Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

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

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Poured into a snifter with typical bartender ineptitude resulting in a lackluster head. An odd yellow-gold colored beer lays beneath the small white cap of foam. The hops are strong with this one, you can smell the floralness from a foot away. Beyond that, the tripel style makes itself known with aromas of funky yeasty apple, lemon zest, grapefruit, pepper. The taste is just how you’d imagine something with "IPA Tripel" in the name to be. Hoppier than any other Belgian I’ve had, this beer explodes with floral hops that mingle with the fruity esters and faint boozy finish. This was a bit flat, but I blame it on the tap, not the beer, and so it gets the benefit of the doubt. Alcohol makes an appearance towards the end. Pretty smooth and easy to quaff.

Not even sure how they produce something this varied in style... Rocky head, laces like a beast... the color is a thin yellow, but the taste kicks pretty hard. The note below that it tates like a belgian on the front, but definate IPA on the finish. Recommeded to me at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, good call.

Poured from bottle a hazy orange with a large pillowy white head. Aroma pours out with a spicey citrus zing, honey and some clove. The flavor is sizzling crisp with lots of carbonation checking in with touch of bubblegum, yeast, bread, a very mild floral citrus hop tart-bitter. This beer was amazing with the pizza I was eating. It’s hard to believe that it was a 9 percenter. I would drink this anytime.

A little hazy golden colored beer, with a huge thick long staying foamy white head. The aroma of hops, malts and fruits. The taste of hop bitter with a lot of fruits like citrus. The are flowers. A complex beer. The aftertaste is long bitter

Pours a beautiful liquid 32K gold with a tall white, bubbly head. Aroma is exceptionally strong citrus and Belgian yeast along with some hops and banana. Ton of flavor with a very smooth texture. The mouth feel on this is amazing. The citrus, lightly bready, and banana flavors aren’t sharp at all but rather mellow in your mouth to an elegant hop finish. Not much bitterness, but an interesting take on a tripel!

Excellent beer. "IPA" is a bit of a stretch but it is hoppy for a tripel. Hazy golden color with white foamy head. The hops plus Belgian yeast and sweet pale malt work well together. Nice medium body and dry finish. The tripel/IPA combo I’d like to see more Belgian brewers attempt.

Hazy pale yellow pour with a large rocky, yet creamy, everlasting white head. Typical tripel aromas - citrus, yeast, and alcohol. If you dig around you’ll get a nice hoppyness underneath. More hop flavor than the nose suggests, and I found the orange flavor to be stronger as well. Quite a dry finish. Excellent blend of an IPA and a tripel. Why don’t more brewers make a similar style?

750 ML bottle from Evergreen Liquors in east Louisville; pours cloudy, pale yellow with interesting head that has a life of its own. aroma is flowery with notes of spice and grass. medium body; interesting and complex throughout. first, you’re hit wit the sweetness of the malt, but some tartness from the yeast makes itself known just as the spiciness, bitterness, and dryness of the hops takes command. just when you think the sensations are over, the warmth and character of the alcohol show themselves in the finish. very refreshing and truly unique. this is my first foray into this style, and it will surely be added to my rotation.