Bourbon Barrel Tripel Van De Garre
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

 

Pours a light amber with an insanely active head. Surprising for a beer that spent time in a barrel, but not surprising considering how foamy the original beer is. Touch of haze, especially at the bottom of the bottle.

Strong Belgian fruit esters on the nose, with mulling spices, clove, banana and a touch of oak. Not getting a ton of barrel influence, but it takes me back to that dusty old bar and the tiny bowl of cheese they serve you. I miss that place!!

Flavor is a touch on the lighter side. Like the barrel soaked it up, but didn’t necessarily replace it. It’s not bad by any means, but maybe the barrel just thinned out the richness a bit. Still getting those classic Belgian Tripel flavors, with rich spices, clove, cinnamon, stewed figs, oaky vanilla and a touch of wood-derived bitterness. Alcohol is more prevalent. Could be the bourbon heat. The original beer is also 11%, but drinks like 6%.. probably why the last time I was there, I drank 3 massive glasses and then proceeded to trip into a chocolate shop.. it was a very “Belgian” day.

Mouthfeel is initially thin, but ends up rich, and mouth coating as your swirl it.

I would have liked to see a full commitment to barrel-aging. It obviously wasn’t long enough to impart a huge amount of barrel influence, but was short enough to thin the beer out a bit. Still, the base is too good to ruin.

75 cl bottle, served at home in a Garre glass.
Pours a deep golden colour, thick head with long retention and a very nice lacing.
Aroma of clove, bananas, green apples,candy sugar, wood, spices, some vanilla and chocolateand, of course, bourbon.
Full body, creamy texture, vry good carbonation.
Taste follows the aroma.
To put it brielfly, it's almost the same as the original, adding notes of bourbon, wood, chocolate and a bit of more sweetness. Exceptional.