Trappist Achel 5° Blond
De Achelse Kluis

Slightly hazy golden color with a very respectable white head that retains very well and lots of nice lacing.
The aroma is grain, grass and hints of lemon.
The taste is honey, lemon, grain, coriander, yeast and grass with hints of apricots and plums. The finish is dry with some citrus and floral notes, mild bitterness.
The body is light, very good carbonation, crisp, well hidden 8% ABV, smooth and very drinkable.
Altogether, this is a very tasty and pleasant brew, should go well with most food, particularly lighter fare, great anytime, very well done.

Reviewed in Roger Protz' " 300 Beers To Try Before You Die!" I am still looking for Shelton Brothers successor to bring 5 to the Midwest. However, I did go on Achel's website and found the English button; only to find out the site is under construction. Alas. But it does show how beautiful the abbey's buildings are and how much of a loss it would be if they ceased brewing again.

Planning my trip to visit as many Trappists as possible, I'd like to visit Achel. They have a store and tours, but they are in English only upon request. (Here we go again.) And interestingly on the border near Netherlands and Germany, Achel is as close to the Ruhr Valley as Antwerp or Brussels; remote, making travel inconvenient. So maybe the best thing to do is to drink Achel's dubbel here in the Midwest as often as I can. Proost or Sante' !

 

 

 

 

A – Clear and pale amber body 2 fingers of white foam, retention is stellar along with loads of thick webbed lacing.

S – Loads of grain and cereal, some grassiness, honey, minerals, stone fruit.

T – Sweet pale malt, grainy, grassy, earthy yeast, mild banana, honey, lavender, the malts dominate but has some earthiness to round it out. Finishes dry.

M – Ample carbonation, medium body, dry finish.

Nice Pale ale with no evidence of such a high ABV. Good rustic presence. I could drink this all day but it would sneak up on you quick.

Trappist Achel Blond from an Abby in Belgium

Aroma. Light grains with a bigger floral hops and mild citrus in the nose

Appearance light yellow with a light haze White floamy head. With great lacing

Taste starts out sweet slightly grain flavors then fruits and mild spice and hop bitterness at the end

Mouthfeel Moderate carbonation, smooth with little mouth coating

Overall a good Belgium Trappist beer not as complexed as some but makes for. Good session beer

 

 

 

 

On tap at the Achel cafe during last week's trip to Belgium. Reviewed from notes.

Surprisingly, this one was not served in an Achel chalice, but rather just a plain chalice. A bit disappointing.

Pours a slightly-hazy yellow with a big white head and lots of lacing. Light grain and floral hops in the nose, carrying over to the flavor, which is a bit grainy but more toward the hops with a bit of earthy yeast. Light and smooth with crisp carbonation. Very solid brew.

This beer is the table beer of the Achel monks and is only available on draft in the abbey pub.
Look: pours a hazy golden-yellow color with a small head.
Smell: Citrus (orange zest and lemon), grains, some grass and flowers, and yeast.
Taste: grainy, with sweet honey, some fruits (peach, apricot?) and spicy coriander. Light hoppy and dry aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation with a watery body
Overall: Quite a bit better than the bruin 5. A very refreshing and nice session beer.

A - Cloudy copper-brown with a thick, creamy head.

S - Apples, pears and peaches. Some funk and Belgian yeast. Quite fragrant.

T - Orange and a hint of grapefruit come to mind. Lots of yeastiness as well. Very dry and also a quite bitter finish.

M - Fairly light bodied, but the carbonation seems a touch too sharp.

D - Tasty but a little rough on the palate.

Yet another trappist under my belt. It poured a golden yellow with a 3 finger head much like Duvel. Very carbonated like soda but very strong in flavor and sent. It had citrus notes but you could tell that there was also apple and pear coming through. Alcohol flavor is barely present. It is a very refreshing beer and I would suggest sipping this one because if you tend to slam this down, you will find yourself a little gassy. If you like Duvel and Hoegarrden you will like this beer!

Pours with a huge pillowy head that keeps on growing afterwards due to the infinite army of bubbles. The retention is top shelve, huge gobs of lacing are left behind as the head finally starts to settle. Has a cloudy golden color.

Smells of fruits (apples, pears), yeasty spices, and a touch of barn.

Tastes of sweet fruits, yeasty spices, has a nice hoppy bite. Very happy with this one.

Pours a hazy golden with a creamy white head, very effervescent, with lots of lacing. Aroma was yeasty and floral, with a hint of sourness and cloves. Taste was spicy and bready, with bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel was quite carbonated, and no alcohol is detectable. This is a good blond, not my favourite though.

This is far and away the hoppiest of the Trappist beers I have yet encountered. Not American IPA-level of hoppiness by any means, but the hops are certainly much more present than in say, Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle or Orval. Certainly a Pale Ale.

After pouring the 12-oz. bottle into a chalice, I was pleased with the decent head that floated atop this pleasantly golden-colored beer. It smelled even better than it looked with spring flowers and greenwood leading the bouquet.

Average mouthfeel, neither too chewy nor too watery, which is more than compensated for in the taste, which is clean floral tones and a hoppy finish.

Nothing ground-breaking, but a very solid Pale Ale. Tasty.

Pours a rich golden color with billowing white head. Reminds me a lot of Duvel, but not quite as good. Fruity aroma, pears, apples, alcohol. Flavor is balanced in malt to hops, and the hops are quite nice in the aroma as well. Well fermented like the other trappists, not cloying, finishes well.