La Rulles Triple

Brewed by Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles
Style: Abbey Tripel
Rulles, Belgium

Bottle. Aroma of an IPA? Malt with floral hop anyway. Light orange gold color with a hefty white head doing a little lacing. Medium to full bodied with creamy carbonation. The flavor is malt, floral hop, light stone fruits, and cardamom and/or clove. Very tasty. The finish is dry, though sweet fruit notes lurk, and there is delightful low level bitter. Tastes wonderful.

Bottle, August 2005. Hazy gold, good white head and moderate condition. Muted but insistent fruity maltiness in the nose, quite hoppy at first in the mouth with a building sweet spicy maltiness and alcohol developing before dominating in the finish.

Hazy golden body with a fluffy, white head that leaves thick sheets of heavy lace. A nice, subtle aroma of clove, honey, orange peel, wheat bread, earthy hops, a little coriander, bananas and some lemon grass. The body is crisp and effervescent with excellent carbonation. The flavor is well crafted and fairly balanced. The fruity esters and spices are the definite draw to the beer with the mild, slightly tart wheat bread and yeasty character lightly in the background. The alcohol is well hidden, giving the slightest hint of warmth at the very end. The warmth combines with dry, hoppy bitterness for an elegant finish. One of the triples I’ve enjoyed most of late--a tasty beer.

The yellowish golden hazy body seemed to have a glow coming from the center of it and was topped by a thick head and excellent lacing. What a beauty - it’s centerfold material! Aroma was sweet malt and spices along with some yeastyness and some citrus fruits. Taste was nice - well balanced, sweet and a little bit lemony tart with a nice dry finish. I thought this went really well with the plate of cheeses that we were munching on.

Cloudy yellow/golden with frothy head. Light spices, pepper, perhaps nutmeg. Not super-frothy palate, but a lively aroma and fairly easy drinking. A winner. (2004 Christmas Party, my #2, group’s #1)

Bottle. Golden color with a white foamy head. Candy, bubblegum, pepper, banana and spices. A nice surprise. Christmas Party 2004 ranked 3/15 (mine) and 1/15 (group).

750 mL capped bottle: modest, ivory head that never truly dies. Bready banana laced aroma with hints of coriander, honeycomb, mud caked hops and distinct grassy notes. Close to intense, lively carbonation that is greatly soothing after a couple of long days…Soft gelatin and lightly toasted potato bread flavours give way to a thick yeasty mouth feel and tart esters. Finishes with a long dry earthy bitterness and hints of lemon rind citrus. A wonderful start to what promises to be an exiting beer weekend…

Pours with an orange body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s sweet and floral with a touch of orange, a little spice and a touch of malt. Medium bodied and smooth.