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 :)

Orval (6.5% ABV)

A further Trappist offering from a brewery that offers a single commercial product, and boy, is it a good one.

Orval pours as a strikingly orange coloured brew, with a delicate, minimal head that nevertheless endures, great lacing down the glass, and a wonderful mouth-feel.

The orange and coriander seed nose continues into a gentle citrus profile of tangerines and sour candy peel supported by layer after layer of yeast complexity, with a mouth-watering finish. This beer exhibits complexity by the malt-shovel, and is a world-class beer by any standards. I feel somewhat bereft at not having another bottle in the house.

There is something of a cult of aging Orval for a year, with snootier bars offering young and aged versions. This all seems a little odd to me, as you could do the same thing with any number of Belgian beers to good effect, being both bottle-conditioned and being sufficiently strong to contain sufficient sugars for the yeast to continue to act upon and thereby alter the characteristics of the brew. A bit of a shrug, therefore, from me on that front.

For the record, as the brewery plays up to this somewhat and puts a date if bottling and BB date on each label, I drank this Orval when it was 6 months old.

94

Trappistes Rochefort 6 (7.5% ABV)

Poured at about 14% celsius into matching glassware, Trappistes Rochefort 6 has the appearance of builder's tea viewed with strong sunlight behind it. This bottle displayed a quickly collapsing head with a gentle bead of carbonation.

This most gentle and elusive of the Trappistes Rochefort brews displayed a dried fruit and Old Holborn-pouch nose, giving way to rye and malt, sweet spice and Muscovado, with a dry, hop-brightened finish. This beer displays a gentle, elegant finish with a deceptively lithesome mouth feel that belies its strength. You could kid yourself into believing this was a seasonal session beer, until you fell over.

Trappistes Rochefort don't seem to put a sandal wrong. This is a house choice.

93

Westmalle Dubbel (7% ABV)

Another Trappist classic, I admire everything about this brand, even its aesthetics. The labels are a model of elegant understatement, and the heavy chalice glassware is redolent of the brew's monastic origins whilst being simultaneously functional, allowing as it does the imbiber to savour its aromas to the full.

The nose is lean, pencil sharpenings and rich malt, with a hint of bitter chocolate. The complex esters of exotic fruit wash over the palate, and once again the sweet-sharp finish is poise personified.

This is another Trappist offering I will endeavour to keep examples of in the house to enjoy with friends in subdued light around a robust fire on bitter evenings.

92

La Trappe Quadrupel (10% ABV)

There is a very dark, almost mahogany appearance to this Quadrupel, which featured a restrained head that dispersed relatively quickly on this occasion despite quite a vigorous pour.

A lightish but persistent nose for a Trappist beer of this strength with liquor-washed aroma, like Christmas pudding ingredients steeping in bourbon and brandy, with some tropical fruit overtones.

The taste was really rather overpowered by the surge of alcohol in this sample, which did not display the sort of complexity I would have expected. So yes, malt, dark sugar, tangy 'Belgian' yeast (although NB this is actually a Dutch brewery), but none of the interplays and riffing I was hoping for. I am not sure whether this La Trappe Quadrupel might become more alluring after a year in the bottle; I'd like to lay a couple down to experiment.

A blasting finish of raucous alcohol that nevertheless drinks smoothly and without abrasiveness, but doesn't really deliver the sort of satisfaction you'd hope.

Pleasant, but not outstanding, at least on this showing.

70

Achel Bruin (8% ABV)

We're back on track with this tasty Trappist offering.

There is a touch of cough candy and coal on the nose, with a hint of freshly turned sods of grass-topped heavy clay soil to boot.

A hefty shovel of sweet malt is delivered on the palate with a surprising, mouth-wateringly dry departure.

The finish is just delightful, and again surprising in its purity and poise, with your mouth feeling as if you've just had a glass of something cool and cleansing from the Abbey well.

I definitely need to get another couple of these to see if the complexity grows in the glass, because to be honest I drank it in about 5 minutes.

89

Chimay Red (7% ABV)

Goodness me, what a come down.

The Beer Ritz guys tout Chimay's 'standard' house ale as having a copper hue, redcurrant and soft malt on the palate and a dry hop finish.

However, I don't get any of that, dryness aside, perhaps.

First things first: I undoubtedly drank this at above the recommended 10-12 degrees Celsius. I could tell that by the way it exploded all over the kitchen when I took the crown cap off. In directing the beery shower into my glass, I undoubtedly took more yeast into the glass than was my intention.

Normally, I favour a slow pour into the middle of the glass, reserving a mouthful to swill the yeast free with, priming my first taste of the decanted remainder with the yeast to frame the experience. It's a concept a Dutch landlord introduced me to in Maastricht recently, and whilst he was unquestionably a somewhat singular individual (in a dedicated, nice way; Google 'Take One Maastricht' for more on this) I am rather taken with the idea at present, and am riffing on it.

In other words, I'd have been sampling the yeast anyway, and suspect this would have made little difference to my judgment. The divergence in temperature is another matter, however, and I will chill my next bottle rather more judiciously to that which is suggested on the label.

So, copper coloured, yes, but also metallic in taste if this example is anything to go by. Malt, some dryness, not much else to report in terms of nose, taste or finish. Lacking complexity, and surprisingly thin-tasting for a beer of this strength.

40

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