’t IJ Zatte

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Abbey Tripel
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Bottle @ home.
Clear medium orange color with a average to large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is light to moderate malty, light to moderate hoppy, grapefruit - lemon, moderate yeasty, barnyard. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Good balanced. Body is medium, texture is oily - smooth, carbonation is soft. (100508)

Pours a very lightly hazy medium golden color. A frothy, off-white head shows good retention, settling slowly to a 2mm blanket that sticks. Sticky, splotchy lacing remains on the glass. Aromas are quite funky, dry, and laden with brett. Notes of light candy sugar, light fruity esters (banana maybe), bready yeast, and mild floral hop notes make for a very nice blend. Peppery notes emerge from the yeast, lending a welcomed spiciness. Flavors continue along those lines, with the sweetness of a candied pale malt base being countered by the spicy yeast and dry, musty brett. Very much in the mold of a Jolly Pumpkin in terms of yeast profile, though perhaps less dry and more peppery. Medium-plus bodied and softly carbonated, this one is quite drinkable, but lacking in substance for an 8% beer. Tails off at the finish, turning a little flat in flavor and palate. This is pretty good overall, and just a few tweaks short of brilliant.

Tripel on tap at the brewery. pours typical for the style, cloudy gold with an off white head. Sweet aroma and slightly alcoholic, but just very faint. Didn’t taste too complex compared to other tripels- smooth and sweet orange but nothing that stood out. Dry finish and overall a bit watery.

On tap at the brewery under the windmill, Amsterdam (3/2008). Very fruity for a triple, this showcases nice flavors of berries and apricot. Warm and full bodied with soft carbonation; very inviting and well done. Clean finish with lingering fructose sweetness, light corriander, orange peel and white pepper. Hazy pale orange in the glass, with smells of citrus orange, orange peel, and yeast. It is a very interesting triple, has some very wit-beer qualities and some stronger Belgian Strong qualities, yet they are all well integrated and balanced. Probably my favorite ’t Ij beer.

Bottle at ‘t Arendsnest. Hazy dirty gold color with a small white head. Smells like a tripel with a touch of citrus. Very smooth. Very creamy. Very good mouthfeel. Flavor is lightly bitter, with a citrus peel hint, over pale malt. Finishes clean and bitter. Nice ongoing flavor of fruity and/or herbal hop.

No, it doesn’t match the best of Belgium. It doesn’t even match the best of Holland. Probably the most disappointing beer of our visit to the brewery. Draft. Pours dull, dirty orange-brown with thin, off-white head. Faint orange nose. Mildly sweet with orange-citric notes and light bitterness. Fairly thick mouthfeel. A bit bland for its strength. Not bad, but still a letdown after the others.

Bottle. Dark golden / orange colour with an off-white head. Aroma is fruit, yeast, apple. Flavour is fruit, yeast, sour, apple, sweetness, hop. Untypical tripel, but still a nice beer..

(Bottle) Golde and hazy. Very sweet nose. Sweet taste. Bit acidic. Some hop bitterness. Dryish palate. A bit watery.