Maredsous 10

12 oz bottle. Pours a mostly clear dark god body with a one cm creamy off-white head, lots of carbonation. Heavy pale malt nose with touches of yeast, alcohol, and fruity esters. Rather thick doughy pale malt flavor up front followed by a very sweet alcohol and honey laced finish. Notes of yeast, banana, and citrus fruits. Mouthfeel is thick and viscous with lots of fizzy effervescent carbonation. OK overall, but not among my favorites. As it warmed the alcohol became more and more apparent.

750 ml bottle. Slightly cloudy amber color, expansive off-white head. Herbal hop aroma with sweet malts and alcohol. Noticeable alcohol flavor, with more herbal hops and a sweet malty finish. Slightly astringent mouthfeel, high carbonation. Mellows considerably as it warms. Not my favorite tripel, but not a bad beer by any standard.

A very good Abbey Tripel, pours a gold orange-like with a slightly small head which goes down quick until there’s a thin white head left, tastes slightly sweet and fruity, has a more pronounced taste of alcohol than maredsous 8 (not very strange, due to the alcohol percentage of 10), a little bitter, but the taste is a little more sour-like than the average Abbey Tripel. Clearly one of my favourites

Draught at Toronado, Haight St. San Francisco. July 2008. Pours a cloudy golden orange with a healthy head full of fruit aromas, orange, fresh peach, lemon. The flavour is slightly sweet, spiced with orange, citrus and breadiness.

This was new to Chimes last time I went. Since I liked the 8, I figured I’d like the 10. The taste of this beer is sweeter than the Maredsous 8, and the alcohol is more pronounced. It left my mouth a little sticky feeling. Not a bad beer, but at $8 a pint, I’ll stick the Maredsous 8.