Westmalle Tripel

Brewed by Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle
Style: Abbey Tripel
Malle, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Cloudy. It pours cloudy into a white wine glass, which my father proudly displays in his china cabinet. I’m not sure why he has a set of white wine glasses or a china cabinet, as he neither drinks white wine nor owns any dishes worth displaying. I’ll use this stemware in lieu of the Trappist tulip glass I won’t own anytime soon. You see, I can’t really afford fancy glassware of my own, and because I move so often, it just wouldn’t be practical to throw glassware in the back of my Dodge. Or on a plane. To that place where I’ll be four and a half months from now. Your guess is as good as mine. This beer cannot compare to the Westvleteren 12° I enjoyed in June of 2009, though it was brewed by the same order of monks in the same region of Belgium. Let’s just hope that wherever I am in June of 2011 will be a better deal than the Office Depot gig I had when I cracked open the Westvleteren. Cloudy. The crystal ball is cloudy.

Appearance: buttery, cloudy gold with a pure white foamy head that lingers throughout. Aroma: refreshingly sweet and spicy, yeasty and fruity, with a nice malt presence. Taste: as the aroma indicates: some nice fruit (white grapes, pear) and yeast notes, with good sweet malt backbone, and judicious hops to balance and dry. Finish: tingly, yeasty and dry like white wine, and the malt actually hangs on longer than anything else. Not a huge tripel fan in general, but this one is clearly very well done. Palate was nice: rich and creamy, yet also light and refreshing.

02.02.2007. 0,33l Bottle. Golden brown colour. Malty aroma with strong mouthfeel. Rich body with nice bitterness.

Bottle at a restaurant in Brussels (3,90 euro). Pours a cloudy deep blonde color with a nice thick white head. Very citrusy nose with a thin mouth feel. Medium body and very drinkable.

Pours a light copper with a frothy white head, which lasts for the duration of the beer. Nice aroma of apples, belgian yeast and earthy herbal hop character. Flavor has notes of pale malt, bread, a tinge of caramel, then herbal noble hops and apple/pear. Very well-balanced - pleasant sweetness level and ample hops to even it out. Absolutely perfect, heavenly mouthfeel - lively yet not even remotely prickly carbonation - feels lush and creamy but not thick and syrupy. Quite enjoyable.

Bright golden color with a huge head and lots of carbonation. Spicy and tangy, with a fruity aroma. A great abbey tripel.

Pretty and hazy pour, bright white head that stays. Dry honey and floral-wheat and pollen. carbonation and sweetness were understated (maybe the imported bottle). bananna, light orange, fruity. lots of yeast as it warms in to the body of the beer. Tasty but not bold. dry and straightforward triple for me. 3.8

Bottle 330ml at home.
Pours hazy strawish yellow with white non-lasting head. Aroma of citrus and yeast. Citrusy tastes with malts and a bit of yeast. Soft carbonation.