Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

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

Tap at the The Thirsty Monk Asheville. Pours a cloudy gold with a huge white head. Sweet malt and lots of spicy hops and maybe a touch of pepper. Taste is malty with spicy hops that give it a nice bite. Crisp and easy drinking, this was wonderful.

WOW! This brew has character. Appearance is that of diluted lemon juice. Pours a huge white canopy that just sits there, like it’s trying to protect the nectar from me. Maybe like a built in defense mechanism to ward off harmfull doers. After the froth settles it condenses into a marshmellowy substance that actually has some weight to it. Like I said, marshmellows. It’s funny because the residual froth clings in the most uncommon places. One time it clung to the top of the goblet, the next it clung to the side wall. Most of the time I found it floating around in the nectar like a cloud in a yellowy sky. When you eat the froth it has the dense consistancy of whipped egg whites. Tastes like sweet cream. MMMM. Aroma is of flowered asprin. Light in nectar weight with few residual effers. Flavors are floral with corriander, candy spice, and banana. Slightly herbacious with a faint sweet asprin finish that drys and lingers. The banana is more pronounced as it warms. The hoppsy character has a presence more like a song writer than the actual rock star. She gets the credit, be she’s in the background. Overall: this is a very complex brew. Dry, ballanced, and full of character. The alcohol is well hidden. I highly recommend this brew to the connoisseur. Connoisseurs Choice!

Bottle. 50% clear, golden body, 50% thick, densely-packed white head that slowly dissipates into huge, rocky mounds. Awesome aroma of sweet honey, light spice, oranges and lemon zest, light pine, yeasty bread dough, some light sugar and very light tropical fruit esters. The body is creamy and smooth with immense drinkability despite the high ABV and rather strong hop bitterness. The bitterness is strong in the mouth, as expected, but in a surprisingly synergistic way. The hop bitterness is complimented by robust, pale malt, some honey and sugary sweetness and the flavorful yeast. The bitterness is strong but not harsh. Piney, full of grapefruit, lemon and orange and with definite earthy, Noble hops strains. Really this is one hell of a treat. It’s something that an American brewer might try to make, but it’s done superbly by an outstanding Belgian artisan.

On tap @ Maproom: Pours golden with a nice fluffy white head. Intriguing aromas of, well if you did ever imagine this crossing of an IPA and Tripel, thats what it is. The belgian spices of a tripel and hoppy grapefruit aromas of an ipa. Medium mouthfeel and lightly carbonated the flavors are very citrussy, yeasty, grassy, and lightly spicy with a long lingering bitterness that is slightly cloying but in a really great way.

750ml from RagallachMC, thanks! Poured into my Chouffe tulip. Wow, now this is an interesting beer! Cloudy golden color, HUGE, i mean HUGE head, that dissipates quite slowly, and leave behind some wonderful lacing. Aroma is very hoppy, lots of citrus, and a tinge of spice. Flavour is again, quite hoppy with lots of lemon, orange, even a hint of lime. A nice spiciness also. Perfect tripel carbonation. Definitely the best of both worlds, i’m getting a equal amount of IPA and Tripel characteristics. Outstanding beer!

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.

750 ml bottle. Pours a golden yellow color with a massive foamy white head. Unfiltered, tons of little hops floating around. Aroma is bitter hoppy with strong traces of fresh sour yeast. Taste is bitter hoppy as well with a slight piney aftertaste. Very much like a hoppy pilsner and different than your typical American IPA. Interesting, but I prefer the American IPA’S. Good, but I was expecting a bit more.

Tulip @ Tyler’s Apex, Greta aroma, nice hop, on the grassy side, subtle spice, some banana. Greenish gold color, good head and lace. Bitter sweet flavor, sharp bitterness with subtle sweetness. Lite body, thin creamy mouthfeel, bitter finish. Tasty, like it’s initial taste, gave way to a ABV harshness as it warmed. Could of sworn I had this before now, but apparently not, check....