Tripels

Definitely decant your next one- the yeast can have an impact on the flavor and you are not tasting these beers in their proper light.

 

Westmalle is a good one but it's very dry and spicy. It goes great with spicy food though if you want to try pairing it with food. If you haven't given Chimay a second try (my favorite tripel), you should give it a second chance and pair it with something spicy like Thai food.

 

I make it a point to try as many tripels as I can and can't say I've ever detected a "cheese" flavor in one. Belgian spices, light fruits (pears, white grapes, bananas, etc.), bubblegum, candy sugar, yeast and breads are all common flavors in tripels, and I'm not for sure which could be interpreted as being cheesy.

It's overly thick and sweet for my tastes. A tripel to me should be as dry as a pilsner.

It's odd, I remember liking Chimay White back when I first tried it, but I've had it a few times over the past couple of years and have been surprisingly disappointed by it. Even on tap or decanted, I find it to be overly yeasty and kind of bland.

 

My wife is a huge tripel fan (her favorite beer is Karmeliet), so I end up drinking a fair amount of the style. I will add another vote for St. Bernardus. I will also make another plug for Funkwerks Deceit (if you can get it in NY), and New Belgium Tripel, which you should be able to pick up in a 12 oz bottle format. The Funkwerks isn't particularly funky, IMO, and the New Belgium is also a bit milder.

Decanting to separate the yeast will also reduce the funk you are experiencing.

 

There are at least three "types" of Piraat:

Piraat 9: A 9% ABV Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Piraat 10.5: A 10.5% ABV Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Piraat Triple Hop: A Belgian IPA

 

Never been a huge fan of this style (prefer Dubbels and Quads), but I have made an effort to try a few (Westmalle and La Fin Du Monde are my current favorites, though I do plan to try St. Bernardus). I have never detected any ``cheese'' flavors, just sweet malt, fruit (bananas and oranges mostly), a hint of spiciness, and a dry finish.

 

Orval is another good one to try even though it's technically not a tripel.

 

I don't care for Tripels. But for those of you that do, I say whatever floats your boat.

 

Belgian Tripels are usually very spiced beers. So, I think that's normal that people have different palate experiences with them. I've spent a lot of time to "assimilate" them due to their complexity. Nowadays, I'm a big fan. My favorite one is the Westamalle Triple, excellent!...

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Like others, my recommendation would be Westmalle Tripel. If you don't like that beer, then you ARE doomed.

The cheesy aroma could be a number of things. Old hops, infection, yeast autolysis. But it is odd that you seem to find this flavor across the board for the style. Try to find the freshest examples of the beers and then judge. Could just be your palate and that you don't really like the style.

 

Has to be the palate... who doesn't like Chimay????
Maybe just not your thing - you'll know after Westmalle and/or St. Bernardus

 

De Ranke
La Trappe
BLVD Long Strange
Chimay (so good)

 

Not too cold but not quite room temperature.

 

I think you may be picking up the taste of Belgian yeast. Try other styles other than tripels, like dubbels, quads, belgian strongs and darks and see if those also have the same taste.

 

Maybe tripels are just not your cup of tea then. I'm honestly not a huge fan of tripels. Too dry and yeasty for me. Dubbels/malty/dark strongs>tripel.