Trappist Achel 8° Blond
Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse

 

gold-yellow, pale.
A&T: Fruity, banana.
Somewhat bitter finish.

Hazy, burnished gold body, rapidly forming a fine white head with solid retention.
Aromas of yeast spice, coriander, banana.
Big fatty umami yeast flavour, banana chips, candy sugar, lightly spiced; some acidity in the dry finish balances the syrupy feel, as does a fine prickly effervescence and a touch of bitter hops + some pleasant alcohol burn.

While not the most complex in flavour, it's delicious and the feel is interesting and balanced.

 

 

Unknown bottle date. Poured from fridge temp. Pours a murky orange with a good amount of white head. Nose is wheat, yeast, orange peel, grass, and a hoppy bite. The taste is a nice mixture of sweet and bitter. The sweetness is associate with toffee, candy, and some green grape like fruit. The bitter back end is a grassy, earthy, hoppy note. Other notes are bread, a bit of spice, Belgian yeast, and a touch of toffee. Mouthfeel is a bit light and dry, but great.

 

 

 

 

Okay, so Trappist and tripel - a very solid representative of the style - with very typical aromas and flavors - doesn't really stand-out, having had Westmalle and Karmeliet within the past two weeks as well - but it isn't bad in any way - it just didn't "strike" me - I'd return to it though, so I've gotta recommend it, even if my review is underwhelming, the beer is not...

Enjoyed out of a tulip glass. Very murky pretty color. More alcohol in the mouth than Lefe Blonde as it’s higher ABV. Sticky mouth feel that stays with you from lips to throat. One of the better Belgian Blondes I’ve had and a nice sipper any season.

 

 

 

been trying to get this beer for a while now, doesn’t pop up all that often in irish bottleshops, excited.

look: one finger frothy white head with poor retention, dissipates quickly to a thin smattering of bubbles, beer is a foggy amber colour, plenty of carbonation in the beer.

smell: smells light but nice, lots of belgian yeast aromas, banana, clove, spice, orange peel, a loaf of caramel, nicely sweet, some white bread malt, lightly earthy, not very aromatic however.

taste: that’s really nice, again light, but the belgian yeast flavours are so good, banana and clove again, sweet flavours that linger, quite earthy, herbal, floral, spice, white bread malt, caramel, white wine, it’s crazy how it can be so light but so nuanced and complex in flavour, to the point where it’s hard to pin some of the flavours down, light bitterness on the finish, quite nice.

feel: light bodied, highly carbonated, carbonation pushes the beer around the inside of the mouth, very crisp, dry, very drinkable, strength totally cloaked at 8%.

overall: i’m glad to be able to tick another trappist brewery off the list, tripel not exactly my favourite belgian style but this is quite nice, a very drinkable yet complex belgian ale, good stuff.

 

 

 

I really enjoy this style of beer and have been trying find (and drink) all of the Trappist ales. This one I finally got a hold of and am drinking it as I write this review. My favorite Tripel is probably Chimay and I would put this Achel Blonde neck-and-neck with it, though I would still prefer the Chimay by a nose. The taste is warm and welcoming, not a strong aftertaste, and the feel is medium-complex with a nice aroma. I recommend it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a foggy copper with two fingers of white foam even after an easy-going half pour from an 11.2oz bottle. Head retention is good. Aroma is dark and stone fruits, stone floor, strong yeast spice and esters, banana, clove, bready malts and very light spicy hops. Nice spice and smoothness thanks to the yeast. Flavor profile is dark fruits, stone, banana, clove, spicy yeast ester, spicy hops and bready malts. It's round and soft, working the palate through each note without pushing anything aggressively. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a fuzzy, velvety, linen texture. Overall, smooth, with the light show coming from the spicy vs. sweet, delivering a balanced experience.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegalau tulip from a 11.2oz bottle.

Reviewed as part of BJCP training, 26C Belgian Tripel. Bottled July 16, 2017

Pours a large fizzy bubbly rocky head with good retention, and mild lacing, semi hazy deep orange gold almost tan color

Nose candied orange out front, mild dried fruit esters in general, with a bit of sweet grainy blond malt, mild perfumey alcohol and hint of spicy phenols, mild sweet candied apple and also a touch of vanilla icing, a light papery winy oxidation

Taste plenty of citrus, candied orange and vanilla icing on orange cake, some grainy-sweet malts with a little candi sugar like sweetness, a bit of perfumey spicy alcohol, mild peppery phenols but also light on overall phenols, hops bring a little spicy bitterness, medium overall bitterness that lingers into the finish, drier finish a little sticky, more citrus lingering with the spicy bitter hops

Mouth is medium bodied, bright effervescent carb, mild warming alcohol

Overall another interesting take on tripel, much lighter than the last two I had which could be due to the age, but still good

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a fluted glass.

Golden yellow color with a nice white head and great lacing. Fruity smell and taste. Nice sweet apple and pear. Warming spice flavors come out as it warms, flavor becomes more complex. I have had it several times but did not review it. A classic beer.

 

 

L- Pours with off-white head, holds well. Body mid-amber with slight haze. [Very small amount of residue left in bottle].
S- Fruit [apricot and cherry, for me] and spice.
T- Ooh, it has a pungent fruitiness, into a rich meaty finish with a tinge of sour in it. Very idiosyncratic indeed. If this was a regular/fav I've no doubt you'd have zero problem IDing this blind-folded, it's very distinctive.
M- It's puddingy, and full-bodied, but it has lovely balance.
O- A good example of a Belgian monastic tripel. My wife is a fan of such beers too and she also gives it two thumbs up. Just a shame I've yet to find it from a cheaper source than perhaps one of the most supermarkets in the UK.
33Cl bottle, bought from Wholefoods London [£2.99) BB 18/4/20
-- Note also the simplest of simple lables, just about the opposite of the typical hipster lable these days!

Sniffing this brew, poured from a bottle into a standard glass, I actually do get hints of toffee or caramel. It's a nice fragrance.

The look, I guess, is solid, meaning that it looks "right." Dark amber, small head, lots of lacing.

I'm not as wild about the flavor, though. I'm not sure why. If it followed the nose, as they say, I think I would like it quite a bit more. As it is, it's not unpleasant, but.... I guess I've been spoiled by the several times I've had Chimay and La Fin Du Monde, both of which just have a crisper, cleaner flavor.

Carbonation is fine. I guess I was expecting more from the flavor.

 

The Monk’s did an outstanding job!