Affligem Tripel - Brouwerij De Smedt / Brouwerij Affligem

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on draft at The Mark, South Bend, IN, in snifter

A: thin, but creamy head; cloudy from micro carbonation; light orange, dense; lacing ok
S: banana and estery aroma; sweet, inviting; smell persists
T: Wow. Banana, pear; sweet and boozy; opens up nicely as it warms up into a rich, complex classic Belgian.

Wow, a really rich beer; I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 17:25:35 | More by Arithmeticus

grittybrews

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured an extremely light straw gold into a tulip with a thin film of white head. Somewhat sweet toffee aroma with just a little bit of floral/spice character.

Moderate carbonation and a smooth but somewhat thin mouthfeel. Some spicy yeast character up front before the caramel/toffee malt takes over. A combination of spice/banana sweetness returns on the finish.

The higher alcohol is completely masked with this easy-drinking (if slightly generic) tripel. Good, but didn't really wow me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2011 15:29:25 | More by grittybrews

DoubleJ

California

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Lucky Baldwin's Delirium Cafe, served in a Val-Dieu glass. On to the beer:

Bright and a tint darker than gold in color. The head poured on top was very frothy, but quickly drops to a lace. The aroma brings pears and fruity esters to the nose. As expected per style, it is a sweet tasting beer, but it's also a little dry. Sugary with some aspirin-like notes before the beer dries. It almost seems like a Belgian IPA with a kiss of the hops. Sparkling carbonation hits the palate from this lightish bodied "easy to drink despite a nine percent alcohol by volume".

A respectable and more affordable Belgian tripel. I could drink this at almost any time of day.

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2011 05:17:23 | More by DoubleJ

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

6 oz tap pour into a tulip.

A - Clear golden yellow with a nice plump white head. Lower retention and some sticky lace speckled all over the glass.

S - Belgian yeast meets with sweet Belgian candi sugar nicely and has sweet crystal malts, a bit of earthy clay, some light candied banana, and a dash of white pepper and clove.

T - Citrusy lemon and Belgian yeast with candi sugar and earthy clay, banana, and clove notes. A great tasting tripel with some good layers of complexity.

M - Medium-bodied and sweet with a smooth, relaxed finish.

D - An easy-going tripel that leans towards the sweeter side of the style. A fair example with nice drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2010 12:00:42 | More by BeerFMAndy

Halcyondays

California

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ, apparently a rare keg to be brought into the country,

A: Pours a brillaint gold with a poofy white head leaving good Belgian lace.

S: Bubblegum, apples, cake batter.

T: Big Belgian yeast flavour, chalky cakey malt, sweet baked pears, almost a dessert.

M: Smooth and creamy, medium-bodied.

D: I don't think I've ever had this tripel, and I've known about it for almost 5 years. It's really good and the 750s are still in the $7-8 range so it's definitely worth a pickup. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2010 06:17:10 | More by Halcyondays

drtth

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a stemmed Tulip glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As served the beer is a clear light golden apricot color with a soft billowing head of foam that only lasts for about half the beer. Sipping initially yields some interesting lacing but by the end of the class the foam and lacing are pretty much gone.

Smell: The aroma is soft and gentle with hints of citric fruits such as lemon and orange. There is also a hint of spice, probably white pepper.

Taste: The subtle flavors include a trace of honeyed sweetness mingled with a complex basket of fruit filled with apple and pear, with lemon and orange zest, and all tinged with pepper and coriander.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is medium-to light bodied and on the soft side but the moderate carbonation feels a bit sparse. The finish is long and filled with a light sweetness that has a bit of spiciness in it as well. At the end everything disappears into a touch of dryness.

