Kasteelbier Tripel Blonde 11%

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Abbey Tripel
Ingelmunster, Belgium

Yeasy aroma that includes alcohol. Light and flowery. Good flavor, malt and yeast, flowers and light fruit. A delicate beer, better than the average triple.

11z bottle. Recently bottled. Light golden hue. Floral, yeasty, apple nose. Very dry. Can only get better.

A beautifull foam had my kasteelbier, it was not too cold. But there was too much alcohol taste.

What can I say, but mere perfection in a glass. My favorite way to drink Kasteel is a whole bottle to myself in a large fishbowl, the beer barely makes it to the bulge of the glass. When you tilt the glass back to drink the CO2 thats been hiding trapped in this huge thing hits you in the face. There is so much aroma of fresh sea air, the bubbles seem to go on forever. I bought a case so I would know no light ever touched them I love this beer so much.

Pours with a golden body topped by a thin to medium thick head with some lacing. It’s slightly bitter, yeasty and peppery with other spicy notes and alcohol esters in the nose. Medium bodied, warming and slightly smooth.

750ml bottle from Red Carpet Wine and Liquor in Glendale CA. Seems it’s been there a while since the cork is dated 09-2003, so hopefully it has been treated well for the last 2 years. I’ll re-rate when I get a bottle that I’m sure hasn’t been mistreated. Perhaps given too much sunlight-the aroma is a bit skunked.. unfortunate. Flavor is very sweet, maybe some butterscotch taste.. but that could be mistreatment. Very smooth drinking but it would be even more smooth if the sweetness was toned down a bit more. Looks beautiful in a standard Chimay trappist glass, nice color too. Leaves a strange aftertaste but maybe that’s me. I think now on I’ll stick to Lee’s liquor because they know heat and light destroy beer and wine.. got this from Red Carpet Wine while searching for rare beers.

Bottle dated May ’02, enjoyed 4/9/05. Light golden pour. Very fizzy, with a bit of a sweet honey smell. Taste is a sweet white wine, a touch of vanilla and a suggestion of oak. Just a little bitterness and then tartness with a sugary finish. I found this at Foremost Liquors, being closed out at $2.99. Why? They surely know Belgians stay pretty good as they age. Maybe because the labels were different from year to year.
Another 2002 bottle, enjoyed 5/31/07. Just as nice as before. Just noting a bit of cork in the initial swig. I’ve had a previous bottle that went way too tart, but this is still nicely sweet, with a contrasting dry finish. Crazy world, huh? This had a different label that I hoped meant it was the Donkel, but it still says "Golden" on it.

Golden with a small head. Nice lacework. Sweet acohol-filled aroma. Somewhat fruity beginning but the alcohol takes over pretty soon. Bitter finish. Too strong for its own good.