La Trappe Tripel

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

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.

11.2 Oz bottle. Had a short lived white head. Aroma is fruity and sweet, and the flavor isn’t far off. Tastes of apricots, raisins, grapes. The alcohol doesn’t show up much. A bit richer and heavier that expected, but not so much that it ruins it. Leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Overall, this is a good beer, but lacking compared to it’s other Trappist brethren.

My ongoing assessment of the Tripel style hit a new obstacle when I visited Amsterdam. For once I was not greeted with the usual golden straw color but rather a deep resinous orange with a slight haze if held up to the light. The fluffy white head lasts longer than La Trappe’s other creations and produces thin creamy lacing that hangs for a short moment before it cascades down the glass. The aroma held more resemblance to the brewer’s Dubbel and Quadrupel than my previous experiences with tripels. Indeed the familiar creamy pear and dried fruit frangrance found in La Trappe’s range was clearly noticeable. Banana, bubble gum, sweet butter, nectar, honeysuckle and apparently Gorgonzola (in an epiphany my friend Nicholas had) emerge in the nose. The fresh aroma of entering a florist shop is also apparent but rapidly submits to the salient alcohol notes. Again far from the conventions of the style but nonetheless inviting. In the flavor appears a creamy blend of pear and pineapple the progressively softens as you hold it on the tongue. With a brusque swallow the heavy alcohol creates what I can only describe as a cheesy fruit sensation. Peach and apricot merge with a flavor that even my turophile palate cannot pinpoint. In the aftertaste, some grains develop, reminding of milled wheat or corn. Generally it is genuinely a likeable beer albeit far from what I had expected.

Bottle 33 cl. Aroma of alcohol and sweet malts. Taste of fruits. Carbonation is average.

Pours a coppery, whisky color (with thick legs to match), a haze of large particulate and a small, cream-colored head that fades fast to a halo. Caramel malted aroma with pear, pepper and white wine. Smooth, thick body with a fluffy lift to finish. Flavor is sweet malted fruitiness with earthen and woodsy notes, ending with grapeskin. In a word, relaxing.

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Pours Dark golden with a small head. Plenty of malt in the aroma. The flavor has sweetness and alcohol with a bit of fruit. Light body.

Pours amber wtih a nice haze to it. Aroma and taste extremely fresh with hints of fermented apples. Alcohol very well masked by the sweetness, and balanced hops. Definitely reminiscent of a Trappist orchard on a summer day.

33cl bottle, cloudy dark golden colour, creamy white head that quicky disappears, caramel malt aroma with spices and fresh citrus notes, sweet flavor with metallic notes, medium body, finish with some spices, a little weak for a trappist tripel