Andreas
Brouwerij Frontaal

I had this beer on-tap in a teku glass at Keg Sörművház in Budapest.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a moderate haze for the style, and a thin layer of ivory foam atop.

Smell: on the sweet side with a nice dose of peary, orchardy character. I like it.

Taste: sweet malt with a dose of alcohol heat and just a bit of that orchardy character. Bitterness is maybe a tad on the high side. It's a bit hot and heavy for my taste; doesn't quite live up to the promise of the aroma.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: not a top tripel for me — admittedly I'm a hard-to-please critic in this area. So it's not terrible, just not for me.

Pours a cloudy, deep golden amber coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of doughy, biscuity malt and distinct fruity and spicy esters, with notes of banana, red apple and clove, as well as some hoppy, bitter accents. Taste follows the nose, with a great balance of doughy, biscuity malt, distinct fruity/spicy yeast esters of banana, red apple and clove, as well as some bitter, hoppy highlights with hints of citrus and pine also coming through. Finishes with a light bitterness and some fruity/spicy esters and hoppy accents lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This makes for a rather nice Tripel with a great balance of estery and hoppy notes, although it may be just a tad too hoppy for a classic Tripel, which I personally don't mind at all though. In fact, I rather like those light piney and citrussy accents, which don't take away from the classic and dominant yeast esters at all here. Overall, I think this makes for a very well-balanced, modern Tripel that may be a bit too hoppy for the purists, but is reather enjoyable in its own way in my opinion.