St. Bernardus Tripel

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abbey Tripel
Watou, Belgium

This is decent, but a rather disappointing tripel that I find rather characterless, bland, and dry. It is bright gold, very clear before the sediment makes it hazy. A huge white head shrinks steadily but quickly to a lasting, thin wispy top. It produces a little uneven, foamy lace. The aroma is a lot of grain with light raisin, mineral, bread crust, mineral, a hint of pear and hay, somewhat resembling a pale bock. The taste is up front pear and hay with mineral, slightly raisiny but mostly dry. It soon becomes drier in alcohol with a hint of lemon pulp, but all thin and dry. The finish and aftertaste are dry and thin, tasting of fruit candy without the sweetness. It is one-dimensional and rather bland.

Bottle from 2002. Pours a hazy orange color with a small white head. Has a fruity spicy yeasty aroma. Sweetish fruity malty spicy yeasty flavor. Has a fruity malty spicy yeasty finish.

Bottle courtesy of Fratto. First off, huge head response. Bright orange color with chunks of yeast galore. Lovely aroma of sweet fruit, yeast and a little bit of spice. Tastes of dry fruit, very poignant. Finish loses some of it’s luster but remains an overall very tasty tripel.

Bottle from Mr Lawrence Wine Merchant, Brockley. Bottle gushed out (sediment and all) and the bit I managed to get into the glass poured a hazy orange colour with a strong white head. Aromas of peaches,spiced apples, some citrus. Flavours of apple sauce, caramel, sweet spices. Sweet and hoppy finish. Good tripel.

Pours a nice hazy golden with a white head. Aroma is esthers, banana, spices, fruits, alcohol, sugars, yeasts. Flavor is banana, sugars, yeasts, fruits, citrus, a bit of bitterness. Lots of carbonation. Decent Tripel, not too sweet.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 11.2oz bottle into a goblet. There is a best before date of 19-07-10 on the back label and it was sampled on 7-1-09. Appearance: Its head is bright white in color and about one finger in thickness. The light foamy head fades quickly down to just a small ring of foam that makes slick lacing on the glass as I swirl and sip. Under this head is an orangey tan colored liquid which is cloudy and full of tan yeast floaters. Smell: The aroma has notes of fresh peeled apple skins, funky yeast and a touch of apple cider vinegar. Taste/Mouth: There is a slightly astringent, citrus and hard apple cider flavor with some spicy phenolic character as well. The finish becomes bone dry with flavor notes of dry powdery yeast and some mild leafy hops that add just a touch of bitterness. The carbonation is light and just tickles the tongue. Its body has a medium to full feel and its texture is a little bit thick, almost chewy. Notes: I found this Tripel to be just a little ruff around the edges, heavy and well, just a little bit above average. I’m not sure if I just got a bad bottle or maybe it could use some more time to condition in the bottle or maybe less.

330 mL bottle at St. Veronus. Hazy amber gold with a nice head and a moderate amount of sediment. Aroma is yeasty/fruity/spicy - similar to, but slightly less appealing than, La Fin du Monde. Still good though. Flavour is similar to the aroma, with a dryish, slightly bitter finish. Decent body and carbonation. A nice beer.

330 ml bottle - clear, dark gold with thin white head and minor lacing; grainy, sweet with thin body; almost syrupy with mild flavors; some sweetness; raw, grainy and some yeasty spice; pretty tame overall