La Trappe Bockbier - Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle at 't Arendsenst in Amsterdam. From notes.

A - Poured a dark brown, muddy, colour with good carbonation and a one finger beige head. Some filmy lacing remained with one finger of retention.

S - Mild. Nice fruity malt. Breadiness too.

T - Dark fruit and lot's of yeast. Really yeasty in fact. Bready again. Kinda plain.

M - Medium carbonation and a medium body with a dry finish.

O/D - Too yeasty IMO. I would never think of a Bock being that yeasty. Not enough fruity malt character giving it richness. Not bad, but falls short where it doesn't need to.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 19:50:26 | More by tbeckett

harrymel

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Vintage 2007

A: Pours mahogany brown, excellent clarity. Two fingers peanut head falls to a quilt of the same. Spotty lacing.

S: Figs, dates, graham, allspice, nutmeg, malts, nice. I keep leaning back. Very nice.

T: Dry toasted flavor with cinnamon, cocoa (light), good malty base with a little club soda underneath.

M: A hint thin, but not in a bad way. Lighter carb with medium body.

O: Very nice, simple beer. I would enjoy another bottle or two of this in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 09:06:23 | More by harrymel

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle.

It pours a reddish-brown with a huge, foamy off-white/tan head.

The smell is super nutty with a bit of dough, spices, caramel, and raisins.

The flavor has some roasted caramel with a nice bittersweet flavor, dark fruits, and roasted nuts.

It is a decent bockbier, and certainly interesting considering the brewery and location.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 00:17:48 | More by crossovert

diamondc

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

$12 for a 750ml bottle. 20/07 on the cork.

A: Huge, insane, garnet colored head, recedes to a half a finger wisp of foam.

S: Raisins and figs at first then some hints of grape bubblegum and black cherries when getting warmer.

T: Nutty, toffee, caramel, the malts are intense here. Coffee, dark chocolate and fruits mingle with the surprisingly dry, spicy hops here on the aftertaste.

M/D: A great bock .. or is it? The bottle label claims this beer is top fermented, so it seems almost unfair to compare to traditional bocks. Either way, this is a great beer that offers malt complexity that is well-balanced with hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 07:24:21 | More by diamondc

sprucetip

Alaska

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From notes. Very active, enormous tan head sits atop medium brown liquid. Said liquid is clear and red/mahogany when backlit. Big yeast cake and floaty chunks suspended toward the bottom, again visible when backlit. I'd had the bottle for quite a some years.

Toffee like malty sweetness, dark fruit, and light booze all wrapped up in the overall Belgian yeasty package that is the foundation. Yummy.

Defined by the yeasty character that delivers flavors of dark fruit and spices. Malty sweet with just of nip of roast, a bit of tartness and a very mild bitterness.

Perfectly carbonated, rich, smooth, creamy and viscous. Hint of warming and mild drying and bitterness in the finish.

Exceptionally well made beer. Complex, smooth, and balanced. A sipper to savor and share. ... I've had this one a few times. Sometimes it has struck me, as this sample did, as really special. But I can also recall being underwhelmed. Not this time.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 19:07:57 | More by sprucetip

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

We pour a brew of medium brown interwoven with deep red orange streaks. The head stands two fingers tall and is tan in color. It recedes at a normal pace, leaving splotchy lacing as it does. The carbonation looks to be about medium, and the brew has a hazy hue. No physical sediment is noted, but the opacity is there. The aroma is rich with dark malts, dried figs and prunes, toffee diacetyls, and a faint, yet sweet, gingerbread spice. At the back there is a slight sting of alcohol, but it is very light. The taste begins with a buttery slickness. There are heavy malts, mixing with a bitter tart flavoring of citrus rind, lent by the yeast. Through the middle there is a brown sugar sweetness. This peaks high on the palate, where it is met by a curious burnt element, as if from roasted coffee and toasted barley. The finish is marked by a washing through of the sweetness with more bitter yeast, hints of sweeter molasses, and alcohol. The aftertaste breathes bitterly, with a slight hopping and more of those roasty malts. The body is medium to full and the carbonation is standard. The feel to the beer is both slick and creamy, affording a nice slurpability and frothiness. The mouth is dried a bit towards the front of the palate, but the mouth is otherwise satiated. The abv is within range and the brew drinks smoothly.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was the strength of flavoring. It can be easy for a bock to come across as a dulled down little brother of a doppelbock, but here we find that all of that richness is preserved. There were heavy malts, with generously distributed sweet and roasty flavors, allowing this brew to compete as exemplary for the category.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 01:39:23 | More by TheBrewo

flagmantho

Washington

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 330mL bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: deep brown hue with tons of haze. Thick, murky body is crowned by two thick fingers of pillowy tan foam. A good looking beer.

