Tripel Tasting Thread (March 25-27, 2022)

(Copied over from the "Planning Thread" that I posted around 1 AM)

Well it's now Friday morning on the East Coast, so I'm going to start things off with the only Tripel I have on hand that is "new to me". Since the Tasting Thread hasn't been started yet, I am posting here.

Brilliant color (I held back the sediment to drink separately), and very dense thick creamy layer of head. Amazing head retention and lacing. Strong aroma of grain - cracked corn, wheat, along with floral hops and moderately strong herbal spice. Taste is similar, starts a touch sweet but finishes on the dry side. Thin to medium bodied, higher carbonation. Overall very enjoyable but maybe not as complex as some of the other top Belgians.


Bottle is dated Best by 31.08.2023, so I can only assume it was brewed last August and they are dating these for 2 years.

 

Eat, drink and be merry!

I am a BIG fan of Belgian Trappist/Abbey style beers and that includes Tripels. I already had three brands of Tripel in my basement so I did not have to do any shopping for this weekend’s Tripel tasting. I will start off the festivities with Weyerbacher Merry Monks Tripel.

How the brewery details this beer:

“Merry Monks, 9.3% ABV, is a Belgian-style Tripel. Pilsner malt combined with an Abbey yeast strain yields a remarkable and complex flavor packed with notes of spice, banana and pear. Nicely balanced with a moderate to dry finish.”

Served in my Tripel Karmeliet chalice:

Appearance:

Light golden colored with a white head.

Aroma:

There is a pleasing combination of fruitiness and spiceness.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a combination of fruity and spicy flavors. No one flavor dominates and the flavors complement each other. There is a slight impression of sweetness. Low-medium bitterness. The alcohol level is well hidden.

Mouthfeel:

A medium body with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good!! The combination of yeast strain selection and fermentation conditions yielded a very pleasing Tripel.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH

 

Yes, some Trappist/Abbey yeast strains will produce banana flavors (the ester Isoamyl acetate) while others don't.

I personally go 'back and forth' on whether I enjoy the banana aspect in a Tripel. I think in some brands the level of banana is very complementary to the other fruity & spicy flavors while in other brands the banana is too dominating. I suppose proper balance is key here (for me).

Cheers!

 

@JackHorzempa and @FBarber seeing your photos makes me miss my Tripel Karmeliet glass, it broke a few years ago. I haven't replaced it since I already have too many beer glasses.

 

My 'go to' Belgian glass used to be my Gulden Draak tulip glass (see photo below) but a while back I broke that glass, which really bummed me out.

After that accident the Triple Karmeliet chalice has become my 'go to' glass for Belgian Trappist/Abbey style beers. I have my fingers crossed that this glass will not get broken but realistically it is just a matter of time!?! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheers to fancy tulip/chalice beer glasses!

 

Only the finest of goblets.

 

The sweet smell of Victory!

Well, this beer is a little bit sweet smelling: Victory Golden Monkey.

Victory has a whole series of Monkey beers with Golden Monkey being the progenitor of these numerous variations: Sour Monkey, Tart Monkey and most recently Berry Monkey. I had a small (4 ounce) pour of Berry Monkey at the new Victory location in Philadelphia a week ago. I enjoyed drinking the small glass of this beer but I wonder if I would want to drink 12 ounces of this beer. Someday I will find out.

Back to the ‘original’ of Golden Monkey. Here is how Victory describes this beer:

“Belgian-Style Tripel

Golden Monkey

MYSTICAL FLAVORS TO ENLIGHTEN YOU

abv 9.5%

ibu 25

malt Pilsner

hops Tettnang

notes: Nose is loaded with Belgian yeast character of banana and clove with an equally fruity body balanced with a light, earthy hop character. Savor notes of orange and spice followed by a dry finish.”

Served in my Tripel Karmeliet chalice:

Appearance:

Light golden colored with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

There is a number of things going on here: some fruitiness (including citrus), some banana and some spiciness.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a combination of fruity, citrus, banana and spicy flavors. In the background there is a very slight hint of Ethyl Acetate which is on the border between being pear-like vs. solvent-like. There is subtle impression of sweetness as the beer opens up. A Low-medium bitterness. The alcohol level is well hidden.

Mouthfeel:

A medium body with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good!! A very complex combination of flavors which play together very nicely!

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH



P.S. I enjoyed the banana aroma/flavor in this beer since it was pleasantly balanced with the other flavors.

 

Is that a newish bottle or does it have some age on it?

 

Starting with the Westmalle:

It’s been a while since I’ve opened a Tripel. My first thought was “why the hell don’t I drink more of these?” This is a really beautiful beer, great head retention and lacing. Aromas are relatively subdued. There’s some apple, a little banana, some slight breadiness. The taste is wonderfully complex. A decent amount of sweetness upfront, solid malty backbone, and a floral quality. The bitterness sneaks up and rapidly becomes the dominant note. It has a surprisingly dry finish. Can a 9.5% ABV beer be dangerously refreshing? This one is! It never seems heavy or rich, it’s deft and requires little effort to drink. Very impressive and it has set the bar high for the rest of the weekend.

 

Does your Little Orphan Annie decoder 'work' with Weyerbacher?

The code in black ink on the brown bottle: "14012134B10508".

FWIW nothing in the sensory qualities (e.g., flavor) said "stale" for my palate.

