Trippel Belgian Style Ale - New Belgium Brewing

rramsey

South Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours golden in color. Carbonation is perfect. Smell is slightly weak and one dimensional. Taste is slightly sweet with a strong coriander flavor that hangs around. Drinkable but don't think I would purchase again. The taste is not something I like. It's not bad, just not for me. The after taste also hangs around.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 22:52:28 | More by rramsey

Kevin55

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A strong taste of sweet/bitter yeast, along with hints of herbs. Not the most refreshing/drinkable beer, but eat sip is a treat; thats the way to drink it. An exceptional feel when it goes down gives this brew a clear difference against traditional brews. Overall, a good beer with more pros then cons

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 06:02:54 | More by Kevin55

mscudder

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoying a sixer in a token New Belgian globe.

A - Translucent copper/amber with a big multi-finger head. Lacing is solid with average retention.

S - Breaded malts, coriander and some citrus.

T - Crispy fresh, interlaced with much coriander from the nose. Notes from pears, banana and perhaps a pinch of lemon and apple. Slight warming on the back.

M - Medium body with above average carbonation.

O - This is one of my favorite showings from a brewery that I have a few chips on my shoulder against. It is far from an elite tripel, although for a sub $10 sixer, this is far from bad. For lovers of the floral notes, this is one to look for.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 04:43:56 | More by mscudder

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

slightly hazy golden pour with a finger of white foamy head, carbonation is very visible!
smells of peppers, lemon citrus, banana, yeasty.

this beer tastes VERY sweet up front with a bready/lemonpeel finish. definitely getting the taste of coriander, the banana/pepper flavors from the belgian style yeast. a very flavorful ale.

medium body, medium carbonation, slightly creamy, sweet finish.

this is the last of the new belgium sampler my buddy sent me, and one of the better ones of the last few i tried.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 22:39:36 | More by facundoCNB

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a goblet.

3.0 A: Clear light orange color. One and a half fingers of frothy off-white head. Retention is poor and no lacing is left.

4.0 S: I love corriander and I'm loving it in this brew. Clove followed by pepper spiciness underneath that. Grassy hay, earthy, and a light peachy fruitiness. Quite nice.

4.0 T: Again this has a wonderful corriander spiciness. Clove and pepper spiciness underneath. Hay, earthy, peach. Good again.

4.0 M: Lighter medium body. Good spritzy carbonation. Super smooth.

4.0 D: Quite tasty. Corriander should be in more tripels.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 23:06:26 | More by DavoleBomb

smalenberg

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice Belgian lace on the glass. Beautiful golden color. Fruit and a slight pepper character to the nose. Smooth mouthfeel with a pleasant effervescence - just the right level of carbonation. For a fairly high ABV, the alcohol is balanced with a malty sweetness and fruity esters. Not hard to see why the BJCP lists this as a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 01:07:11 | More by smalenberg

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a bottle of New Belgium's Trippel a couple weeks ago for $2.69 at Meijers. I'm a big fan of Tripel's and I am interested to see what New Belgium's take on the style is like, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but i'm sure it's fairly fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a tulip.

A- The label looks ok, it's not that eye catching, but it doesn't look bad. It poured a pretty clear yellow color that took on more of a darker golden color when held to the light with three and a half fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thick ring that stayed till the end and left lots of nice lacing. This was a good looking beer with some nice head, but it was a little to clear for the style, good, but not great.

S- The aroma starts off with some malts that have a pretty high amount of sweetness and impart a grainy and biscuit like aroma that quickly gives way to some spicy Belgian yeast and some coriander, just as the label states. Towards the end I get some citrus and banana aromas followed by a pretty big bubble gum aroma that is the strongest I have encountered in this style. The aroma was nice but it wasn't as balanced as I would have liked and it was pretty sweet, I would say it's a little above average.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with the malts which have a medium amount of sweetness and impart some grainy and biscuit like flavors that are followed by a good amount spicy Belgian yeast and coriander. Up next comes a slight citrus flavor with a good amount of banana and bubble gum with a very slight alcohol flavor. On the finish I get a little more Belgian yeast and a lighter amount of bitterness with a spicy and banana like aftertaste. This was a good tasting Tripel, but just like the aroma is lacked the balance that the best Tripel's have, I think it's a little above average.