Drinkability: For this beer think subtle and complex rather than bold and upfront. Sipping this was easy and I'll probably be having this one to sample again. However, this is a beer to have on its own. If paired with food some of the subtleties of the beer will get lost in its interaction with the food.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2010 18:10:08 | More by drtth

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear bright golden yellow in color and has a high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high white head that has excellent retention properties and slowly died down, consistently leaving a finger high head covering the surface.
S: Light to moderate aromas of candi sugar and yeast are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell except that there are also notes of bitterness and peppery spices as well as hints of alcohol and light fruits.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. Notes of dryness are present in the finish.
O: This tripel hides its alcohol rather well and the high amount of carbonation and the pepper spices help to cut through the candi sugars and prevent this from being too sticky and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 23:59:30 | More by metter98

janubio

Spain

3.2/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

330 ml. bottle Big creamy foam, not much retention. Yellow deep golden colour. Smell of ripe fruits, apple, clove, earth. Too sweet palate for the style, IMO. Good carbonation. Taste of fruits, apples apricots, clove, spices, maybe pepper. Good, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 14:34:50 | More by janubio

chinchill

South Carolina

4.09/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Cellared bottle dated (apparently) 11/2012 served in a St. Bernardus snifter. A gentle, cautious pour produced a moderate size, white head that sits atop hazy, apricot-amber liquid with lots of visible carbonation. Good retention and decent lacing.

Smell: A mix of light fruits (apricot, banana and pear, in particular) with bready malts, hints of grassy hops and a touch of alcohol.

Taste: {4+] More delicate than strong but with excellent complexity. Fruity, with hints of banana, pear, and apricot. Lightly spicy with suggestions of clove and pepper. There is some sweetness, but overall this tripel comes across mildly tart, with a fairly dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation and a refined, creamy feel. Light crispness.

Overall: nicely complex and fruity, and leaning to the tart side of the sweet-tart dimension.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 20:15:49 | More by chinchill

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle, 9% ABV, a single from an Affligem variety pack.

This beer pours a somewhat hazy, bright medium golden straw hue, with tight, bubbly, and creamy off-white head, which leaves a few wildly arching streaks of lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.

It smells of sweet, sugary pale malt, a bit of half-baked, doughy bread, musty yeast, some sharp orchard fruitiness, and a bit of white wine booziness. The taste is semi-sweet, kind of grainy pale malt, a subdued, but equally substantial mixed bag of ethereally fleshy fruit - echoes of peaches, apricots, and white grapes, all nice and blended - a now laid-back earthy yeastiness, and some lurking, understated earthy, drying noble hops.

The carbonation is on the lo-fi frothy side, the body an agreeable medium weight, and dead smooth to boot. It finishes off-dry, with a trending toward fullness of that metric, as the fruit, grain, yeast, and alcohol all seem to lean together in the same direction.

A pretty bang-on exemplar for the style, the big booze not nearly as invasive as even in some of the other world beaters. It's still sweet, sure, but in a seductively balanced manner. I don't using consider procuring another when faced with just one bottle of this particular style, but I would not mind breaking that trend with this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 08:15:44 | More by biboergosum

fx20736

New York

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

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a chalice, served cool.

translucent butterscotch with a slight haze and visible carbonation. A thick natural white head leaves decent lacing.

aroma of Belgian yeast. wildflowers, pepper, musty peaches.

mouthfeel is well structured with seltzer qualities.

Pale malt, tart white grapes, slight black pepper sting on the tongue and decent hop bitterness. Dry finish.

Not as fruity as Chimay, this is a more no nonsense Belgian Tripel

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 06:14:00 | More by fx20736

SLeffler27

New York

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A clear, light gold beer with a slight, rocky, white head that quickly turns creamy while consistent columns of carbonation carry chunks of yeast within a Hoegaarden snifter. Spotty lace is displaced by a thin film with each swirl.

There is a faint, fruity apple aroma with apricot and a hint of yeasty funk.

Tart and acidic, this one has the pungency of sourdough. A tart finish builds long after each sip. Warmth brings out light pepper and apricot flavors.

Full body, chewy with vigorous, fine carbonation. Alcohol is as expected from this super dry beer that sticks to the palate and has a light astringency.

