La Trappe Tripel

Brewed by De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Abbey Tripel
Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Lovely (dubbel-like) tripel, quite good for a supermarket-tripel. Sweet, lasting taste.

Pours with a glistening mahogany body… one of the darker Triples I’ve sampled… and a fluffy cream-colored head. The aroma is alive with plums and apricot… rather malty. The flavor brings some toasty malts, lots of caramel upfront with some notes of oak nutty almond likening. I even find some suggestions of ripened cantaloupe… the palate is rather buttery… very stick and sweet. Certainly not the classic Triple for me, this has far darker malts… but very nice stuff overall.
Post Note: Funny how both DrBeer and I both found notes of Apricot and almond… I didn’t even read his rating before I typed this up.

Initial nose is strong on Banana which shifts towards apricots as it opens. The initial flavours are honey and sweetness but progresses through a whole range of fruits that finishes with a spice and smokiness that isn’t expected. This one is most unusual and unorthodox compared to the Belgium Tripels. The presentation is quiet good with good lacing and head retention and is a quality drop.

Bottle: Poured a deep orangey color ale with a nice light brown head with good retention. Aroma of candy with sweet malt is totally irresistible. Taste is also dominated with this sweet malt presence with a subtle mix of spice in the background. Alcohol is very well hidden but body is definitely too thin, which seems to be a characteristic of this brewery.

Amber with a bubbly, shortlived head. Fruity aroma, orange, raisin, banana and spices. Aftertaste is a strange combination of banana and mint... Well balanced sweetness and bitterness.

33 cL bottle, snifter. Toasted bread, cereal malt (M); flowers and grass hops (H); dough yeast (M); banana, white grape, pear, pineapple, white wine aroma. Large, creamy, off-white head leaves good lacing. Clear, amber-red body. Moderately sweet, moderately acidic flavor becomes a lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter finish. Where did the hops go? Medium body, watery/creamy texture, average carbonation, bitter aftertaste. The bottom line is: smelled and looked great, but failed to taste and feel as good.

(750ml bottle) Pours an orangish-amber body with a small white head. Aroma of oranges, apricots, and bananas. Nice malt and dark fruit flavor. Soft palate.

Strong fruity aroma with plenty of alcohol apparent. Opaque deep golden blonde body is topped by a fluffy but shortlived head that recedes to a partial cover. Strong fruitiness in the flavour with alcohol notable and a pleasant botterness. Tart finish. Medium full body with very engaging carbonation. Sampled at Mondial 2006.