more candi sugar/banana flavors. While the flavor was not bad, I just found it a bit lacking.

Excellent one, very storng and a little hoppy if you ask me, but a great beer.

I sampled this with a couple guys from work (Jason and Jacob) on 2/07/2007 at Winking Lizard Tavern (Crosswoods) in Columbus, Ohio. This beer was listed as a "Double IPA Tripel" style on the menu and since I hadn’t heard of this beer before, I was quite intrigued... Chouffe Petit Houblon pours a cloudy deep golden color with a large, foamy, white head. The true nature of this interesting beer is quickly revealed in its aroma: At first the aroma seems to be that of an IPA with notes of hops and orange. Then the Belgian Tripel aromas surface: Banana, lemon, spiciness, yeasty fruitiness, and alcohol. Flavors associated with each style are evident in the flavor, just like they are in the aroma. The alcohol is also very evident in the taste. The finish is a little more dry and has a lasting bitterness. The palate is heavy and full, but has a delicate smoothness as well. Chouffe Petit Houblon is a well blended, unique, and complex marriage of two styles that I norammly wouldn’t think to put together. However, this beer showcases the best characteristics of each style nicely and is an enjoyable and memorable beer. I look forward to having this beer again... 33 cL bottle. Batch #2 Best before end 2009.

Re-rated decemeber 2007, 0.75 l bottle. Hazy golden color with big fluffy head. Sweetish, perfumed and very orangey-lemony aroma with notes of coriander, clove, pepper and honey. Bittersweet flavor with pepper, clove, herbal hops, lemon, grapefruit, honey and some grainy notes. This bottle was much tastier than the draught pint rated below. Old rating: September 2007, draught at Akkurat, Stockholm: Yellow color with creamy head. Lemon, pepper and coriander in the aroma with a slighly sour edge. The taste is malty, grainy, honeyish and phenolic with bittersweet finish. Slightly sticky on the palate. Phenols and hops - not a perfect match 7/3/7/4/15.

Bottle. A hazed golden color with a thick and very foamy white head. A citrus and sugar sweet aroma with some pine, grapefruit and floral notes. A Belgian light touch on the palate with a springing pine and citrus flavor with a spiced (pepper) finish. Surprising in the lack of "heat" in the 9% abv.