La Trappe Tripel

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Bottle: Very slightly hazy gold that glows beneath a whort lived white head. Lots of spicy banana and clove aromas atop a pleasant ’thikness’ and lemony apricot notes. Classic Tripel in the mouth; spicy and bitey with some lovely wheaty, banana and cloves, a quenching floral bitterness that takes all but a lingering sweetness, and a warming white pepper alcohol presence. My only criticism is a rather short palate. Very nice.

11.2 Oz bottle. Had a short lived white head. Aroma is fruity and sweet, and the flavor isn’t far off. Tastes of apricots, raisins, grapes. The alcohol doesn’t show up much. A bit richer and heavier that expected, but not so much that it ruins it. Leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Overall, this is a good beer, but lacking compared to it’s other Trappist brethren.

330 ml bottle. Nice amber orange colour, with a good white head that disipates too fast, leaving just a ring. Smell of oranges, plums, some subtle vanilla and medicinal or phenolics notes. Yeast and sulphurs too. Sweet flavour though with some rough tones of yeast. Taste of candy, citrus notes, banana and peaches. Not so strong body.

My ongoing assessment of the Tripel style hit a new obstacle when I visited Amsterdam. For once I was not greeted with the usual golden straw color but rather a deep resinous orange with a slight haze if held up to the light. The fluffy white head lasts longer than La Trappe’s other creations and produces thin creamy lacing that hangs for a short moment before it cascades down the glass. The aroma held more resemblance to the brewer’s Dubbel and Quadrupel than my previous experiences with tripels. Indeed the familiar creamy pear and dried fruit frangrance found in La Trappe’s range was clearly noticeable. Banana, bubble gum, sweet butter, nectar, honeysuckle and apparently Gorgonzola (in an epiphany my friend Nicholas had) emerge in the nose. The fresh aroma of entering a florist shop is also apparent but rapidly submits to the salient alcohol notes. Again far from the conventions of the style but nonetheless inviting. In the flavor appears a creamy blend of pear and pineapple the progressively softens as you hold it on the tongue. With a brusque swallow the heavy alcohol creates what I can only describe as a cheesy fruit sensation. Peach and apricot merge with a flavor that even my turophile palate cannot pinpoint. In the aftertaste, some grains develop, reminding of milled wheat or corn. Generally it is genuinely a likeable beer albeit far from what I had expected.

UPDATED: JUL 18, 2007 Bottle. Beautiful amber colored body with a massive head. Aromas are grainy and fruity. Candi sugar is the first impression, but it gives way to a malty fruit presence that is well balanced and very enjoyable. Not as complex as some of the other tripels I’ve tried, but comes off very well.

Bottle 33 cl. Aroma of alcohol and sweet malts. Taste of fruits. Carbonation is average.

pours hazy with decent head. smells like other trappists but the taste is not as complex. bitter hoppy, spicy, and reminants of fruit, but not too demanding.

Lots of banana and clove in the nose, some cherry and ABV as well. More cherry comes out in the body and draws out into a nice dry finish. Plum and bittersweet chocolate as well. The alcohol warms nicely in the finish.