Smell: very rich malty aroma with a hint of fruitiness. A relatively simple yet well-done bouquet.

Taste: fruity, musty malt flavors with a definite alcohol bite. The maltiness is not nearly as rich as in the aroma, and the fruity characteristics are quite a bit stronger. I like the juxtaposition.

Mouthfeel: medium-thick body with a good level of creaminess. Not bad for a bock.

Drinkability: a solidly drinkable brew. I'm glad I found this one at my local bottle shop; a good, authentic bock like this is a treat.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 02:44:10 | More by flagmantho

anakar

Israel

4.85/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Superb. Great taste, goes down smoothly and very rich.
Tried it with a stake dinner, and it washed down amazingly. Tastes like a Leffe Brown, a bit heavy so you won't want to drink it for drinking (Like in a bar), you want it with dinner. Don't overdo it cause it fills you up, Just like a good Bock should.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 16:22:08 | More by anakar

cnally

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The cork was a pain in my ass to get out!!!

A mysterious brown, deep and barely tinted red, is as hazy as you can imagine, to the point of opaque. A tan head laces insanely.

A sweet and savory aroma, just filled with good stuff...gingerbread, figs, grapes. A deliciously bready one, yeasty in the best possible way.

A lot of great beers I've had merely fit into their styles so well and perfectly that they are great because of it. Others push the style. This bock is one of the latter, an insanely spicy and earthy treat that it demands a long ass paragraph. You pick up on the barley and oats right away, sending you into fits of malty deliciousness, and complimented by its spicy yeasts with flavors of nutmeg, clove. Just an explosion of the flavors and deep as hell.

A fantastic frothy mouthfeel and creamy goodness.

Wow. Never had this beer before. Never seen it. I think it will disappear magically or something, like a dream into the night. Because this is one of the greatest beers I have ever had. Evar.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 01:36:34 | More by cnally

Brabander

Netherlands

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought this 'bockbier' in the abbeyshop yesterday when i was there to buy some glassware. I am not a bockbeerlover but something told me this was a good one to try. And it was!

Poured in my Struise glass this beer looks absolutely fantastic. What a big head with a very nice red/brown fluid. I could see nice amounts of carbonation. That is what i like in a beer and that makes the appearance rated with a five.

For the rest i can say the smell is good and warm, dito for the taste. A very well balanced bockbeer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2010 09:19:02 | More by Brabander

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep copper/ brown-ish color with a light tan head. In the aroma, roasty, rich, and fruity. In the taste, rich, nutty, and fruit hints. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry fruit like aftertaste. Nice flavor and aroma, hides the alcohol quite well.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 15:11:29 | More by OWSLEY069

xylophonica

Australia

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought this direct from the brewery in the Netherlands.

A - Dark chocolately/caramel brown colour. Nice dark head with good lacing.

S - Caramel, coffee, toffee and plenty of other dark malts. Again phenols hiding in the background.

T - Roasted malt and hops. Nuts and various bitter roasted tastes abound. Even some fruits; mainly cherry and banana.

M - Bitter and spicy. The aftertaste is even more bitter but does subside as the beer warms.

D - Very dark and heavy to drink. The taste is fairly distinctive being the only trappist beer of this kind but the bitter nature might not be to everyone's liking.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 12:52:56 | More by xylophonica

Mora2000

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a hazy brown color with a tan head. The aroma is brown sugar, yeast and caramel. The flavor is dark fruit (the main fruit I get is raisins) as well as brown sugar, caramel malt, alcohol and yeast. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not bad, but not too similar to a bock. It tastes much more Belgian than German.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 02:30:31 | More by Mora2000

DaveHS

California

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a reddish brown color, with a huge foamy head. Leaves beautiful Belgian lace after a few minutes. The nose is malty and sweet, with light aromas of spice and dried herbs. Chocolate, caramel and raisin notes make more of a showing once the head dissipates. A sharp little kick of fruity yeast, immediately followed by the drying Hallertauer hops. An average example of the style, in no way a standout.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 22:01:55 | More by DaveHS

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My brother-in-law brought this over to my surprise...and a 2007 vintage to-boot. Poured from a cork-and-caged 750ml bottle into my Portsmouth snifter/tulip glass. Pours a smooth caramel brown color. Fills the glass a medium to dark brown color, with a nice size creamy tan head. Head has pretty good retention and finally resides as a creamy rim around the outside surface. Lacing is quick sliding, but smooth and creamy...slightly fizzy too.

