This was one Mad Bitch - my favorite out of the 4 tripels we reviewed. Let's get down to it.
This Bitch poured out the darkest of the 4 with a lot of sediment. The color was a very dark gold and it had the most minimal head of the tripels. The smell was of light fruits and hops and the sweetness that goes along with that. The taste was very velvety and smooth. It had a lot of fruit and sediment in the mouth with a cool alcoholic kick at the end. The texture was full of body and it was lightly carbonated - not too much and not too little. From start to finish the feelings go from sharp, to mellow, to the bite of the alcohol. Very nice.
This was my favorite because this beer stood out the most of the 4 beers. It had an identity that stood out from the others and, even though it was #4, it was #1 in my books.
Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.03/5
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Allagash Tripel Reserve
#3 on ratebeer - the Allagash offering. This is a beer maker that we've noticed charges quite a bit for their wares and we were hoping this reflected in their beer. Let's see how it fared.
This beer poured out with no sediment and a medium brightness and color compared to the other tripels. It had a nice bubbly head but it was still kind of opaque. The smell was very tree-y with an herbish scent and a much more bitter nose. The taste had a slight bite at the beginning that faded and disappeared at the end with almost no fruit notes to speak of. The texture was not nearly as full-bodied as the other offerings and the taste couldn't hold up through the entire experience, resulting in a kind of flat beer.
This was a tad of a disappointment. For top 4 on the list, I don't think it held up very nicely. The beer had very little character and couldn't hold up what it had throughout the entire test.
Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.63/5
This beer poured out with no sediment and a medium brightness and color compared to the other tripels. It had a nice bubbly head but it was still kind of opaque. The smell was very tree-y with an herbish scent and a much more bitter nose. The taste had a slight bite at the beginning that faded and disappeared at the end with almost no fruit notes to speak of. The texture was not nearly as full-bodied as the other offerings and the taste couldn't hold up through the entire experience, resulting in a kind of flat beer.
This was a tad of a disappointment. For top 4 on the list, I don't think it held up very nicely. The beer had very little character and couldn't hold up what it had throughout the entire test.
Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.63/5
Tripel Karmeliet
#2 on ratebeer - the Karmeliet. Let's get down to it.
Pours mostly transparent with a huge, white head. It had substantial carbonation and a nice golden hue - like ginger ale. It smelled like a mix between the #3/4 tripels with fruit and evergreen notes and a dash of light hops. The taste didn't present itself at the beginning but kicks in at the middle with a slight IPA vibe along with the bitterness that normally goes along with IPAs - very good though. The texture had an interesting flow that was, admittedly, boring at the beginning but flows through to a great finish and an alcoholic kick to top it off.
Overall, not a bad beer at all. Out of the 4, this had some of the best identity to call its own. It was a unique beer and I like that in a beer that is a top in its category.
Appearance - 4.1
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 3.98/5
Pours mostly transparent with a huge, white head. It had substantial carbonation and a nice golden hue - like ginger ale. It smelled like a mix between the #3/4 tripels with fruit and evergreen notes and a dash of light hops. The taste didn't present itself at the beginning but kicks in at the middle with a slight IPA vibe along with the bitterness that normally goes along with IPAs - very good though. The texture had an interesting flow that was, admittedly, boring at the beginning but flows through to a great finish and an alcoholic kick to top it off.
Overall, not a bad beer at all. Out of the 4, this had some of the best identity to call its own. It was a unique beer and I like that in a beer that is a top in its category.
Appearance - 4.1
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 3.98/5
Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
Here's my first entry for the Tripel night. This was #1 on ratebeer.com and it did not disappoint.
This brew poured with a huge, white head and cloudy, but bright gold, body. It was also very bubbly and teeming with carbonation. It had a smell that was very close to gin (in terms of a pinetree-esque nose) but that's about it. The taste was truly unique. It started off pretty nice with touches of fruit notes and proceeded to get bitter. It also had a pine-y aftertaste that was very prominent. The texture was rather bitter, almost in an unpleasant sense, but mostly interesting. It was also very warming.
Overall, not a bad tripel at all. It was very intriguing and, for as big a fan of gin and tonics as myself, very satisfying. I can definitely see why this beer is #1 on ratebeer for tripels.
Appearance - 4.2
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.00/5
This brew poured with a huge, white head and cloudy, but bright gold, body. It was also very bubbly and teeming with carbonation. It had a smell that was very close to gin (in terms of a pinetree-esque nose) but that's about it. The taste was truly unique. It started off pretty nice with touches of fruit notes and proceeded to get bitter. It also had a pine-y aftertaste that was very prominent. The texture was rather bitter, almost in an unpleasant sense, but mostly interesting. It was also very warming.
Overall, not a bad tripel at all. It was very intriguing and, for as big a fan of gin and tonics as myself, very satisfying. I can definitely see why this beer is #1 on ratebeer for tripels.
Appearance - 4.2
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.00/5
Brew Tasting the Thirtieth
To celebrate our thirtieth review night on this blog we have decided to do something very special and never done before on this site. We will be having the top 4 Belgian Tripel's that are currently listed on ratebeer.com and having them back to back to back to back. Hopefully we will be able to compare them appropriately and find out if our ideals actually match those of the public.
Stay tuned, because this is going to get interesting.
1. De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)
2. Allagash Tripel Reserve
3. Tripel Karmeliet
4. Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
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