Tripel Karmeliet

Brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels
Style: Abbey Tripel
Buggenhout, Belgium

Crushed with Jakebra on tap at Fat Abbey’s. Wow this is rated high. I was not impressed. My notes for the night just say: kinda sucked. Could be my palate was raped by the Third Coast Old Stock I had right before however.

Hazy gold with a giant frothy head that left a solid film and very nice lacing. Fruit and honey aromas with an earthy yeastiness clearly evident. Complex flavor profile featured citrus fruits and a warmong alcohol feel. Some spice, pear and pepper are in the background, and all is gently offset by a hint of hops bitterness. Strong carbonation, medium mouthfeel, a very crisp and dry aftertaste. A wonderful beer, the epitome of the style.

It took me until now to rate this beer. Aroma is skunky. Straight up sulfur. Stop using green bottles, please. Even with the hour or so of being open, the sulfur has not dissipated. That aside, the zest of lemon, coriander, caramel, and yeast make up the taste profile of this beer (if only it could make up the aroma too). Taste-wise, this is the best tripel I have had to date. Aroma-wise, the worst. The finish on this beer lingers, yet does not cloy despite it’s sweetness. Very, very good beer, but bottling could use some work.

From bottle. Poured yellow with abundant head. Aromas banana, oranges and citrus spices. Classic Tripel in every sense,

Sampled in Adeliade, Australia. Good quality beer. The glass was awesome! A very smooth brew that is certainly worth a try if you get the chance. Top quality.

(Bottle at Punavuoren Ahven, Helsinki, on 2008-09-20) Golden. Hazy. Small white head. Frutity, yeasty and bit spicy nose. Slightly sugary (sugariness diminishes when yeast is poured in) and full bodied palate. Cramell, frutiness, salty liquorice, bitterness and tiny hint of sourness in taste. Bit sugary and lightly bitter aftertaste.

Enjoyed in a Tripel Karmeliet goblet at Delux Burger in Scottsdale. Served extra extra cold on draft. Unfortunate that it was so cold, awesome that it was on draft. First impression was very negative...almost Budweiserish. However, it improved significantly as it warmed up. I could really pick out the oats, wheat, and pilsener. Very little Belgian yeast character compared to most of the style, which was a bit of a disappointment.

Pours a hazy golden color with lots of chunks snowing in the glass and a thick, rocky, white head. Strong presence of yeast in the aroma, there’s also some citrus and some cereal/grain. The flavor is very solid, there’s a fluffy presence of yeast, some sweetness, citrus and cereals. The body is medium with a creamy texture and lively carbonation. I like this beer and been drinking it for a while, I never got to rate it, but now the job is done.