La Trappe Tripel

Brewed by De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Abbey Tripel
Tilburg, Netherlands

Bottle, marked "La Trappe Tripel Trappistenbier" on a plain yellowy beige lable quite unlike the one pictured here. A coppery amber body with little, but persistent, head and some lacing. Aroma reminds of dried fruit I think, but fresher in a way. The flavour pretty much echoes the commercial description above although it somehow comes off in a weird way. There’s bitterness there but it’s probably the alcohol more than hops. Smooth most of the way with a rough finish. I’ll take some other Trappist Tripel. First rating for more than a year. This one done live with more I’ve recently jotted down on the way.

Intense fruity aroma, apple... Lot of fruit in the taste... but also some pleasant bitterness.. yeasty yet sweet aftertaste... one of the best beers from Holland... the quad is better though...

Encouraged by the delicious Dubbel I moved on to this. Perhaps I need to remember that the reverse order would be better. While this has higher ABV it is lighter and not as malty. Once again smooth is the word. Lovely apricot, peach and plum nose with a hint of hop. This beer slides down. Clearly a big alcohol beer but nothing of that harsh fusel type of alcohol that can sometimes detract from this style. What a find.

Coppery colored, little white head. Lively carbonation. Aroma has good spices with hoppy, floral, caramelly and fruity touch, mild alcohol also there. Medium to full bodied. Crispy palated. Flavor is more alcoholic with spices and lemon, also some bitter hops there. Aftertaste lasts with medium alcohol and some sweet caramel.

Bottle. Amber colour with medium head. Very flowery aroma at first. Then some fruit, slightly yeasty and some banana. Medium body. Flavour is defiantly sweet with ever so slightly bitter finish. I had a excellent experience with this beer. Very drinkable I thought.

Deep gold with a merange head. Yeasty and apple aroma. Very yeasty flavour with some banana. Some bitterness but no alcohol evident in the finish. Very good for a Tripel.

(Bottle BBE 12/08) Fruity (banana) and slightly yeasty aroma. Dark golden colour, hazy and average size, white, very slightly lasting head with fair lacing. Fruity (banana), slightly caramel and acidic flavour. Lively carbonated, medium-bodied and slightly alcoholic palate. 06/10/06

Bottle: Very slightly hazy gold that glows beneath a whort lived white head. Lots of spicy banana and clove aromas atop a pleasant ’thikness’ and lemony apricot notes. Classic Tripel in the mouth; spicy and bitey with some lovely wheaty, banana and cloves, a quenching floral bitterness that takes all but a lingering sweetness, and a warming white pepper alcohol presence. My only criticism is a rather short palate. Very nice.