Aroma is great. Belgian yeasts, lots of fruits. Overall, a very sweet and solid smelling beer. I haven't had a Koningshoeven yet thay didn't smell great!

Flavor is very nice! Not the best bock out there...but super solid and overall a great beer. Medium body, high carbonation, crisp, very low booze. Caramel notes, tons of fruit, and very malty...mixed with the Belgian yeasts...this is a very good beer! Thanks Damon again for bringing it over!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2010 01:56:52 | More by ShadesOfGray

Spineypanda

Texas

4.47/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a black color, letting no light through. Nice strong head that just does not go away no matter what.
Smells of malts hardcore. Strong sweet malts. A big amount of coffee smell but not as much as the taste.
Taste is strongly coffee from the malts. A good amount of sweetness and some acidity to it.
Has some serious underlying crispness after it goes down. A strange feeling of intense carbonation like most Trappists. It is interesting in this style of beer.

Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 04:44:26 | More by Spineypanda

metter98

New York

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: It poured fairly dark brown with a sizable beige head that quickly died down into a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There's a moderate aroma of dark roasted and caramel malts with a bit of malty sweetness.
T: The taste is very rich and malty and very much follows the aroma; there is some sweetness but this is tempered by the underlying hops, the taste of which is only really detectable in the finish. There are some hints of spices in the flavors.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied, smooth and a bit sticky on the palate; there is some dryness in the finish.
D: The beer is definitely filling but is relatively easy to drink because the alcohol is well masked.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2010 12:57:46 | More by metter98

EPseja

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served from a 33cl bottle at just below cellar temperature in a Samuel Adams Double Bock glass.

A - Translucent hazelnut brown with a aggressive, marshmallowy sand-colored head that's easily two inches thick and holds fast. Head retention is unbelievable. Through the drinking of the entire glass, I never saw the surface of the beer, and left behind were fat, paisley canvases of lacing as I drank. Awesome.

S - Huge maltiness with notes of molasses, raisin and fig. Gentle notes of honeyed toast. If there are hops on board, then they're stowing away... Fairly straight-forward, but pleasant.

T - Big malt opening but surprisingly, it's not overly sweet. That's a huge plus. Here the dark fruits are obvious, especially raisin. Also apparent are very slight notes of unsweetened cocoa powder and dessert breads. The middle brings around a leveling yeastiness that helps set up the next step. Given the huge maltiness that's characteristic of the style, I was a bit surprised at how there was only a slight, gentle cloying, and how it quickly it was supplanted by a well-timed drying finish. Very nice.

M - Substantial without necessarily being thick. Velvet in the mouth, as the light carbonation turns the liquid into luxury. Micro-bubbled carbonation makes the swallow dense without being heavy. Sublime.

D - Wow. This is one fantastic beer. To date, this Bock is as close to perfection as I've come. Delicious!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 01:46:01 | More by EPseja

gory4d

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark russet with a dense tan head. The smell is sulfured molasses, swamp moss, fallen leaves, strong tea. The taste is heavy on the molasses, with caramel malts, something like blood sausage, and a graphite minerality in the finish the comes back around to the molasses. It's thick though not too viscous, heavy without being cloying. It's like no other bock beer I've had, and altogether excellent: I could have had another bottle. Seek this one out.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 05:24:54 | More by gory4d

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I just saw this one on the shelf at Spec's and I couldn't pass it up. I was just coming for a couple German beers and here we have a Bavarian Style beer that is made in a Monastery in Holland. Wow! What a concept. The Tilburg's Ale that this brewery makes is very good, so I am sure that this beer will be too. This is exciting!! Here we go.

Appearance: Pours very Bock-like with a clear dark garnet hue with a small, but thick, head of tan bubbles that is relatively active, but is maintained by many bubbles rising. After a couple minutes, the head had pretty much faded back into the beer and is only a small island in the middle of the beer.

Aroma: I got tons of toasty malt just from the pour. After I can smell it, it does remind me of a Bock. It get lots of toasty Munich malts and some dark fruit like black cherries. There is a good portion of Melanoidins in this beer as it has a firm earthy component to the background of the malt.

