Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

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

re-rate: hazy gold with a large whipped white head. yeasty, grass, hops, basement funky aroma. flavor has lots of sweet creamed corn, yeast, hops, marshmallows. awesome stuff. i really must have had a bad bottle the first time around. still not as good as tripel karmeliet but pretty close. now.. wheres that nice chouffe?!?! 7/8/06 lots of alcohol in aroma. some yeast and hops too. slightly hazy gold with no head (i think i got a bad bottle). very hoppy and bitter with some sweet yeasty tripel qualities, but i really don’t see what the big deal is. i will definitly have to re-rate this. 6/2/8/3/13

Deep hazy golden in color with a nice white head. Peppery spicey aroma. Banana and clove notes. Flavor is hoppy and spicey. Crisp tasting. Well balanced. Sweet. Finish is bitter. Medium bodied. Very nice beer. Enjoyable.

Yellow gold. Head settles into a voluminous mountain of creamy meringue. Aroma is remarkably clean and deeply herbaceous, laced with black pepper and lemon zest. Very spicy and airy with esters. Fruity yeast undertones. Soft, loose-bubbled carbonation. Opens with a profusion of soft and delicate hop flavors intertwined with a sharp grassy bitterness. Super fluffy Pilsner malt gently cushions the tongue-tugging lemon zest, but its appetizing bitterness still remains. The bitterness flares up at times, but the fluffiness fuses with the glazed malt sweetness to slowly lift and distribute the array of remaining flavors across the palate. Yeast contributes creaminess to the body as well as a palpable sweetness to the flavor. The body is impeccably attenuated, both fluffy and dry, yet the overall depth is endless, as it wants to become chewy with a dainty honey sweetness and resin. The softer hops sporadically flash luscious notes of passion fruit which deepen and enhance the sharper hop elements. The balance here is absolutely exemplary. Finishes deceptively dry due to how peppery it is, yet fluffy as a pillow with teasing whispers of crackery malt and a whole host of entrancing hop flavors. Once again, the Chouffe yeast works its magic. This is such an elegant creation.

Whoa - the hop aroma on this one is just simply beautiful. Floral, orange rind citrus. But then wow again, the flavor hits you up front like a real tripel, sugar pillows, a touch of phenol, and some alcohol burn. In fact, this one doesn’t hide the alcohol as well others. Appearance: well, a hazy copper-orange for starters but the rocky meringue of a head is its own story. Finish is dry, with a distinct lingering bitter hop, which has a peppery spicy character that is complemented by the peppery kick of the alcohol. On the whole, just wow.

Golden orange in colour with a very large and long lasting white head, great lacing. The aroma is quite hoppy, very grassy, wheaty, floral, light spice, perfumy and yeasty. The flavour is again quite hoppy, some minor alcohol shows up, lots of floral hops, light citrus, moderate sweetness, peaches, light apricot. Moderately bitter mouthfeel, medium body, high carbonation. Finishes very long, very floral, some alcohol warmth and a dry hoppy bitterness. This is by far and away the most unusual tripel I’ve had.

750ml bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/new-york target=blank>Beers Of The World in Rochester, New York.
Purchased on June 30, 2006 for $8.35, opened on March 8, 2007.
No best before date.

Pours lightly hazy golden / yellow with a healthy white head that just won’t leave. Spiciness from the hops dominates the aroma - lots of it is there along with some Belgium yeast and tripel malt qualities. The aroma strikes me as a "best of both worlds" kind of thing. Medium / full bodied beer with a lot of soft frothy carbonation. Start with the sweet tripel malt and earthy yeast, but it is quickly overtaken by a ton of hops. Finish has lots of spicy hops with wooden hints. After the normal finish there is a combination of tripel aspect that return, but the hops still take center stage. An absolutely fantastic beer that mixed my two favorite style very nicely. Huge thanks to Brasserie dAchouffe for taking a chance and making something so unique and wonderful.

draft - Pours cloudy gold with a moderate to large, long lasting head that leaves great lacing. It smells malty with some hops and citrus notes. The taste is sweet initially with the citrus and a bit of spice making an appearance. The big finish is very hoppy. It’s good. I’d try this one again.

Bottle: Poured a hazy yellow with a large white head. Aroma is hoppy snd citrus. Taste is light fruit and hops, not over the top, but very nice.