Adelardus Tripel (9% ABV)

Pours a hazy orange-gold, not unlike Orval to the mind's eye, although maybe I'd query that if I had them side by side.

A banana and tropical fruit nose yields to strong, tangy malt, with a pleasingly dry finish. The alcohol is well hidden, and this beer drinks smoothly for its strength.

More than pleasant, but not quite a major-league Tripel. Getting close, though. NB I had to dock a point or two for the ghastly cartoon label.

83

Triple Tripel vs. Asparagus Face-Off

A soul-witheringly bad day necessitated some midweek revels in the form of a Tripel taste-off paired with some smoky, griddled asparagus, inspired by a Zak Avery video along the same lines I watched a while back (link pending ;) lots of links pending on this blog now as I compose all these posts on my phone, and links seem a bit much like hard work, to be honest. Soz).

My notes are laughable, frankly, so make of this what you will:

Tripel Moine (ABV 7.3%)

The garish and rather crude label defacing this bottle does this delightful, subtle beer no favours, and I was genuinely surprised at the sophistication of the bottle's contents in view of its gaudy exterior.

Tripel Moine evokes a sunny yet crisp and blustery day flaneuring in a bar by the beach on the Belgian riviera. Salty, intensely floral, and the aroma of warm, grass-topped sand dunes.

A wonderful surprise, and an out-of-the-ordinary Tripel.

95

Trappist Achel Blond (8% ABV)

I love the complex Achel Brune, so it was something of a disappointment to discover how run-of-the-mill this Trappist brewery's Tripel is, at least on this showing.

The aroma and flavor profile of autumn fruits eaten on a dry summer's day (hmm... time machine required there, then) but empty, somehow.

The nose became disturbingly agricultural as it warmed.

83

St. Idesbald Tripel (9% ABV)

A by-the-numbers Tripel I won't be returning to, and that you really don't need either to taste, nor to hear any more about from me.

69

The asparagus worked really well with all of these. Thanks for the idea, Zak :)

Dogfish 90 Minute IPA (9% ABV)

I've written about this beer before on this blog as I often used to pick up a bottle our six at Jubille in the UWS when L. and I were 'Noo Yawkers', which seems like several lifetimes and trouser-sizes ago now.
It was one of the first American beers I discovered whilst living in the States, so having a bottle of it in my hands once again makes me somewhat sentimental for several reasons.
An example of the 'over-hopped' US IPA style that has conquered all before it in the brewing world, I drank this at room temperature, which on reflection was something of a mistake. All the hop characteristics were amped up a notch by doing so, but so was the beer's sweetness, which I found less rewarding.
A 90 mark for old times sake which this particular tasting probably didn't merit; I will take my next bottle a few degrees cooler.

Straffe Hendrik Brugs Tripel (9% ABV)

A lot of quaffing without a great deal of jotting means I have a backlog of photos which I need to publish without sufficient notes to hand to write a decent review.

Retastes will therefore be required, but that won't exactly be a hardship. Think, therefore, of what follows as a series of place markers.

I adore the aesthetics of Straffe Hendrik Brugs Tripel, from the Farrow & Ball-coloured label to the charming 'Man in the Moon' motif which is carried through to the crown cap.

The beer itself is just as appealing. An attractive amber-orange, it has a lean, floral nose with a complex profile of dry autumnal flavors.

93

Abbaye des Rocs Brune (9% ABV)

This triple-fermented beer delivers one of the crudest pours you're ever likely to encounter, with fat flakes of yeast spattering unappealingly into the glass.

This is clearly a brewery trait, as the Nöel beer from Abbaye des Rocs I uncapped recently plopped chunks of three-dimensional yeast into my glass with such vigour that the brew slopped over its edge. Visions of Mr. Armitage and Mr. Shanks overcame me, and the unappealing beverage was hastily emptied down the sink. Perhaps such yeast-saturated brews are quaffed by Belgian beer enthusiasts with the same sort of relish that capsaicinoid addicts seek out those chillies with the highest Scoville rating as a signifier of their dedication and enthusiasm. To them I say: good luck. Personally, I'd rather not drink something that looks like it was bottled at the local sewage plant.

As for the beer itself: overpowering malt drowns out the hops, and an unbalanced sweetness makes for a singularly claggy experience on the palate. Mouth-feel, however, is rather pleasant and the beer drinks smoothly for its strength. However, I can't see myself picking up another bottle of this any time soon. Not without a blindfold, anyway.

40

Gouden Carolus Tripel (9% ABV)

This is such a pretty beer; not only is it a particularly fine pale golden hue, but Gouden Carolus Tripel also delivers an extraordinary lacing right the way down the glass.

A beautiful, enduring head offers up understated lemon barley, pineapple and white pepper notes. This is where things start to get really interesting, and the modulation between the taste and the finish of this beer is what propels into the mid-nineties for me. The green, savoury base is supported by a plethora of rich, mellow, salt, sharp and sweet flavours. It is akin to grazing your way around a world-class deli like Edinburgh's Valvona & Crolla: lemon, Gouda, even the savour of prosciutto fat linger on the tongue.

A drying, well-hopped finish completes the journey down the glass. One issue I have with this beer is that whilst for me this is very much a brew to be enjoyed with food, at 9% ABV you wouldn't be able to sink more than a couple before you may as well be eating a dodgy kebab. I can't really hold this against this amazing Tripel, however. I drank this at the lower end of the recommended temperature scale, namely 5 degrees Celsius. I'd suspect that this isn't a beer whose characteristics would improve as it warms, but mine didn't last long enough to test that particular hypothesis. I'll definitely be ordering more of these.

95

Augustijn Grand Cru (9% ABV)

Augustijn Grand Cru comes in a Duvel-style squat, slope-shouldered bottle. This blond, bottle-conditioned brew pours a hazy gold with an enduring head.

There's nothing to dislike about this beer, but then there's not a great deal to commend about it either, in my opinion. It has all the hallmarks and characteristics of a Belgian Tripel, but no outstanding features that could be said to afford it an identity of its own.

If this beer had featured in Alex Cox's 'Repo Man' (1984), it would have merited one of the amusing generic labels that adorn the foodstuffs that feature in the film. This is indeed 'Belgian beer', but for me at least it isn't really interesting enough to merit returning to.

60

Trappistes Roquefort 8 (9.2% ABV)

I'm back, baby.

Trappistes Roquefort 8 is a warming, autumnal ale lovingly prepared for you by some of those clever Trappist fellas. 'Warming' as in 'it'll make your face go red' and you may consider spelling it with a silent 'trap' having drained your glass.

It has a complex prune, Armagnac and candied peel nose with a hint of the organic; damp woodland, perhaps. The organic character of the beer presented by the house yeast grows in the mouth, with the aroma translating nicely, supported by a thread of sweet spice and the merest nibble of a corner of the very bitterest of dark mint chocolate.

The mouth-feel is sensational, the soft bead created by the secondary fermentation in the bottle really giving your palate a snogging that will make it go weak at the tonsils.

The finish is perfectly balanced, drying but with a mellow sweetness holding hands with the hops. Outstanding in every regard.

94