t IJ Zatte

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Abbey Tripel
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bottled. As well as tap. Slight cloudy golden color, medium white head. Aroma is slight spicy, hint of yeast, fruity, bit sweet, hint of lemon and orange. Thick body. Creamy texture. Soft bitter taste, spicy, hint of pepper, some orange. Nice triple.

Bottle at ‘t Arendsnest. Hazy dirty gold color with a small white head. Smells like a tripel with a touch of citrus. Very smooth. Very creamy. Very good mouthfeel. Flavor is lightly bitter, with a citrus peel hint, over pale malt. Finishes clean and bitter. Nice ongoing flavor of fruity and/or herbal hop.

Another interesting trippel that I picked up during my travels. Slightly sweet, but not over the top or cloying. Cookie dough maltiness with some orage jamminess, thick sticky mouthfeel. Finishes dry, but has a wonderful lingering finish, like a dry sauvingon blanc.

Bottle at Spuyten Duyvil. Hazy golden. Light white head. Weird citrus aroma, phenolic. Yeast component gives an odd fruity/creamy profile that reminds me of cat litter, but to be polite, I’ll say kaffir lime and zest. Palate is very fruity, citrusy with notes of mango and peach. Mostly sweet (powder sugar), but also lightly tart (lime). Rather silky body, medium in size, feeling ample. Once again an odd beer from T IJ which positions itself middle of the range among my tripels thanks to originality and an attractive apperance and mouthfeel.

<b.Bottle date 08.04, Sampled August 2004
Pours a hazy rich gold color that is topped by a fluffy cream-tan colored head. I get soft aromas of tropical fruit, oranges, pepper, and a faint mustiness. Overall the aroma is fairly weak though. The taste is lightly sweet up front and the finish is definitely interesting: I get a certain astringency and a mustiness. There are also notes of lemon, orange, pear and lots of spice notes in the finish. This is a very interesting beer, the after taste is chock-full of subtle spice notes that really grab my attention.

Bottle @ Ølbaren, Copenhagen. Very interesting aroma, fruity, has a sour tangy edge, some pineapple, spicyness. Pours golden to straw yellow, hazy, with a nice medium white head. Flavor is filled with bretts, has that sour edge but its also farily light and very drinkable. Refinds me abit of Orval. Very interesting beer.

The initial taste was a nice sweetness and modest carbonation, but taste was lesser so and dry aftertaste. Foam white head on cloudy yellow-brown . Nice Belgian abbey aroma. Soft creamy mouthfeel. 8% alcohol, its there. One of Holland’s best.

Draught at Ølbaren. Cloudy yellow coloured with a small off white head. Acidic aroma with lots of fruits and spices. Fruity flavour with lots of spices. Well hidden alcohol.