La Trappe Tripel

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

Bottle poured into La Trappe trappist glass. Very nice tripel. Hazy amber/tan colour that had a well balanced aroma of sweetness and spice that carried into the flavour.

Dark copper appearance with a medium size tan head. Sweet smelling, yeasty, fruity aroma. Taste was malty, spicy peppery and modestly sweet. Well carbonated, medium to full bodied mouthfeel leading to a long lasting, dry, fruity finish.

Brown bottle, 330 ml, best before 08-04; eye: flat brown with reddish reflections, nice comact beige head, good effervescence, hazy, suspended matter, opaque; nose: madeira, malt, basement, light oxidation, caramel; mouth: madeira, malt, caramel, oxidation, finale in malt with a hint of oxidation and a hint of coriander, mildly sweet, medium body, syrupy texture, not much carbonation; overall: disappointing but it was oxidized, I will have to drink it again, oh well, that is just too bad, eht? FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 330 ml, meilleure avant 08-04; oeil : brun mat avec des teintes rougeâtres, belle mousse beige compacte, bonne effervescence, voilée, matières en suspension, opaque; nez : madère, malt, cave, légère oxydation, caramel; bouche : madère, malt, caramel, oxydation, finale en malt avec une pointe d’oxydation et une pointe de coriandre, moyennement sucrée, corps moyen, texture sirupeuse, peu carbonatée; en résumé : déçu mais elle est oxydée, devrai l’essayer de nouveau, ça c’est plate, hein?

Heavier than most tripels. Sweet taste to it. Malty. Not exactly what I want in a tripel, but nice.

The coldest day of the year Down Under called for a beer with a bit of heat in it. This was just the ticket. In the glass, this is a clear copper colour with a loose 2cms of lacing foam. The aroma was wonderfully rounded and inviting. It had a nice sugar-cane sweetness, some Bazooka Joe bubblegum, caramel and faint Christmas spice - cloves with a pinch of nutmeg. It’s damn near perfect. The Belgians make this sort of quality seem effortless. First sip and ahhhhh... lovely. It’s medium bodied and softly carbonated with notes of caramel pudding, bubblegum, raisins, muscat and a warming peppery finish that takes the edge off the chill in this under-heated room. It’s a smooth customer but bares some teeth in the finish, where the 8% abv is evident. A first-class tripel. (30cl bottle; IBS Perth; best by Dec 07)

33 cL bottle, snifter. Toasted bread, cereal malt (M); flowers and grass hops (H); dough yeast (M); banana, white grape, pear, pineapple, white wine aroma. Large, creamy, off-white head leaves good lacing. Clear, amber-red body. Moderately sweet, moderately acidic flavor becomes a lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter finish. Where did the hops go? Medium body, watery/creamy texture, average carbonation, bitter aftertaste. The bottom line is: smelled and looked great, but failed to taste and feel as good.

Faint hazy amber with fluffly fine foaming lasting head. Big complex aroma dominated by malt but also includes bananas, spices, boiled lollies, antiseptic and bread dough yeast. Medium body with a decent but short bitter hit first up followed by a longer malty sweet middle and yeasty flavours. Finish is a bit weak for such a big beer. A pretty nice brew all the same and definitely worth trying.

Orange brown in color, large white head. Aroma is malty sweet like brown sugar with some wild honey mixed in. Flavor is syrupy and sweet. Sweet finishi. Did I say sweet enough? Yes I think it is sweet!