St. Idesbald Tripel
Brouwerij Sint-Idesbald

Bottle 0.33L.
Hazy pale golden body with a huge, rocky, off-white head, mostly lasting with nice lacing.
Moderate malty (caramel) and light-to-moderate hoppy aroma with strong notes of spices and alcohol and moderate fruity character (peach).
Moderate sweet, light-to-moderate acidic and light bitter flavour; average-lasting finish with acidic note.
Light-to-medium body with oily texture; soft carbonation.

 

 

 

Pours a clear golden color with a medium top off white head that dissolves slowly.
Aroma is ripe fruits, yeast, bubblegum and light malts. The taste is dry and fruity with yeast spice notes. The finish is bitter with some floral hop notes. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth with a medium carbonation and a medium body.
A good belgian triple, but pretty basic.

 

 

From Belgiuminabox. In Grimbergen glass. Playing Avadon 3. Good tripel, with pleasant apple notes, a smooth feeling mouthfilling body and the high abv fairly well hidden

Poured into a Chimay Chalice, great initial head, bags of fizz in the crystal clear amber body keeps it alive.

Aroma is quite fruity and fresh, not sweet in the Alco way. Ripe banana, bits of plumb.

Taste is just the same as the Aroma, ripe fruit and for a 9% triple I was expecting a harsh Alco hit, but alas the sweetness is subtle.

Feel is a little dry in the mouth, but a moment or two later and a great aftertaste melts through.

Overall, this is a lovely tasting and vastly under-rated triple......maybe needs a few more BA ratings to find its way rightly above the 4/5.

Hazy and yeasty golden color with storming activity. Foamy white 1-2 finger head, lasting around 5-10 minutes, with soft lacing but a good swirl effect. Flavors of sweet grains, apples, lemon, light orange peels, coriander, Belgian yeast, and herbal hops. Slick and smooth full body with champagne like carbonation. Strong strength finish, ending slightly leafy and minty, with soft cheese. Great balance and handles the alcohol intensity very well, incredibly treacherous. Quite uplifting, and a notch less spicy than most Belgian Tripels, so it's more accessible yet a bit less complex. Still easily enjoyable and a pleasant drinking session. Overall excellent quality craft.

 

 

 

 

 

Clear gold colour. Clean, fruity, crisp, and a bit boozy smell. Crisp, fruity, boozy, flavourful beer.

 

 

 

Bottle served into an Idesbald goblet in Ghent, Belgium. I'd had this on draught before and had hated it, so expectations were low. Reviewed from notes taken July 2010.

A: Pours a one finger head of slight cream, good thickness, and good retention - especially for the ABV. Body colour is a semitransparent yellow-gold.

Sm: Caramelized malt, alcohol, and slight hints of nutty hops. Well chosen malts are a highlight.

T: Full-bodied barley and malts form the foundation with pleasant cream, floral hops (minimal), and caramelized malt riding atop. Much of the complexity comes merely from the well-executed maltiness. Well balanced.

Mf: The best feature of this beer. It's silky smooth, delicate, and refreshingly wet. Complements the flavours nicely.

Dr: The high ABV comes through, but it's still quite drinkable. Well priced by Belgian standards. The bottled form is far better than the draught version.

B-