Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale
Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.

Brasserie Des Rocs Triple ImpérialeBrasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale
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From:
Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Ranked #24
ABV:
10%
Score:
93
Ranked #4,109
Avg:
4.16 | pDev: 12.26%
Reviews:
352
Ratings:
491
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 26, 2022
Added:
Nov 14, 2004
Wants:
  45
Gots:
  34
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.12/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Blood orange with ripe orange peel edges. A massive amount of carbonation can be seen leaping off the bottom of the glass and slamming into the underside of a fluffy, airy head of pale gold that is still massive several minutes after the pour. Unfortunately, the foam isn't tacky in the least and leaves almost no lace.

I'm much more impressed with the nose. It's dark fruity and spicy and is everything that I like about BSDAs. I smell whiskey and dark rum-soaked figs, caramel, brown sugar and clove intensive yeast. I'd almost believe that the beer was aged in charred oak barrels that had previously held bourbon, but that doesn't sound very monkish to me.

Triple Imperiale is good beer. Still though, I'm not sure that it belongs in the top-100. At least not in my top-100. I'm pretty sure the brewery has quality control issues; especially since my first two bottles (that were still more than a year away from their 'best by' dates) were drain pours due to a huge amount of coagulated protein.

The flavor profile follows the nasal profile. It's sweet and fruity (cherries now come to mind) and spicy, all at once. The most amazing thing is that there's no trace of alcohol, something that's almost unheard of in a 10%'er. Actually, the beer tastes aged rather than fresh. The 'best by' date (end 2008) would suggest that it's the latter.

The reason that I'm not gobsmacked by Triple Imperiale is that it lacks depth and complexity. It doesn't have that dizzying array of flavors that expand in all directions when beer hits mouth, as the truly world-class versions have. I'm still enjoying the hell out of the 11.2 ounce bottle though. I never said that it isn't good, just that it isn't great.

The mouthfeel may be the biggest reason why I think 'aged' every time I drink. It's infinitely smooth, but lacks that expansiveness and silky creaminess that I look for in Belgian beer. In addition, it isn't as viscous as I'd expect for the amount of sweetness. It looks like all those frenetic bubbles burned themselves out way too soon.

Given that others have been floored by this Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs offering, I'm prepared to believe that I got a less than perfect bottle. The problem is, there are any number of great BSDAs out there that are stunning each and every time I pop the cap. I'll try another bottle or two, but I'm not interested in playing Belgian roulette too many more times.
Jan 05, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by emerge077 from Illinois

Oct 26, 2022
Photo of edthehead
Rated by edthehead from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Such an interesting style ... barrel aged abbey ale. Very well done.
Apr 11, 2022
 
Rated: 3.56 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Jan 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Nov 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Jul 08, 2021
Photo of leaddog
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)

3.23/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Upon opening this beer it gushed again like the special brown and nearly lost just as much. Not sure what's going on with the quality control from this brewery.

Appearance - Pours a ruby copper with a finger of bubbly white head.

Smell - hint of fruity esters (plum, fig, and raisin), toffee malts, caramel, and earthy yeast.

Taste - light fruity esters of plum fig, and raisin upfront. The toffee malts, caramel, and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation. Finishes sticky with the malts lingering,

Overall - A lacklustre brew that delivers on the malts but not enough on the fruity ester front. Another quality control issue with this one spelt disaster right from the get go. Perhaps this was an off bottle.
Mar 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Jul 06, 2020
 
Rated: 4.08 by Quafftastic from Virginia

Jun 01, 2020
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.74/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
L- Very dark chestnut, slightly hazy, pours with 3mm pale-tan head.
S- Deep toasty malts.
T- Certainly deeply malty, I clearly taste/sense the ABV% but it would be hard not to at 10%! As it warms a sweet facet begins to build.
F- There is a broad underlying pungent richness. It leaves me in no doubt I'm drinking a heavy beer here.
O- Mostly a very drinkable beer though risking being a bit too sweet for me as it warms. The flavour also seems to lack distinct identifiable elements, it comes over in a more homogonous/uniform 'Rich/heavy Triple' way. Ie, where I'd hope to find, I don't know, hints of roast cherry, mollasses, British Xmas pudding, a sense of liquor/rum etc, maybe an identifiable spice - etc.; that is absent for me.
Don't get me wrong it's easy drinking, but to me it's not 'Outstanding' per it's current rating lacking detail and finesse.
330ml bottle BB: 08/10/2021. Bought from BelgiumInABox (Antwerp/BE) for delivery to me in London/UK.
Apr 24, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

