Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

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

A nice and uncharacteristically hoppy abbey tripel. Aroma of sweet fruits, sugar and yeast. Pour was a medium gold with a gorgeous 3 finger white head. Taste was a complex mix of sweet sugar, fruit and caramel malt with a nice hoppy bitter aftertaste. This beer defines the word complex. Nice.

Murky gold with a huge white head and sheets of lace. Dry and dusty nose that is very hoppy. Spicey as well. Flavor is comprised of honey and spice. Lots of citrus and bitter. Cloying, sticky palate and a sour finish.

Thanks to Beerdrenched. Pour is cloudy with tons of floaties and a huge white head. Aroma is very creamy with a nice strong dose of fresh hops. Flavor has quite a lot of vanilla and is super creamy. Hops show up on the swallow. Smooth and easy to drink with the alcohol well hidden. A cross between a Belgian and an IPA.

On draft at O’Briens - woohoo! Arrived in a goblet a slightly hazy golden blonde color with a moderate white head. Aroma is floral and sweet, light bready yeasts, summer fruits, and citrus hoppiness. Sweet flavor, light summer fruits again, nice citrus notes, spice bread, yeast, floral hop character with a gently bitter finish. Medium body, smooth and creamy with prickly carbonation. Nice treat to find on draft here!

Great big white head of fine bubbles. Lasts for a while with good carbonation. Dense and frothy. Leaves a thick ring of sea foam on the lip of the glass. Hazy golden yellow in color. Nice and hoppy aroma with a decent helping of malts, grass, yeast and spices. Little bit of bananas in there also. Wow, great big hops and bitterness in the flavor. Light candy sugar, lemon and more spices. Big bitterness leaves the mouth parched. Very dry bitter finish. Quite the good stuff. Nice alcohol warmng and presence. Another winner from Chouffe. I am sad though. My la Chouffe glass has a big crack in it. Oh well, I will have to get another one now.

On tap at The Publick House in Brookline, hazy gold honey hue, with a frothy white head, the nose is yeasty, citrus fruitiness, nice herbal hops accent, with a hint of sweet bubblegum from the belgian yeasty, and a touch of spiciness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty character, peppermint spiciness, grassy and fruity floral hops accents also a piney earthy note, with a sweet pale malt, leading towards a citrus floral hop bitterness finish.

Well, this is an unforgettable experience of a beer. The head is amazing and funky - like old vapeur en folie, except that vanishes in an explosion of fritz while this just hangs. Anyway, there is a crazy yeast/hop interplay in this beer that is amazing. Delicate aroma includes serious flowers. The yeast component reminds of Triple Karmelite in anise, pepper. Bready too as others have noticed. I really sense a metallicness that I associate with Amarillo overlaid on a quite herbal Saaz. Weird and very good. The head gets in the way. Thin on the body and does seem to be 9% fairly easily are (hand-in-hand) detracting elements.

Pours bright gold into a tulip. Substantial micro-bubble head that continues to grow post-pour into a mountain. Distinctly tripel aromas with slight hop grass notes. Very nice looking. Up front yeasty tripel with a turn to decidedly hoppy, pine/grapefruit bitter finish. Very lively and full. Like nothing else I’ve ever tried -- but I’ll certainly be getting more of this.