Chimay Triple / Blanche (White)

750 mL bottle. Highly carbonated - cork and suds flew out of there like champagne! Poured into a snifter. Orange in color, slightly hazy. Huge pale head. Aroma is very grainy, like fresh bread, with just a touch of sourness in the background. Also earthy with just a little fruity component, but I can’t identify it. Taste was more hoppy and bitter than I expected and the alcohol was very pronounced, but after warming a bit it became much smoother and better balanced. It coats the inside of my mouth and leaves a nice lingering bitterness. Let this one warm a bit and it’s great.


UPDATE: I finally got some real Chimay glasses and had some of this beer on hand. I have to say that the proper glassware made a great difference in an already great beer. The etching in the bottom keeps that fine head throughout the short life of the glass and the open top really brings out the brighter flavors in the aroma. The flowery hops and yeasty sourness really come forward to compliment the grainy parts. This is definitely the way to enjoy this beer!

Large bottle, hazy orange pour in the customary Chimay glass with distinctive head and lacing. NIce pleasant aroma. Subtly sweet on the pallet with touch of hops with grains and a distinctive yeast character. Some bitterness and alc. bite but well balanced overall.

11.2 ounce bottle in Westmalle glass. (Chimay glass isn’t beer-clean.) Hazy golden orange with lasting white head and lace. Lemon yeasty spicy sweet aroma. Mild honey sweetness, fruity apricot orange spice with mild complex tobacco spcy peppry dry finish, some lingering peppery bitterness. Medium body and medium carbo. An absolute classic. Awesome. The only problem with this beer is that it’s too small.

On tap, my first Chimay from tap. What a nice beer, I can’t really complain at all about this beer. It was pretty damn close to perfect for a tripel. Aroma: floral hops with yeast and citrus fruits. Palate was rich and filled the mouth. Alcohol: Was there any alcohol in this beer what a good balance. Finished dry and balanced with no one flavor of the brew dominating too much. The only complaint is that I finished it too fast. I will have to rate a bottle later.

Bottle, 33 cl. Aroma seemed to have some skunk in it, a problem I’ve also encountered with other triples...not sure if that’s just coincidence or these brews are particularly sensitive to...something...anyway, otherwise some vague fruits/spices, nothing of particular, note. Flavor I think was best described by Odense below as more herbal than other tripels, which I agree was a nice change of pace, also a nice hop presence, particularly in the finish. Still, nothing wowing. Decent brew, I just haven’t been impressed by tripels recently.

Bottle. Pours a murky orange with a thick, creamy white head. Initial aroma was of skunk, which got fainter as the beer warmed, but was still present. Taste of light fruits (but no distinguishable tastes), spices. Bitter finish. This was good, but lacked the complexity of the Bleu or even the Dubbel.

A bright yet hazy golden colour that is very inviting....the tast is unique for a Belgian in that it is somewhat dry and hoppy, without much sweetness (along the lines of Orval, but not as intense). It is perfectly balanced and the alcohol well hidden, a very refreshing and satisfying brew.

Bottle. Pours a hazy golden color with a nice white head. Aroma has notes of spicy yeast and grassy/herbal/hay-like hops. Flavour is simililar to the smell, with a nice bitterness in the finish. Very spicy/wheat-like with a light hoppy twist. Medium bodied with high carbonation, which makes it a bit refreshing though the high ABV. A quite good triple.