Dec 09, 2019
Photo of lmaduells
Reviewed by lmaduells from Spain

4.53/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Tasting a beer of these brewers is to taste authentic Belgian beer. This product has everything that a beer of this style must have. Do not be surprised, but do not disappoint. It can be different but not better
Jul 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.31 by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

Dec 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by YvesB from Belgium

May 17, 2018
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

3.66/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
March 19th, 2015 - I appeared to have found an older bottle of this, having retrieved it from the basement with a layer of dust signaling some significant aging. That, and the mouthfeel seemed a little dead and gone. But the nose is still rich with deep, dark fig flavors, and some grape and blueberry touches on the side. The flavor has been completely flattened by my inattention, sadly, left to be saccharine sweet and too strong with a limp and pallid carbonation.
Jan 06, 2018
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.31/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
an absolutely sensational bottle of beer, 2010 vintage, and drinking like a champion right now! pours slightly frosted pale orange color, and has a short white head on it. well fruity and mature belgian yeast dominates the nose, with red and white grape esters, ripe pear, dried apricot, lemongrass, honey, candy sugar, and light fall spice, its enormously interesting, more developed than i remember from their other beers, and with a really sweet sort of candied grain base underneath, with subtle toffee, orange zest, and pennies. the flavor is awesome too, this yeast is really great. a touch of oxidation here from its age, but i often thinks that works in belgian strong ales. a nice complexion of citrus, a dried herbal quality, and the richness of the grain. its a little maltier than a lot of tripel types i have had, a little more of the caramelized quality, but appropriate sweetness here. a little alcohol warmth to the finish and a little more spice coming on as it warms. complex and professional, unique but traditional, i thought this beer was exceptional, and is definitely the best of the beers i have had from these folks! this felt festive to me, nice at holiday time.
Dec 11, 2017
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.64/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
750ml, Champagne-style bottle - opened on a night when I could really fucking use a brew of this type.

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick brown colour, with three fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and yet fizzy tan head, which leaves but a few instances of teensy remote islet 'lace' around the glass as it quickly sinks away.

It smells of grainy and crackery caramel malt, some muddled black orchard fruitiness, estery yeast, some wan oily nuttiness, a touch of paint thinner, and very tame earthy, leafy, and musky floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and grainy caramel malt, some Yuk-a-Flux mixed dark fruity notes, a sort of phenolic yeastiness, faint winter spice, gritty bar-top nuts, and more understated leafy, musty, and dead grassy noble hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-pinging frothiness, the body a decent medium weight, and sort of smooth, as both the yeast and alcohol here could use further lessons in basic decorum. It finishes trending dry, but in that uncertain, je ne sais quoi old-school manner - yeah, I don't what, either.

Overall - while not an off-putting or bad offering, this one seems to suffer in the shadows (in my memory, at the very least) of its headier national brethren. There's something that I just can't seem to nail down here, but it's nagging at me, and I don't need that right now. A good quaffer (given the 20-proof booze), but not even within spitting distance of best in class.
Nov 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by steverx8 from England

Nov 02, 2017
 
Rated: 4.41 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Oct 16, 2017
Photo of AlarmClock314
Reviewed by AlarmClock314 from Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz bottle poured into a glass at the Bier Zot in Sister Bay, WI on 8/11/17. US dating of 2/6/16. Review from notes. Appears hazy brown with lots yeast clumps. Mellow smell/taste of dark fruit, spice, and herbal hops; lower intensity. Some noticeable alcohol. Good body and average carbonation. It has a unique spice and herbal flavor, but is somewhat muted.
Aug 12, 2017
Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale from Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 491 ratings