Taste: The flavor is a little less Bock-like than the aroma suggested. It is still very malty and has the components of the flavor, but the mouthfeel is quite thin to qualify for a Bock. It is so thin that it leaves a bit of the dark malt character sitting on your palate after the finish as an acidity that gets a little muddled with the alcohol to leave you almost wanting a drink of water after drinking to lighten it up on your palate. The fruity flavors are a really big player in the flavor and they get more noticeable as the beer sits for a bit...the almost make me wonder if an Ale yeast was used and that would also explain the attenuation and mouthfeel.

Opinion: Well, I had pretty high expectations for this beer. It is good, but falls short of what I would consider "outstanding". The lack of malt in the finish really hurt this beer in my opinion. All that said, this beer really has a pretty good flavor and I will certainly drink the whole bottle...so it doesn't suck. It just reminds me on an amped up Tilburg more than a beer to stand up to Korbinian...or even Erdinger Ur-Bock if you want to stand it against a non-doppelbock.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2010 01:01:31 | More by SkeeterHawk

JayQue

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Good solid bock beer.I enjoyed it out of a pint glass on a cool night sitting next to my fire pit.

Pours a fairly dense light mahogany/reddish color. Light gets through and shows off the reddish highlights. Good size tan head with good retention and thick lacing.

I started this one a little too cold for he smell but as it warmed up, I could get a nice malty aroma.

Really need to drink this at far less than ice cold. As it warms up there is a slightly sweet malty taste, some spices (like pepper) and dark fruit. There is a little bitterness in the finish but it is more pronounced when the beer is cold. As it warms, the flavors are nice and smooth and blend well. This tastes really good.

Mouthfeel is rich and the peppery spices tickle the tongue. I didn't get any alcohol burn or taste.

Drinkability is very good. I could have enjoyed another one. A nice beer for a cool evening.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2009 23:26:35 | More by JayQue

schuim

Netherlands

3.15/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this beer in the tastingroom from the brewery.
Looks: The beer has a good dark color.
Aroma: Aroma has a mix from dark malts and cottoncandy.
Taste: A nice mix from dark malts and candy sweetness.
Notes: Also brewed with rey and wheat, after the example of the Jopen Bokbier, but a little sweeter than Jopen Bokbier.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2009 10:40:49 | More by schuim

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The la Trappe bock beer. The Dutch trappist brewery is the only trappist that produces some not mainstream trappist beers. That is what I really like about them. Bought it in the local supermarket.
Poured into a sniffer. The beer pours a dark-brown color (with some ruby as well) with a very nice thick and fluffy light-brown head.

Smell: Roasted malts, grains, clear caramel and some dark fruits.

Taste: Roasted malts and caramel, grains, warming alcolhol and dark fruits again. The beer has a nice, slightly bitter and slightly dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, and medium-bodied. The beer is very creamy.

Overall: One of the best bock beers out there, maybe even THE best. Perfectly balanced bitterness and sweetness. But lets be honest, what else can be expected from a bock beer brewed by an authentic trappist...

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 19:39:20 | More by rvdoorn

PapaEugene

Netherlands

4.55/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very interesting. A real DUTCH trappist bockbeer. As far as I know, the only one.

A: Great dark brown/ruby color and a huge lightbrown foamy head.

S: Roasted malts, caramel and some hints of fruitiness.

T: Again roasted malts and caramel. Hints of red and dark fruits especially as the beer warms up. there's a light coffee taste as well and a light bitterness.

M: Medium carbonation, creamy mouthfeel, dry finish and a full body.

D: WOW, this is a great bokbeer. This is so much better than their dubbel. Will surely stock some of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 12:32:03 | More by PapaEugene

RuudJH

Netherlands

4.08/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The dutch trappist brewery has a nice range of beers, for many a pallet.
As it's the season of bockbier: dark, cold and wet, I was happy to stumble upon this one in a local supermarket.
Nice bottle, poured into my Chimay-glass.

A: Nice chestnutbrown colour, with a thick creamy head.
S: Fresh from the bottle, smokey grains and hops, dark fruit
T: Equal smooth taste of hops, grains and fruits. Very rounded, very balanced.
M: Creamy and silky smooth. This is easy drinking.
D: The alcohol is easy and warming.

I'd recommend this. A bockbeer within the trappist tradition, has a lot of interesting notes, is worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2009 18:01:06 | More by RuudJH