Back in 2017 for my 400th batch I decided to brew a Tripel (a Quad would have been more appropriate for 400 but I already had a batch of Quad on hand). Over the next 2-3 years I drank that batch of Tripel. There is no doubt that at the over the1 year mark those beers 'evolved' but they never tasted stale to me. I enjoyed drinking the last bottle of that batch. The 'power' of higher ABV I suppose.

Cheers!

P.S. Victory Golden Monkey has "Best By June10 23" on the bottom of the can. My guess is it was canned on June 10, 2021. Just in anticipation of your follow-up question here.

 

The answer to your (rhetorical?) question is a resounding "Yes!".

Through a combination of using simple sugars (e.g., Belgian Candi sugars) and fostering a healthy fermentation (yeast strain choice, pitching plenty of yeast, etc.) you achieve a beer with dry qualities which begs you to take another sip. And the 'trick' is to ferment cleanly so you really do not taste the alcohol level; but you will most certainly 'feel' it after drinking that second bottle!

Cheers!

 

Thank you @FBarber for planning and kicking off the Tripel tasting, have been looking forward to this since it was announced. Did you hit Monk's last night?

I have three new to me beers planned for the weekend, but decided to pull out my runaway favorite in this style among the several I've tried over the years. Hoping one or more planned for this weekend can at least come close to this classic.

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde



This is one of the first beers I reviewed (within 3 months & 3 days after I joined).

Some brewers give a 2 year best by recommendation, Unibroue three years (BB 9/27/24 for this bottle). The beer notes indicate it's the first Tripel to be brewed in North America, using a yeast strain from Europe.

It starts with an earthquake. Funky yeast, wonderful banana and clove, pear and black pepper. Orange and lemon as well. Savoring this slowly, enjoying every sip. If the end of the world is near, I hope to have a few more of these beers stashed for the occasion. Hope you all have a chance to try this beer at some point, if you like this style, and you'll feel fine!

Returning tomorrow with a side by side to consider the impact of age on a Tripel.

 

From arguably the least appreciated of the "traditional" Trappists...

Appearance: Dark gold with good clarity but poor head retention.
Aroma: Perfumed and floral, with peppery phenols behind that; orangey esters and there but low.
Flavor: Honey sweet, with a big hit of spice, some citrus and a surprisingly assertive bitter hoppy bite to end.
Mouthfeel: Medium, smooth, and dry, with no alcohol burn, unlike other tripels, but also lower carb than expected.
Overall: Hops + phenols over esters and malts. Clean, dry, and easy going down.

More a gluggable tripel (if there is such a thing) than one to linger over.
Not as complex as some other trappist, but at just 8%, that's fine because it fits a different role - I could see this with spicy food.
I just wish it was a bit more fizzy...

Cheers!

 

Starting this weekend with one of my favorites, La Fin du Monde. Very well balanced, sweet with out being over the top, nice earthiness, some apple like fruitiness and great yeast profile. On the lighter and drier side with lively carbonation. I don’t think I will ever get tired of this beer. I might not buy it often at the store but if I see it at a bar usually it becomes a pretty easy decision for what I’m drinking, cheers!

 

Trappistes Rochefort
The first of six new-to-me tripels I have for this tasting...


11.2oz bottle Best Before 31.08.2023 poured into a Trappistes Rochefort chalice at 56° Fahrenheit 8.1% ABV. The beer pours opaque light amber in color with a steady flow of off white head rising from the nucleation point on the glass. The head recedes to a thin cap and clings to the glass around the edges. The aroma is mild with sweet pale malt, orchard fruit, plus very subtle banana / clove. The taste is semisweet pale malt up front with pleasant, earthy, moderate bitterness to finish. The esters are very subtle and defy traditional descriptors, at least to my palate. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, very good to excellent. Not overly sweet or dry with a balanced profile and no trace of the 8.1% ABV.

I have to admit that really enjoy Belgian style beers, but tripels have always been my least favorite style of the subset. I have 2 more Belgian imports, a gluten free British import and two Indiana versions to squeeze in over the weekend. Cheers all!

 

Have you had the Ce n'est pas variation of La Fin du Monde? I enjoyed it.
https://www.unibroue.com/en-us/beers/classics/ce-nest-pas-la-fin-du-monde

I have one more bottle of each and was planning a side-by-side as part of this weekend's thread, but not sure if I'll be able to fit it in as I have some conflicts this weekend now which will limit my number of beers.

 

Head Trip by Fat Heads

The power of Beer Advocate on display as Fat Heads issues a new batch of Head Trip just in time for the tasting

Twelve ounce can dated 3-9-22, so today I submitted an update for the beer listing (shown as retired).

First pour for me of this 9% tripel. Small head with little lacing. Body is a clear yellow-orange. Good mouthfeel with moderate to light carbonation.

Fruit and clove dominate the flavor and are present in the nose to a lesser degree. A small sweet finish provides a nice treat. The ABV is mostly hidden by the sweetness and clove.

A very enjoyable tripel that can easily be chugged if not for the high ABV. I hope this one stays unretired. Cheers!

 

I am looking forward to reading that post!

Tripels do indeed 'evolve' with time in the bottle but they still stay 'good' for my palate.

I will right now write down what I think you will notice (comment upon) between a younger and older Tripel and compare it to your post.

The 'wild card' here is unless you had the older Tripel in your possession since it was fresh there are the potential negative impacts from being exposed to harsh conditions (e.g., exposure to extended high temperatures in a warehouse, etc.).

Cheers!