Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

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

Thanks to Kook! Poured a huge frothy head with a hazy yellow body. Alcohol more pronounced than the previous beers tried on the night although it seems a little thin for 9%, enjoyed the flavours of grapefruit, yeast and banana.

Really happy to try this one, been wanting to taste it ever since I read about it. Pours a gorgeous hazy pale gold with a massive, long lasting, dense pillow head, just magnificent in the glass. Medicinal hop aroma, almost a feel of aspirin in the nose. Flavor is a wild blend of Belgian yeast flavors, a hint of funk, dried cherries, and a bone dry, very bitter hop finish. Fascinating stuff that I rather enjoyed, but challenging to drink rather than relaxing. Makes you think while you drink.

750mL bottle purchased from the Davis Food Co-Op. Aroma is exceedingly sweet, candy-sugar like with plenty of honey notes present. Some light floral and herbal notes are in there, too. Peculiar aroma. Quite hazy honey colored body with a large, frothy white head and quite a bit of lacing present. Start is sweet, sticky, and pretty herbal. Lots of doughiness with some citrus flavors towards the middle. There is lingering sweet, sugary flavors throughout with a light, piney hoppiness to finish. Very sweet mandarin orangey flavors. I don’t know, I am not enjoying this as much as others. The alcohol is very well hidden, though.

04.28.06 (and various other occasions), 750ml bottle at Paul’s Pre-TAPNY. Wow! Fantastic example of this up-and-coming and wonderful trend of merging US and Belgian styles into succulent, hoppy, and potent strong pale ales. This one has plenty to love with the distinctive Chouffe house character, mildly funkified and savory spiced, melded with monsterous, biting, pithy hops. Lightly estery (mixed fruit syrup) throughout lasting right through the dry finish. Yum.

750 ml bottle. Bitter-phenolic perfection follows. Shiny golden-yellow body with medium carbonation and a big foamy, but initially uniform white head that eroded into long-lasting, gravity-defying, and improbable foam structures. Aroma is somewhat muted by the persistent head but reveals notes of whole oranges, flowers, and doughy biscuits. Flavor brings an interesting blend of floral characters, camphorous phenols, spicy hops, medium warm honey sweetness, and pleasant bitterness. Tantalizing blend of bitterness and phenols, like bitter melon. Has mouth-numbing properties and is full-flavored with ample body. Not what I expected, but very addictive and really, really good.

Hoppy nose on this brown pour. Hoppy and sweet with hints of apple fruitiness. Cellar’s tasting.

Aroma:belgian yeast and spicy,citrus... Appearance:yazy gold,good creamy white head... Flavor:spicy like the other chouffe plus a touch of very good hops flavor....

Bottle. First notes to hit the nose are grass and Saaz, but the overall aroma is much sweeter, more floral, with yeast and spice and vaguely exotic citrus. Cloudy yellow pour with a huge rocky lacing white head. Leave it sit and the head will form all sorts of fun shapes. Taste of exotic fruit with above-avg bitterness, dry and yeasty with a punch from the alcohol (though much smoother and better-integrated than in most tripels) and lots of fruity esters. Dash of citrus. Classy hoppiness established toward the end and into the dry aftertaste, floral and lightly woody. Full malt body, smooth feel. Interesting!