Affligem Tripel

Brewed by Brouwerij Affligem / De Smedt (Heineken)
Style: Abbey Tripel
Opwijk, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

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Banana aroma, some corriander, a soft yellow color and a foamy white head. The initial taste is slightly bitter and dominated by cloves and corriander, perhaps some fruit, pear perhaps. The esters become more apparent after the first taste, and are folowed by a sweet finish that is slightly bitter.

Bottle from Super Saver. Hazy dark straw pour with 2-finger off-white head. Aromas of floral spices, hopcitrus, yeasty funk notes. The flavor was dry, floral, spicy, and citric, with some yeasty funky malt notes as it warmed. Very complex and well balanced, this is an outstanding tripel.

Spreading the Belgium love around the family on Thanksgiving here in Council Bluffs. 48f pours like transparent caramel with an exploding large bubble head, fairly quick to dissipate from a fat finger heighth. Leaves a lacy garter. Vegetal aromas of carrots, celery and artichokes in a malt aspic. Taste of the above veggies on a mineral plate. Nice and dry. Very pleasant thin sweetness like frosted green grapes. Carbonation pops off the tongue sending the hop character up to the roof of the mouth and then cascades down the sides of the tongue. Nice alcohol bite. Everyone enjoyed this, and were amazed at the wine-qualities of the Belgian beer. Welcome to my world. paired well with breaded oysters.

Poured into a tulip glass. Beneath 3+ inches of thick suds I see a very clear, effervescent, golden colored beer, with a steady stream of tiny champagne-like bubbles. After an eternity, the head dies back to about an inch, and leaves superb lacing throughout the glass. I detect a very sweet honey aroma with some grain or bread aroma as well. It sort of reminds me of those ’windmill’ cookies my grandmother gave me when I was a pup. Remember those? Excellent aroma throughout the glass. Sweet malty flavor, with prominent honey and/or bee pollen flavor and some hot alcohol. Some kind of dry spiciness (coriander I assume) is in there too. Full bodied and flavorful, more spice and alcohol in the finish. Thoroughly enjoyed from a 750 ml bottle with a cork date 4/03. EDIT: An hour or so goes by. I am near the bottom of the bottle. As expected, I am stirring up the yeast. The beer is now cloudy and darker in color - closer to a hazy peach color. I taste much less alcohol, more breadiness, and about the same amount of spice as previously.

330ml Bottle: A lighter colour than the double, almost pumpkin, but presenting a great foam head that did perhaps the greatest lacing I’ve ever witnessed yet. The aroma is a blend of citrus peels, lemons, and oranges, as well as the usual suspects of coriander, cloves, and black pepper. Flavour is great, albeit significantly alcoholic. A great citrus taste, cloves, coriander, orange peel, black pepper, and a hop kick that was absent from the other Affligem’s. Definitely the best of the bunch.

UPDATED: JAN 30, 2010 From a bottle poured into a tulip. Beautiful pour. Deep golden with generous head. Aroma is sweet and fruity with a little bread. Flavor is a perfect balance of sweet and clean. No lingering aftertaste.

soft head over brilliant orange color in my orval glass. dry finish, but a pleasant one, not one that makes you want to find some water. i love this one. the smell/taste reminds me of the beers i enjoyed in waregem with a local friend last fall.

0.33l bottle in a chalice. Pours a cloudy gold, fine white head that lingers, medium carbonation. Aroma is spice and citrus, banana, cloves, orange, hay. Subtle. Palate: Medium bodied, smooth, sweet finish. Very nice. Taste: Sweet, but not as sweet as I was expecting. Strong notes of hops. Spice comes out nicely. Very drinkable. Nice beer.

750ml. Bottle. Pours hazy and golden. I thought the Aroma was a little off or light I should say; but...im 3 ribs in, to a rack of spare ribs, so maybe all the complex features are there and I just can smell them. That aside; the beer, I thought was exceptional. Medium bitternesss and very light on the sweet end, finish is long and the taste is very refreshing. A score of 97 is spot on. Although somewhat heavy, this beer goes great with a rack of ribs...enjoy

Appearance: hazy golds and oranges under a voluminous head. Slow steady stream of carbonation keeps the head in play even after settling into a decently chunky blanket. Lace clings to sides of glass in stubborn clumps.
Nose: yeasty, doughy, tropical, sweet, and spiced. Tropical fruits steeped in booze and spices. Skins add bitterness and tannins. Pineapple and coconut shavings. Golden grains, dry and dusty.
Palate: sweet, smooth, and mouthcoating. Bright and vivacious atop the tongue with mangos, nectarines, and pineapple. Tingles long after each quaff. Bitterness and tannins in the back, tropical fruit skins especially. Orange skin oils. Balance is exquisite and obviously time-honored. Growing dryness atop tongue is all orange skin, dry straw, and dusty white woods.
Final Thoughts: juicy and sweet with just enough dryness, bitterness, and tannins to balance. Like yin and yang and feng shui, there is a grace to the Tripel from Affligem which bespeaks the grace of time and all that she offers.