Straffe Hendrik Wild
Brouwerij De Halve Maan

Straffe Hendrik WildStraffe Hendrik Wild
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From:
Brouwerij De Halve Maan
 
Belgium
Style:
Tripel
Ranked #78
ABV:
9%
Score:
89
Ranked #12,560
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 10.1%
Reviews:
81
Ratings:
271
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 24, 2023
Added:
Jan 13, 2014
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  59
Straffe Hendrik Wild is a “wild” version of the famous Straffe Hendrik Tripel. The traditional triple beer is re-fermented with a wild “Brettanomyces” yeast, that creates unusual fruity aromas in harmony with the rich use of aromatic hop varieties. The bitter hop aromas will be- come softer, whereas the wild Brettanomyces yeasts will continue working and creating hints of fruit and wine.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by liquorpig:
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Reviewed by liquorpig from Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Poured from bottle into a goblet. Vintage 2014 bottle indicates best by 2018. Big foamy head fades slowly. Golden color, fruity, little sourness. The brett is in the background, not overpowering. Pretty good overall. I'd cellar one to see if the brett becomes more prevalent.
Dec 22, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.2 by Qu3st from Massachusetts

Feb 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.15 by Sphagnicola from Belgium

Jan 24, 2023
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Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

4.06/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Apart from the brewer, beer name and ABV% this is a blind-tasting. I bought this because I love this brewery's Tripel and Quad. This is labelled as brewed in 2021.
L- Well rested and chilled but wild applies to the ratio of head/beer formed so far in the glass, about 80/20! The beer is a lovely clear amber and the foam is a pillowy just off-white. I can see this will form major lacing as the head very slowly descended.
S- It has that... er... rustic aspect to it, as scrumpy has to mainstream cider. I register little else, though through this head it's not much of a surprise. I anticipate this might be either sharp, sour, or something in that spectrum.
T- Oh ok! Interesting. I get the fruity esters of Belgian yeast, a hoppy-bitter and slightly sour aspect and then punchy ABV% all hitting my palate in the first second. Same on the second sip, etc. It's really interesting as despite these tastes each being notably prominent it all seems to self-balance.
F- It's big, bold and bright all at the same time. For me it's a slow-sipping beer, too full-on to rush. It's like a trad tripel given a bit of a contemporary twist, with brighter and more prominent hopping.
O- Well wadda surprise. The bright green 'WILD' strap-line on the bottle had me cautious, there was a risk the hops wld be OTT loud for my tastes. Then I thought no, surely a brewery like this (founded 1856) isn't going to be brewing anything overly fashionable, hipster even which wouldn't suit my taste. This is a superb beer. Something a bit different too. I'd happily drink this again.
Bought from Bacchanalia, Mill Road, Cambridge. 330ml bottle. BB: End 2026
Aug 07, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.81/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Shared 330 ml bottle at local tasting, vintage 2014. ABV is 9%. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Acidic aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse, spices incl. anise, and cider vinegar. Moderately sourish flavour, again spicy notes incl. anise. Nice and light bodied for its strength.
Jun 16, 2022
 
Rated: 3.8 by misteil from Ireland

Apr 06, 2022
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Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

3.92/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cloudy amber pour with three fingers of off-white foam. Bretty funk and grain create a backdrop for the estery fruits, sugars, and floral yeast to play with in the nose. Taste is more brett and zesty citrus focused from the hops, candi sugar draw out limited dried dark fruit esters, flowers are faint, with a kiss of earthy hop bitters. The vision for the taste just seems to be a result of an experiment, not intentional. Feel is lightly wild with the funk, yeasty and phenolic, light and sneaky refined. Good but not great
Jan 12, 2022
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Reviewed by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

4.26/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I just bought a case (24 bottles) of this beer (2016 edition) unseen/untasted for $40 US. I knew I liked the regular Straffe tripel so could not pass up such a great deal especially since I anticipate this style aging well.

A very nice tripel. I will need to purchase a regular straffe tripel and compare to the wild version. 4.25

A - Pours cloudy with a nice head. Lots of sediment, which I tried to avoid for appearance review purposes. 3.75

T - All the candy sugar alcohol and spiciness (peppery) of a true tripel with some funkiness from the wild yeast. No real sour or tartness. ABV well hidden. 4.5

MF - Medium bodied. Smooth. Well carbonated, which gives the beer a bit of a bite. Dry finish. 4.25
May 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.23 by Daniellobo from District of Columbia

Jan 26, 2021
 
Rated: 4.28 by arzt from Germany

Jul 17, 2020
Photo of npolachek
Reviewed by npolachek from New York

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
It pours amber with a plentiful head that succeeds quickly. Taste was not to my liking. Basically funky and bitter, but not at all tasty like the other regional beers like Cantillion, etc.
Nov 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Oct 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by mizx from England

Aug 18, 2019
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Reviewed by D9sus4 from Missouri

4.34/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I purchased several 4 packs of 2015 issue of this beer a couple of years ago from a good supplier. I drank a few at the time, but saved some to try after it had aged a few years. Just tried one last night, and wow! It was good before, but aging it sure helped it to achieve a level of greatness. Still very alive, and active in my tulip glass. An overabundance of head at first, that settled pretty quickly. Little bits of yeast were being pushed around in the glass by the intense bubbles for about 5 minutes before finally sinking to the bottom. Wild Brett yeast taste was very pronounced, fruity aromas, almost tropical. A cloudy, full flavored Belgian Tripel that ranks high on my list of Belgian beers,
May 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

Apr 06, 2019
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Reviewed by Tripel_Threat from Michigan

3.56/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Wish I had more closely read the label before tasting. Poured from bottle to tulip glass. 2015 vintage. Near-amber in color with a substantial head that settles to nothing. I thought something was wrong at first because of the funky nose and tang, but halfway through the glass I actually checked the bottle. Imagine a decent, mid-tier Tripel overlayed with barnyard, pissy funk. There you are. It's for someone, but not for me.
Feb 28, 2019
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Rated by Sound_Explorer from Washington

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2015 bottle poured in 2018
Dec 28, 2018
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Reviewed by Snowcrash000 from Germany

3.96/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours an almost clear, deep golden coloration with a huge, foamy head. Smell is quite funky, with doughy malt and estery yeast notes of green apple, with a hint of grass. Taste is a lot less funky than the nose, with doughy, bready malt and yeast esters of green apple, pear and clove dominating and only lighter notes of barnyard funk, citric acidity and herbal grassiness. Finishes with a light bitterness and fruity/spicy yeast esters lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

Given the strong, funky aroma, I was a little disappointed with the flavor not quite living up to it, but this is still a rather nice and interesting beer that will probably gain in funkiness as it ages (I've had this quite fresh).
Dec 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.97 by Blasphemus-Maximus from Canada (BC)

Sep 22, 2018
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Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 11.2oz bottle into glass. Best by date on label is '2019'.
Cloudy, deep gold colored body. A little bit of foam coming out the bottle neck upon opening. Two fingers of foamy head upon pouring, and the head climbs back to a creamy head and ring. Leaves behind lots of lacing.
Malt and yeast in the aroma. A little bit of earthy funk.
Frothy taste is sour/yeasty funk. Flavors of pear and peach, with a little bit of orange/lemon citrus. Very earthy funk. Tea and spiciness join in.
Very light mouth feel, with effervescence. Somewhat dry finish.
The beer acted alive when un-capped, and tasted alive when sipped. Active esters and yeast.
Sep 09, 2018
Straffe Hendrik Wild from Brouwerij De Halve Maan
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 271 ratings