Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

This beer pours a cloudy yellow with a great big fizzy white head, which emits a profound yeasty/hoppy nose that really gets the tastebuds primed for action. The nose is intensely pine resin and grapefruit with fruity yeast coming in a close second. Flavors are initially the obvious PNW type hopping...pine/resin/grapefruit/perfume/etc. The bready malts linger somewhat in the shadows, but are robust enough to keep the hops anchored. Interesting fruity yeastiness adds an exotic subtext of odd flavors and complexities. Pretty well hidden big ABV as well. Very well done brew that would pair well with a wide variety of foods...but for me, the spicier the better!

Re-rated decemeber 2007, 0.75 l bottle. Hazy golden color with big fluffy head. Sweetish, perfumed and very orangey-lemony aroma with notes of coriander, clove, pepper and honey. Bittersweet flavor with pepper, clove, herbal hops, lemon, grapefruit, honey and some grainy notes. This bottle was much tastier than the draught pint rated below. Old rating: September 2007, draught at Akkurat, Stockholm: Yellow color with creamy head. Lemon, pepper and coriander in the aroma with a slighly sour edge. The taste is malty, grainy, honeyish and phenolic with bittersweet finish. Slightly sticky on the palate. Phenols and hops - not a perfect match 7/3/7/4/15.

The 750 ml bottle poured a beautiful clear golden colored beverage with a huge white whip-cream head that lasted very nicely throughout and left LOTS of lacing on the glass. The aroma was quite unique in that there was a very nice presence of fruit and spice character but that was dominated by a grassy-floral hop character typical of a good imperial IPA. The body was medium-full with lively carbonation and a somewhat sharp dry texture. The flavor started out lightly sweet and fruity but was quickly taken over by the hop bitterness which then lasted through to the somewhat long finish. There was also a decided alcohol warmth pervading the chest.

75 cl bottle. Blonde, huge foamy head. Lemon, cream and red berries in the aroma. Initial malty sweetness attacked by an almost oily hoppiness. Cream, lemon and red berries. Long oily yet floral hopbitter aftertaste. The fruit, the power of the hops and the sweetness partly hide the alcohol. This bottle was worth every cent of its almost 9 Euros.

75cL bottle, batch 6. I don’t think there is a sexier beer on the planet, HUGE rocky white foam that would not be out of place atop a lemon meringue pie that sits atop a hazy bright yellow beer. Aroma is a shadow of previous bottles I’ve had, trace notes of hop lost among the Chouffe yeast strain. The flavor has suffered a similar fate, tastes more like a slightly hoppier La Chouffe. Still has a great mouthfeel, need to get fresher bottles ASAP.

33cl bottle. Pours a hazy gold with a lasting, fluffy, white head that laces nicely. Just a touch of sediment in suspension. I imagine it’s easier to get a "cleaner" pour with the 750ml bottle. On the nose is a nice yeasty Belgian funk backed by citrus and noble hops. Lesser notes of peppery spice and light fruits hide out in the background. Medium-bodied and slick with very fine tongue-coating carbonation and a tight bitter finish. It possesses the dryness of a tripel with the bitter tongue-squeeze of an IPA at the end; quite nice. The flavor is a sweet, citric and yeasty tripel up front and subdued but well balance IPA finishing things off with a nice blend of sweet malt and both citric and earthy hops. This isn’t a west coast "in your face" hoppiness, but it is definitely here in full force. This is a hop-head’s kind of tripel. I happen to be a fan of both tripels and IPAs and would never have thought to blend the two styles. In this brew, however, it definitely works. My compliments to the brewmaster.

Cold 750 ml capped bottle: Pours a cloudy medium gold color with lots of floating yeast particles and a big, persistent, rocky alabaster head. Aroma is of nice yeast, fine malts, fruit and notes of spice and alcohol. Taste is of light grains and then overwhelming perfume bitterness. Creamy texture, ample carbonation. Ending is prolonged perfume bitterness accompanied by alcohol notes.

Bottle pours hazy golden nice white fluffy head I had one bottle that had some yeast floating around in it. Don’t forget to rinse your glass out after or be prepared to scrub the glass for a long time Hoppy fruity aroma, tastes the way it smells nice hops bitter with the fruity Belgian yeast .sharp bubbly mouth feel. Great Belgian tripel one of my favorites so far