GreenWall (53), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 3/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Apr 29, 2009
The pour is extremely carbonated, straw-to-golden, with lots of rather thin foam. It diminishes to a finger, then to a film, but leaves decent lacing as it goes.
The first smell reminds me strongly of Westmalle, with really nice round ripe fruit (lychee or peach perhaps, with some citrus zest) and some peppery spice. Very effervescent. As it calms down, there’s some herbal/grassy and some hay-like notes in there, but the fruit from the yeast dominates. In the mouth, it is round and full at first, with the ripe fruit from the aroma, almost like a sweet white wine; then, you feel the carbonation, and perhaps a bit of leafy hop astringency. The bitterness is assertive, definitely enough to dry out the flavour. It strikes a nice balance between sweet and bitter, fruit and spice, roundness and effervescence, what have you. Worth the price of admission.
 puzzl (2650), New York, New York, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 5/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 13/20 |
Dec 29, 2009 Bottled. The 3rd to last beer in my (rather simple) quest to rate all the top 50 most rated beers. This was one I passed up for far too long, merely because it was so readily available but slightly pricey. However, a $4 Belgian that was way too expensive a few years ago is now not a bad deal at all.
This pours initially a very clear gold with a nice, large bubbled head that fades pretty fast. An addition of the yeast (which was deemed critical after my first smell and sip) made it quite cloudy and nice, with some lacing that lasts in the glass and minor, actively rising carbonation.
The aroma is at first fruity and sweet, highlighting strawberry and pomegranate, and transitions to a more herbal, woodsy profile as the beer breathes and warms. While mostly licorice and alcohol when still, agitation provides a welcome complexity. However, the nose is a bit too sweet to me and lacking in a forward, doughy yeast that I always hope for in the best tripels.
The flavor is calm and inviting, displaying a mild sweatiness through with notes of egg, thyme, and mild tropical fruits. The carbonation is quite low and rather soft; I could do with a bit more here. There is a short, sweet finish, which leaves a bit of sugar on the lips, but there is a lack of complexity that I find disappointing.
In the end, I must say this one was a disappointment. Tripels to me are a theoretically fantastic style, yet I can find so few examples that truly impress me. With the very high rating on this one I expected an undiscovered (to me) gem that I’d been passing up for way too long, but instead was let down by a fairly straight-forward, too sweet (marginally) beer that differs little from most else out there. Guess I’ll have to keep looking.
PolishHammer (71), , Connecticut, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 3/5 | 18/20 |
Dec 29, 2009 Great beer! Golden color, with fruits -strawberry?- and carmelized sugar. Not overly sweet or sticky, but very nicely balanced. A tripel to rival Chimay as my favorite.
mbuisman79 (168), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 13/20 |
Dec 28, 2009 Very lively beer, lot of things to look at. white foam, lots of it. Has that pale tripel look.Very complicated and interesting flavor, slightly bitter finish but with some white chocolate?
tastybeer (139), Washington DC, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Dec 26, 2009 Bottle (green bottle, really?). Pours golden with a big foamy white head. Sweet sugar taste with apples and floral notes. Best tripel I’ve tried to date.
harbert (3), leiden, Netherlands
does not count  | 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 24, 2009 apple, then leather, hay and hops and a rather sweet taste with enough bitterness that has more lenght then intensity
spanky167 (15), , Virginia, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 23, 2009 Good tripel. Sweeter than most if my memory serves me right. Big head, and easy to drink. Right up there with Unibroue and Westmalle.
kevd193213 (513), Hope Valley, Rhode Island, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 22, 2009 750 mL bottle. Golden pour with a huge white fluffy head. Aroma of malt, grass and bread. Medium body with a taste of bread, Belgian yeast, slight hops and malt. Great dry finish.
Swalden28 (1531), McKinney, Texas, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 21, 2009 Bottle. Pours a cloudy light orange with big fluffy off-white head. Aroma is very nice, some spice, citrus peel, a little funky, some barnyard, lemon grass, some grassy hoppiness, earthy, light malt, faint banana, a little alcohol spice. Flavor is very crisp and the same as what I mentioned above with faint tang. Mouth feel is light-medium body, very high fizzy carbonation....Overall, this beer is incredibly tasty and very easy to drink....Would be refreshing during the summer and will warm you up during the winter....A perfect all season beer!
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