M- Fairly smooth, pretty dry, medium bodied, with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was good and pretty true to style I liked it.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and I thought it was an above average example of the style, It had most of the things that I look for in the style with an extra amount of bubble gum that I don't normally find in this style. This beer had great drinkability, it went down very smooth, with enough flavor to hold my attention, one bomber is just enough for me, this may be the most drinkable Tripel I have had to date. What I liked most about this beer was the drinkability and the appearance, the mouthfeel was also noteworthy. What I liked least about this beer was the lack of balance in the flavor and aroma, I wish the malts stuck out a little more to balance out all that Belgian yeast. I would for sure buy this again when looking for a decent Tripel that won't break the bank, there's not many affordable Tripel's but this is one of them, I can see myself keeping a bottle or two in the fridge, I recommend this to anyone who likes the style. All in all this was a nice Tripel, but it doesn't come close to being one of my favorites, but for what it is and how much it costs, it's a bargain and a good no thrills Tripel. New Belgium did a good job with this beer and I feel like this is the definition of a solid Tripel, good job guys.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 03:49:08 | More by StoutHunter

JayQue

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a pretty good Trippel. All the features I like are here but some are more subdued than the very best of this style. Pours an almost clear dull gold into my Chimay goblet. Delicately bubbly white head with decent retention for this style. No lacing. Smell is fairly good. Light fruit, the apples and pears kind of thing. Some spices - black pepper and I guess coriander.

Good Trippel taste. Some of the best Trippels have almost a cheese kind of taste, probably from the yeast as well as light fruit and black pepper. It's all here, especially as the beer warms, just not as strong as some Trippels.

Mouthfeel is rich, a hint of an alcohol bite in the finish, but nothing that spoils the overall experience.

Definitely worth a try. A good Trippel in a 12 oz bottle....I will probably have this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 02:11:35 | More by JayQue

andrewjraab

Michigan

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- poured from a duece duece as the initial offering upon arrival in Michigan.

S - Sweet, banana, coriander.

T - This has a fruity zing to it but it just doesn't meld well on my pallet. I feel like I'm sucking on a banana peal.

O - meh. Below average offering for this style. I will not try this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 03:27:18 | More by andrewjraab

ubenumber2

Arkansas

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served from bottle , bought for a birthday present , fell in lust with this beer , just not love

Smell Almost a cheep wine smell to me , which really isnt a bad thing to me , fruity and spicy at the same time

Taste Can really taste the spices and hops put into this beer , at least I can, I can taste the alcohol in this if I really look for it

mouthfeel not over carbinated and a full tasting beer

Overall. I would drink this again , and again , not something I would want while mowing the yard but would probally go well wtih a fat pork chop off the grill

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 15:04:22 | More by ubenumber2

HeavyMetalBrew

Michigan

4.45/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Golden, transparent, nice lacing along top of glass. Signs of carbonation. It's clear for a tripel, without any chill haze.

Smell: Coriander. Some spiciness. Biscuit. Malt. Some citrus.

Taste: Coriander. Citrus. Spiciness. Bread. Alcohol. Flavors linger on palate.

Mouthfeel: Dry.

Overall: New Belgium Brewing just started distributing in Michigan, so I have had three of them in the past week. Their Fat Tire was mediocre and their Redtoberfest was alright, so I wasn't expecting too much out of this one. I was delightfully surprised. This is a really good Tripel, and the coriander helps out a lot. I highly recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 21:30:56 | More by HeavyMetalBrew

vfgccp

New York

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Light sediment in a bright apple juice body. Low retention and ok lace on a white head.

S - White grape, tart apples, and Chardonnay.

T - Nice, mellow, and well integrated profile. Bright right from the start with cilantro, lemon zest, honey, white grape skins and pears balanced by a heavy handed carbonation.

M - Great medium/full body with nice staying power.

O - A great, easily accessible triple.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 23:38:37 | More by vfgccp

minterro

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

New Belgium has reached MI, found at meijers for 2.85 for a 22oz bottle.

paired with peanut m&m's

A&S: Very lively looking straw colored transparent beer. with a white fuzzy head that dies quickly to a constant state of covering the top. faint banana and coriander scents not a whole lot going on, a little disappointed. hints of yeast and bubblegum.

T&M: Not very desrcript. Not super powerful as far a alcohol contain goes. Buttery, bananas, not very spicy. Medium body medium to high carbonation.

Overall: Although my rating of this beer doesn't particularly reflect what im about to say I do have to say it was a good beer for the price and taste just not a good representation of the style overall. I would recommend this beer as something to just drink and enjoy for a good price.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 23:39:24 | More by minterro

hoppyhayashi

3.2/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Half a finger of head, lots of carbonation with a clear golden yellow colour. The head is diminishing quite quickly. There is an off-white rim collecting around the edge of the glass.

