St. Bernardus Tripel

2001 bottle (from what I can guess from the notches on the smiling monk label) - Gorgeously thick and clouded dull orangey-yellow color that you cannot see through what so ever; very syrupy thick body with a very tall off-white, meringue-like, speckled froth that sits on top for a good while before finally settling to a healthy murk of a skim on top that keeps its hold mounting on top for a good time. Great lacing in thickly sticking foamy strings. Lovely aroma of well rounded deep fruityness bringing in super dulled citrus(citrus without the sour citrus) of orange and lemon, some passion fruit, banana, dried apricots, and pineapple notes intermingle. Way yummy and candy-licious! Very soft musty, yeasty spices barely make an appearance, which I like, most Belgian Triples seem to have way too much of that plastic/phenol yeast thing that doesn't bold well with me. This is soft and subtle, fruity and candy-like, more to my liking. Not overly strong but oh so yummy to wiff in. Great subtle fruits and softness to its nose! Tropical fruit salad any one? Oh my...and the taste follows suit from the smell. Huh? Wow! This is yummy! The tropical fruityness is fabulous to my tastes; soft, full, bold, yet biting, all that was noted in the smell comes across in the tastes. Great fruits of dulled down orange and lemon with some pineapple and banana. Super fine creamyness and fullness. Mild as all hell yeast and spice just barely make an entrance peeking even more interest within the flavors. Maintains a strangely interesting finish of chocolate and caramel malty thickness which covers over the fruits later on, quite amazing! Far and away one of the best Triples I've enjoyed! Thick, lush, flavorful in fruits and candy action! Yum, yum, yum, this stuff rocks! I haven't had many Triples cuz most I've had I didn't like, but this St. Bernardus is mind boggling yummy!

Pours dirty honey colored w/ a malty sweet nose. Medium froth with medium hangtime. Medium nectar with ample residual effers. Flavors of malt, caramel, dried citrus fruit. Long tastey finish w/ a steely, peach pit bitterness and slight alochol flavors. Overall: a fantastic specimen. Highly recommended.

Purchased 11.2 FL OZ. bottle at Beverages, & More! in Pleasanton, CA. This is an excellent example of what a Tripel should taste like. Nice estery, butterscotch, fruity bouquet. Excellent, deep golden color. Great head retention for a high alcohol beer. Great malt and hop balance. Fruity finish. This is one of my favorite tripels. Anything from this brewery or Westvleteren is a must try. God bless the Trappists!

I tried this beer on August 10, 2007 at The Esplanade Biermarket in Toronto. The beer was a cloudy brown in colour with a short lasting off-white head. The aroma was very yeasty with some spicy tinges in the background. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a fair amount of carbonation while the flavour was full of yeast and wet bread. Another damn fine product from St. Bernardus!

Re-Rate 11/21/02: The beer pours a tenebrous orangish-yellow color, the head behemothic in size, texture that of whipped cream and the color a dazzlingly white with enormously thick glutinous sheets of lace that clean mightily to the glass. Nose is yeast laden, malt, hints of lemon peel, with and underlying sweetness. Front is ambrosial, the top middling in feel, the finish is devilishly carbonated, divinely hopped droughty long lasting aftertaste. This bottle borders on being 2 years old, the high ABV is quite evident in the “Belly Warming”, and the deep malt body adds much to this beer. Oddly enough, seems people either love it or dislike it, I “Love it”!

Cloudy honey colored with a thin white head that maintains ’til the end. Sharp, woody carb melts away leaving a yeasty banana. Wonderful stuff! This hits all the right notes. Sweet fruit never overpowers. Balance is perfect with refreshing carb giving way to sherbet smoothness.

Poured a bottle into a tulip glass. Inch tall head that settled into about a 1/4 inch covering that lasted throughout. Nice lacing. Very nice looking glass of beer. Golden, honey colored. Very tiny, compact carbonation. Smelled of yeast, fruits, alcohol. Very well balanced. No particular aroma stood out, but all worked together. Delicious, well balanced. Some fruit, some yeast, some hops, some malt, all working together. A very balanced beer on a par with Westmalle Tripel. I noticed a lot of carbonation that made my tongue tingle a bit, otherwise I’d give it a 5 on mouthfeel. Warmed the palate after it went down. Slight bitter and alcoholic aftertaste that warmed and then left the palate quickly. Very drinkable, but tasted strong with the alcohol not as well hidden as the Westmalle. But an excellent, delicious beer. And my wife says I look like the monk on the label!

Pours a light amber with a large rich head. Sweet malt and oranges in the nose. Light on the palate, sweet, citrusy, interesting, with a slight alcohol presence. Malt once again dominates the finish for a rather sweet version of a Tripel. GREAT!