Triple
Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu

A real abbey beer, monastery of the right kind, so they say, but seems not a trapist. Maybe no monks involved in the breweing process.
Poured from a 33 cl dark brown duvel like bottle. 9% abv. Leffe Chalice. Ataround 8 degrees celcius,
Opaque, peachy colour, Medium retention. Micro bubble carbonation.
Smell, bready, some fruit notes, some cellar fungal notes.
Taste: some sweet sourness. pickled apricots, nice lingering almondy bitterness.
Mouthfeel, full and creamy.

750ml brown bottle, cage over cork. Best by date on label is '17/10/26'.
Partly cloudy, pale gold colored body. Two fingers of expansive white head with the pour, and this maintains as a creamy cap and high ring. Leaves behind partial lacing walls on the non-drinking side of the glass.
Aroma of Belgian yeast that yields banana and Band-Aid, along with apricot and peach. Toasted malts with candi sugar.
Taste is, on first sip, a little sour, but subsequent sips reveal a definite sweetness to the malts. Peach, apple, and apricot fruits, dusty esters, and a little spice. Sweet finish. Aftertaste allows the sweetness to fade and the sour yeast to emerge again.
A little more than medium mouthfeel. Smooth and soft texture that coats the mouth and tongue, but presents with a dry finish. Higher ABV% is warming but cloaked by the sweetness. Excellent carbonation.
Propelled by Belgian yeast and sweetened malts. Attractive appearance in the glass.

 

More sour than what I'm used to.

This came from Parkhill Cellars in North Melbourne in October 2025 and was drunk in December that year.

L: In the glass, it's slightly murky, with honey-yellow colouring and a thin but fluffy, brilliant white head. I can't see any carbonation.

S: The nose is slightly yeasty for a tripel with notes of apricot and lemon, but also has the unmistakable scent of Band-Aids and sweat, which is never a good thing in a beer...

T: The taste has touches of lemon candy, apricot and sweet yeast, but I'm still getting the band aid and a medicinal quality. The alcohol isn't noticeable in the taste, but there's back-end warmth and a spiritous quality that thins the beer out in a less-than-pleasant way.

M: The spirit note appreciably thins the body, and a general lack of carbonation, does nothing to add pep to the experience.

O: Maybe this one was shipped warm and poorly treated in store, but the off-flavours are just a few too many for me not to suspect some problem with the brew itself. This one was a big miss for me.

Cheers!
#769

Copenhagen 8/12 2018. 33 cl bottle from Holte Vinlager, Kbh Ø. Red version of Val Dieus usual design with Drawing of a Church, Coat of Arms and the word “Abbey” in several different languages.

Pours hazy yellow with medium-sized white head. Settles as thin, but creamy layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Climbing up the the side of the glass.

Aroma is tart with sweet fruity notes. Banana meeting tart berries. Hints of humid, yeasty basement. Light metallic notes of alcohol.

Medium strong carbonation. Medium thick, Soft, oily texture.

Flavor is medium sweet followed by a more moderate bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter sweet. Lingers for a while.

Solid Belgian Triple doing exactly what it is supposed to.

Bottle 0.33L
Clear deep golden body with a huge, creamy, off-white head, mostly lasting with nice lacing.
Moderate malty (cereals, caramel) and yeasty (dough) aroma with light notes of spices and fruits.
Moderate sweet and light-to-moderate bitter flavour; long-lasting sweet finish.
Medium body with oily texture; average carbonation.
Alcohol not as evident as expected from the abv; overall softer than expected.

 

 

A - Golden body, clear, but darkening to a mostly opaque deep copper later in the pour. A short white head, fading to a thin cap after a few minutes. No lacing to speak of.

S - A honeyed core, floral highlights, apple flesh, a touch of banana.

T - Fruit, apple and plum, with a limestone hit, baking spice, and apple skin elements in a drying finish.

M - Soft open, mild carbonation, fairly well hidden alcohol, and brisk, clean close.

O - A very well built Tripel, clean and tasty, and one I’ll pick up again.

I had this on draft 3/10/25 @ the Hopleaf.

Mostly-opaque dark orange appearance.

Huge white head; strong, frothy lacing remained.

Fainty tart raspberry, soft wheat & faint clove notes in the nose.

Soft, medium thick mouthfeel.

Faintly tart raspberry & faint clove flavors up front; soft wheat notes on the finish.

A god-tier tripel; I'd have another...and another...

Back to wonderful Belgium, this time for the Val-Dieu Abbey's Tripel. It's been years since I've had one of these and looking forward to trying it again. The last time I enjoyed it, was in a restaurant at Grand Place in Brussels, and I remember it being quite tasty. This one has a BBD of mid-Feb 2025. At about 50 degrees F, a gentle pour into a St Bernardus chalice resulted in a 1-finger white, foamy head with various sized bubbles sitting atop a pale amber colored ale. Bottle conditioned, so a little on the hazy side with a few flakes of yeast, with medium carbonation. Looks terrific.

On the aroma, (not very intense) it is sweet and yeasty upfront, a little spicy, touch of sweet citrus. Smells decent, although nothing really jumping out at me.

The backbone on the taste of this is sweet, fruity yeast esters...stone fruit like ripe pear and apricot. A little bit of apple and white grape too on the frontend. Mid-palate there's a noticeable coriander spice coming through to the backend with a very mild bitterness of light orange peel on the finish. The finish is semi-dry, bright and clean, and the aftertaste is balanced bitter-sweetness with the fruity esters prevailing. The body is low end of medium and the mouthfeel is smooth with a bit of carbonation poking flavors around the palate. This is a very good Tripel, one I'd have no problem enjoying again. As with most high ABV Belgian ales, a dangerous one. The 9% feels like a 4% to me in this one. I highly recommend it. It's not easy to find, but check out belgianstyleales.com. They offer a very nice lineup of true imported Belgian and US brewed Belgian-style ales +more! Santé y'all!

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful orange gold color. Profuse head. Peppery! Smells lightly herbaceous. Taste is pepper forward with sharp effervescence. Herb hoppiness. A little bitterness from the hoppiness. Minimal spice, apart from that peppery flavor.