S: It has a fresh grass smell, dirt, cinnamon and apples, cider and some floral notes.

T: It doesn't taste at all the way it smells. The alcohol isn't overpowering and I can barely taste it, which is interesting considering that it's a 7.8% beer. It has a spicy flavour and tastes of orange peel as well. I'm not sure if it's coriander that I'm tasting but there is definitely a lot of spice to this beer.

M: It passes over the front of your tongue and sits in the back of your mouth. Lots of carbonation and light to medium bodied. It's a little strange because it feels very sticky in your mouth after you swallow it, which I'm not a fan of... my tongue keeps sticking to the roof of my mouth afterwards so it is a little unpleasant.

O: Personally, I don't know if I like the spiciness of this beer or the sticky feeling it leaves in your mouth following drinking it.. but I can see others liking it. It definitely has a complex mouthfeel to it though. Interesting to note is that it leaves no lacing whatsoever.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 01:02:31 | More by hoppyhayashi

alysmith4

District of Columbia

2.9/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Brought a case of this beer to a weekend cabin trip, and by the second night I was totally sick of it. I thought it might be a good session beer, but I'm not sure what I was thinking at 7.8% ABV!

At any rate, it's a fairly decent representation of the style, just a little two-dimensional in flavor though. Lots of yeast and fruit come through on the nose and in taste, but not much else. Appearance and mouthfeel are average.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 17:27:48 | More by alysmith4

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from 2/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a golden amber, nice carbonation, small white dissipating head and light lacing. Aroma of slightly sour fruit with light malt, Belgian spicing. Flavor is sweet malt and light fruits, with a somewhat tart, light fruit and spice finish. Medium bodied. A dry, moderately pleasant light triple style without much complexity.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 18:51:04 | More by LiquidAmber

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a regular glass.

A: Pours a darker straw color with a large amount of clarity, surprising for a tripel. Lots of tiny bits of yeast float in the body, though. The head is a one finger offwhite color with nice enough retention. A solid amount of lacing is left on the glass.

S: Quite spicy - there's a lot of clove, coriander, and black pepper on the nose, with the candied sugar only having a small aromatic role, and the malt backbone being almost entirely neutral.

T: Sweet to start, before the spice character helps to neutralize the sweetness somewhat. There's a decent amount of coriander, black pepper, and cloves on the finish. A bit of a phenolic character also exists, one that thankfully doesn't overwhelm the palate with plasticky flavors. In addition it becomes almost savory after a while, once the biscuity NB yeast profile kicks in. Not my favorite beer in the world, but quite good, I must say.

M: Fairly light, with a nicely neutral finish. Reasonably well carbonated - not too harsh or too mild. Somewhat dry in general.

O: A good tripel. It gets bonus points for being so easy to find in my area, and for being quite drinkable. All in all, one of NB's better regulars.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 21:51:16 | More by ThisWangsChung

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz, 7/29/12
Boulevard snifter

A: Pours out a clear pale yellow color. Lots of carbonation. Three fingers of fluffy white head. Lots of lacing.

S: Lots of Belgian cahracter: yeast, clove and the coriander. It's very clean smelling.

T: Right in the tip of the tongue, you get that Belgian yeast spice character: coriander, clove, and orange peel notes. I always look at tripels like beefed up wit beers with more malt backing and a touch more ABV. On the close, it's fairly dry and you still taste that spice bill.

M: Medium bodied.

O: B+. not my favorite in the style but not bad and price point is nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 16:07:50 | More by inlimbo77

vkv822

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz : tulip

Clear golden body with foamy white head. Dissipates to leave thin foam across the top, moderate lacing.

Lots of coriander upfront, with some light fruity backing.

Fairly sweet on the palate, with just a bit of coriander thrown in. Extremely faint alcohol notes in the finish.

Medium-light body, appropriate for the style with medium-low, foamy/prickly carbonation.

A decent enough beer, just a tad bit sweet in the taste for my liking, but still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 07:49:01 | More by vkv822

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a new belgium chalice, presents with 1/2 inch thick head, bright to off white, color is transparent, pale gold... nice carbonation coming of the bottom etching.

Smell is great, perfect blend of pilsner/malt sweetness, light coriander, and great smelling products from the yeast; they are all mild but great.

Taste is almost as good as smell, again things are not overpowering, mostly subtle but so well done, nice sweetness upfront overcome by the phenols from the belgian yeast followed by some drying qualities that make this beer so good.

