Westmalle Tripel

750 ml bottle, marked 3/10/08. Pours a delectable honey gold with a thin but lingering mist of a head. Nose is rich and fruity, full of honey sweetness and a scent of vanilla. Apples and pears erupt on the tongue, along with a unique malt profile I associate with the best of the trappists. Ends almost brackish yet lingeringly enticing, almost minty in the finish, suggesting another mouthfull. Hops are earthy, and are present throughout. Alcohol adds a peppery quality to the ending. Lovely.

RE: "what a spiced-up mess"... Another unappetizing tripel", etc. ??? Are you sure you went to the correct tasting? I think your’s was the "Better Get a Clue" one...

Sampled blind at "Better Know a Style: Abbey Tripel" tasting. Light yellow color with slightly hazy with small white head. Orange aroma with lots of yeast, a little spice and big alc. Flavor is very alcy wtih earthiness, what a spiced-up mess. Medium body and overwhelming carbonation. Another unappetizing tripel.

Tried a bottle at this at Asheville’s newest bar: The Thirsty Monk. They only serve Belgian style beer. It’s a pretty impressive place. And this was a pretty impressive beer. The alcohol was nice, not overwhelming. The body of the beer was light gold color, with a big, fluffy head. The lightness of the body of these beers is always surprising. The flavor is very fruity and flowery, with that familiar Belgian spice.

Bottle at Café Karpershoek Amsterdam. Huge white head, and dark orange/brown. Aroma and tastes of tropical fruit and spicy bitter at the end that tapers off. Great balance, and a beer i’ll go out of my way to drink anytime.

Bottle. Hazy golden orange. Massive white head with nice lacing. Aroma and flavor of spicy yeast mixed with abundant tropical fruits. Nice bitterness at the end. Noticeable effervescence. Warming and delicious.

Pours a hazy ornage color with a big, foamy white head. Smells of Belgian candy sugar, some orange citrus, a little spice variation as well. Smells like a tripel. The taste was very similar although extrememly well balanced between the sweetness and the spice and citrus characters. Very well done tripel, but you would expect that coming from this brewery. Mouthfeel was pretty much perfect for this style.

Delicious! Ahh God bless the trasppistes. Nice and strong, nice head nice lace. A little citrusy and yeasty. Sweet but doesn’t cloy. Nice mouthfeel, maybe a litle bite, but appropriate to the style.