Bornem Triple

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Abbey Tripel
Ertvelde, Belgium

33cl bottle from ABC Liquors (North Tampa). Pours a clear deep golden with a thin white head that dissipates rapidly. Smellls of grass, straw, yeast, bread with a faint sweetness of plum. Very little to the flavor of this beer -- it starts out with hints of nuts, pear and banana and then finishes with watery slight bitterness. Middle of the road for a Belgian tripel -- drinkable but not our favorite.

Rated under the marketing alias of "Old Buccaneer Reserve". Acquired bottle from Brussels distributor via direct-to-home shipment. Poured slightly hazy gold with moderate head. Rustic nose of pears, caramel, toasted nuts, cut grass, alcohol. Fruity, mildly spicy, sweet but not cloying on the front. Nutty with a mild hop bite on the back. Maple and walnut become prominent as the serving warms toward room temp. A very pleasant ale by any name.

11.2 oz bottle. Pours a slightly hazy yellow with a thick white head. Aroma is yeast, with banana, spice. Flavor is okay, but it’s a little dry for my tastes. It was alright, but that’s only because I’ve been shying away from tripels lately.

750ml bottle: Deep golden pour with a thick, lace inducing head. The nose is pretty quiet for the style. The doughy malt and esthery yeast are there, you just have to dig to get to them. Everything comes alive in the body though with a great balance of honey, straw and earthy malt mixed with lots of banana, apple, pear esthers. Some mild vanilla and caramel sticks to the back of the tongue on the way down. Drinks nice and easy for a big beer and is complex enough to keep you on your toes. Another good one from Bornem.

Apple, strawberry, and lemon bouquet. Clear amber, thick white head, and streams of carbonation. Cidery, slightly dry. Over carbonated. It’s ok, but I have notcied a lack or originality withthis brewer.

Very much a doughy aroma, along with yeastiness and bananas. Yellow with thick fluffy white head. It’s hard to imagine 9 % alcohol in this, very well hidden. Very sharp, bubbly palate, a bit hoppy in the background. Nice.

Pours golden with a huge tight white foamy head. Fruity alc aroma mixed with that belgian yeast smell and some grassy hop. Flavour suggests alc, but is not sticky or too sweet. Good balance with the grassy hop and alc, and finishes clean.

Looks a lot like the Bruegel I just had, but more straw-colored than golden. Kind of smells like bubble gum. Carbonation front and center while the flavors are kind of mushy. Nothing to write home about.