Mouthfeel is as expected but still well done sweetness upfront, great clean, drying finish.

Overall, a great beer to me, flavors are everything you want in a tripel with a very small hint of coriander.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 21:40:23 | More by mvanaskie13

DocJitsu

California

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mind you, this is not my style. I'm not a Belgian fan. But I had the bartender (the owner's father in law) at Orcutt Brew pour me a small taste first. It was inoffensive, so I had him pour me a pint. It's a crystal clear, light-golden color with a nearly white head. The head attenuates quickly, but sticky lace hangs on the edge off the glass. A lot of banana in the nose with that common Belgian yeast aroma that pierces the olfactory. The beer's mouthfeel is wet and is characterized by a medium body. A pilsnerish start that quickly yields to ripe banana and then tart white grape. There is a bit of that familiar Belgian yeast finish. The thing I find clever about this beer is that everything is mild. Which has caused this non-Belgian drinker to sit and enjoy a pint. Good job New Belgium.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2012 22:29:49 | More by DocJitsu

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a goblet.

Pours a clear gold, with a finger of creamy bright-white head. This maintains some foamy richness around the edges of glass, which leaves back a robust cascade of spotty lace down the sides. The aroma smells of green citrus, a tinge of floral notes, clove, coriander, and some strong banana character which sticks to the sweetness of the malts.

The taste is ripe banana, doughy sugars, coriander, and juicy citric hops with a spicy clove finish. The mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied, with a lively carbonation that bounces around in the mouth yet is undercut by oily hops that keep this slick as it spreads out in the mouth. The alcohol here is very well hid.

This was nice American take on the style, with a smooth drinkability and well balanced flavors that didn’t run over each other despite the coriander addition. I’m always up for a good Tripel and this one really surprised me.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 18:51:13 | More by Kegatron

axeman9182

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, allowed to warm some before being poured into my Firestone Walker tulip.

New Belgium Trippel pours a fairly clear lemon yellow, with a bit more than to fingers of fluffy white foam capping the beer. Head retention and lacing are both solid. The nose has a good bit of pear to it, before light pepper and clove waft through. The coriander adds a nice subtle citrus note to the aroma. The flavor has some pale/stone fruit sweetness leading off, before the phenols come in on the back end. The pepper and clove aren't too intense, with the coriander doing a nice job of helping temper them. I wish the esters were just a little bit more prominent though. The carbonation is nice and active, but the body is just a touch too chewy for me. New Belgium's Trippel is a good take on the style. I was wary of it being spiced, but the brewers displayed a deft hand with the coriander.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 14:57:35 | More by axeman9182

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe glass.
7.8% ABV, Best by 10MAR13, "Ale brewed with coriander."

A - Poured with the bottle's sediment, Trippel is faintly hazed from tiny floating particles but the beer is otherwise a relatively clear, shimmering golden color. A short, white one-finger head dissipates quickly, lowering to a skim of suds with plenty of thin lace caked on the glass.

S - Heavy sweet malts and honeysuckle open with aggression and dive right into powerful yeast with very fruity esters. White wine and grape aroma are at the forefront with a faint banana and clay hint followed by a strong earthy coriander spice finish. Stronger than most when it comes to potency, this tripel's aroma is spot-on in terms of yeast involvement.

T - The flavor of New Belgium's Trippel directly mirrors the aroma with the same sweet malts and yeast all over again, opening with aggression. Clay and banana notes stem from the Belgian yeast as do the white grape, wine-like characteristics that are aided, in part, by the spicy coriander and mild alcohol finish.

M - This earthy-feeling, full-bodied tripel is exceptionally smooth on the tongue and while it's balance clearly leans towards the sweetness of the malt profile, there's a balancing dry finish that keeps it from ever getting cloying. Moderate carbonation dances on the tongue through the subtly warming alcohol swallow that closes this beer.

O - New Belgium Trippel is an exceptionally delicious and well-made triple at a tasty price. The alcohol is kept to a lower level for the style without sacrificing flavor or nuances that are common to the style. New Belgium has one of the finer American-made tripels on their hands here!

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 03:06:21 | More by BeerFMAndy

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear solar amber with a thick and fluffy, if not persistent, ivory head. Malty aroma has a decided coriander overtone and hints of yeast and apple. Refreshing flavor has firm fruity and malty tones plus a noticeable, though not overpowering, note of coriander, as well as a hint of yeast. Firm, smooth texture has good body and decent fizz.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 03:06:17 | More by Cyberkedi