Troublette
Brasserie Caracole

TroubletteTroublette
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From:
Brasserie Caracole
 
Belgium
Style:
Witbier
Ranked #24
ABV:
5%
Score:
89
Ranked #12,099
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 13.35%
Reviews:
169
Ratings:
244
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 07, 2022
Added:
Feb 12, 2002
Wants:
  41
Gots:
  28
No description / notes.
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Ratings by scurvy311:
Photo of scurvy311
Reviewed by scurvy311 from Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I realize that the Belgian witbier style has some nuances such as the spices and turbidity, but this is a winner. I have tried many high and low quality weissbiers in all the various spice/clove/banana combinations to try to tame the hot and muggy Gulf Coast Louisiana summers (and falls and springs), but this one is the best.

I tried it on the recommendation of someone at my favorite place to buy beer...Marcello's in Lafayette.

Troublette is lucky there is not a place to score the serving size. It would be a 2 or 1. Eight or ten ounces are not enough.

The appearance is nothing above what you would expect from a quality wheat beer; however, when stared at more than 10 seconds, the depth of this turbid beer can be appreciated. I like to drink my new beers in a big clear thin bitters glass. The yeast is well suspended and very fine, not clumpy like others can be. Color is a rich pale yellow that takes on a frosted aspect because of the fine light-colored yeast particles.

Smell is also exceptional...clean, yeasty, and tart, with very light citrus (not like artificial orange, but yeast produced citrus phenols). I appreciate having a hard time detecting banana/clove aroma. I would rather not or barely detect, then to drink banana beer every drink. I personally prefer the citrus/tart yeast byproducts.

Taste is where it is at for the weissbier. Thirst quenching like only a well made hefeweizen can be at 5:30pm in June after planting trees all day. First you guzzle, and then you sip to taste. You find yourself unable to decide how to drink it. Then you realize it doesn’t matter because the servings are too small.

Adjectives such as crisp, tart, effervescent, quenching, satisfying, cooling, citrusy, and deeply/interestingly yeasty come to mind.

Mouthfeel could be better, but so could the serving size. I could appreciate a smoother wheat-protein mouthfeel.

Can you tell yet that I think this beer is highly drinkable? Think Allagash White with less clove and bitterness, but more wheat/yeast aromas and flavors.
Jun 08, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.27/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Revisiting this one, it's been a few years. Used to be available in 750s, this one is a capped 11.2 oz. "Serve at 42º" BBD: 03 2012

Pastel orange in the glass, glowing and saturated, becoming cloudy with the yeast. Sticky white foam that has a fine texture to it, and some spotty bits of lace that cling around the edges.

Sweet citrus aroma, wheaty, with a dusty candy wafer sweetness too. The yeast is definitely Belgian, with a delicate spice to it.

Tart citrus and earthy coriander, the wheat lends a smoothness to the feel. Some notes of wet hay and earthy bitterness lend a rustic Saison edge to it also. It's definitely unique, it would be ideal as a nice quencher for a summer picnic.

Dec 13, 2010
Oct 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.24 by riceshoes from Utah

Jan 06, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by steverx8 from England

Dec 07, 2018
Photo of Libeertarian
Reviewed by Libeertarian from Montana

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From notes taken 07/19/17:

Dull, fine-hazed, opaque orange-yellow, the occasional flek clinging to the glass. Head is a fine white layer of film. In bottle, caramel aroma. In glass, more fruity-tart, like apples or pears and lemons or oranges, slightly vegetal, vinegaresque but not too strong, as well as medicinal along the lines of Band Aids, but still some caramelized sugar. Tartness throughout, it is metallic but also fruity like lemon and faint apricot, then palate shifts a bit toward bread, yeast, Band Aid phenols, and finally peppercorns and other earthy to bitter spices by the finish. Medium-bodied, thicker than water, astringent, with extra fine semi-sharp but quickly deactivating carbonation.
Jun 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by jroof1 from Massachusetts

May 19, 2018
 
Rated: 3.74 by shelby415 from Oregon

Apr 05, 2018
Photo of Impetuous
Reviewed by Impetuous from Montana

4.11/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Hazy golden body

Flavors are mid afternoon bright; yeast and fruity hops and Germanic, sweet malts which would not be out of place in a marzen. Very congruent and well put together.

Fairly bubbly and not an easy sipper, despite the abv. Very full mouthfeel.

I think it's wonderful.
Sep 20, 2017
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.37/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head and some floaties. Smell is of wheat, light spices. Taste is wheat, spices, yeast, some apples. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is decent and refreshing, but I was hoping for more.
Aug 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.63 by WynnO from Florida

Apr 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.91 by desint from Belgium

Mar 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by Macamah from England

Feb 18, 2017
 
Rated: 5 by redfox405 from Virginia

Jan 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by LennyBound from Illinois

Nov 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by Mnteti from Delaware

Jun 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by Gkruszewski from New York

May 16, 2016
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Troublette goes better with a heavier meal than you would expect.
This was a Greek Easter dinner that my wife prepared for her people. Heavy. Lamb. Potatoes. Tiropita.
This beer was liked much as it cut through the grease and didn't overpower the food.

Reviewed in Roger Protz' CAMRA classic "300 Beers To Try Before You Die!"
MJ's "Great Beers of Belgium" had this to say: "an extremely perfumy aroma; a very smooth palate; and a fruity acidity in a dry finish."

We all seem to like Caracole. So probably, you will also.
May 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by chrisroarshack from Alaska

Apr 24, 2016
Photo of Anatole
Rated by Anatole from Belgium

2.42/5  rDev -39%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
Tastes like cheap beer from a student party...
Jun 17, 2015
Photo of sjccmd
Reviewed by sjccmd from Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours hazy gold yellow with a frothy slightly yellow/white head that sticks around. Creamy consistency. Some particulate floating around. Almost opaque.

Fruity, almost fruit loops in the aroma. Coriander and wheat. Some honey and spices as well. Citrus/orange and no obvious hop aroma. Perhaps a little herbal or floral note. Hint of breadiness. Aroma is quite sweet.

Sweet and fruity upfront quickly followed with bready wheat. Interesting rusticity, slightly woody and earthy. Good dose or coriander....maybe a bit heavy as it lingers on the palate.

Creamy and highly carbonated. Finish is quite dry but with lingering citrus and coriander fruitiness.

Nice and refreshing, but maybe just a tad heavy on the coriander.
Apr 17, 2015
Troublette from Brasserie Caracole
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 244 ratings