Best as a pre-supper sipper. This one was aged for two years.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 21:18:16 | More by SLeffler27

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: hazy; amber/gold colour; good head on pour, falls away after a minute

Aroma: sweet, fruity malt; peach, strawberry, grapes; some alcohol cutting through it all

Taste & Mouthfeel: more one-noted than expected - smashed up smoothie as opposed to a fruit salad; ripe fruit flavour identifies as grapes if anything; properly balanced with hops to keep it crisp and dry on the finish, which lasts several minutes; some discernible spice notes

Overall: where is the punchy variety of flavour hinted at by the aroma? too one dimensional and overall not memorable

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 00:53:40 | More by BGDrock

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle was poured into a stemless wine glass. Making use of what's in the cabinet up here in Maine.

Appearance: The beer poured a one finger head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is a yellow orange haze with great clarity and signs of carbonation coming up through the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Delicious. Everything I expect out of a tripel. Vanilla, spices, Belgian candy, bready notes, apple, pear, honeydew melon, and yeasty esters.

Taste: Everything above blended well together. Not too sweet, not too bitter. A little light, but very tasty as it warmed to room temperature.

Mouthfeel: light to medium bodied, medium carbonation, smooth, a tiny bit boozy and warming to the palate.

Overall: Overall a very traditional triple and cornerstone to the style. Bottle or draft and you can't go wrong. This beer is super awesome too is at warmed to room temperature.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 03:31:55 | More by Flounder57

PHSCAPT

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Vigorous pour from a 750ml bomber into a Duvel goblet at 42F resulted in a 2 finger meringue-like head, 1 finger in 3 minutes, mostly dissipated at 5. No lacing. Clear orange gold ale. Full-face in goblet smell revealed slight yeastiness, nothing else. I get a sweet warmth to start finishing with a mildly medicinal flat finish. Nice carbonation with pinpoints, fun to watch. A decent beer if it's what's available, but don't need to rebuy.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 00:01:40 | More by PHSCAPT

depechemode1983

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Golden with a slight haze. Head is White and very foamy and with excellent retention. Lacing is splotchy but with plenty to go around.

S - Picking up semi sweet fruit and bread in the nose. Orange comes to mind along with some candy sugar. Bread comes in through the middle and takes it to the finish to give it a sorta dryness.

T -Malty tropical fruits. Ripe I might say. Pineapple, orange, apple, white grape, candy sugar and raisin bread. Alcohol is just barely present but gives it a bit of warmth.

M - Mouthfeel is pretty solid. It does down smooth with a nice slick feel. Carbonation is just right. No complaints.

O - Not a bad Triple at all. Better than an American version I can think of. At 8 dollars a 750 you cant beat it. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 06:20:27 | More by depechemode1983

bigflatsbeerman

New York

3.23/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

appearance: Classic look for a tripel, orange colored. Less than a half a finger head.
smell: I am picking up a boozey smell. I have a 750 ml bottle that clearly states it is 8.5% abv although the BA listing shows 9.5%.
taste: The boozey smell trascends into the taste, I'm dissappointed.
mouthfeel: medium
overall: I would not recommend this. I guess I have high expectations for a Begium Beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:09:01 | More by bigflatsbeerman

Canslammer

California

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

I felt like I was pouring Champagne, very bubbly. The creamy off white head dissipated in just the right amount of time. Has a nice smell, and taste. The only drawback is that I am going to have to drink the whole thing because it is a corked bottle. 750 ml at 9% abv. The alcohol content is barely noticeable and I didn't realize it was so high until I started typing this review...WHOA!

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 23:23:35 | More by Canslammer

smakawhat

Maryland

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

Off the pour there is a lot of snapping sounding carbonation, with a head that barely makes a finger, off white in color and falls slowly in a shampoo foamy appearance. Body has wonderful trails of white rising pinhead carbonation all around, it's like a pinwheel and my glass has stripes practically. Orange amber slightly cloudy body. If the head was better this would be amazing.

Fresh dry pear and juice on the nose, mixing with crisp dry malts. Muted sweetness and a wine like vinous sensation perhaps coming.

Taste is a mix of big yeast punch and apple. Very light and crisp bodied for a tripel in the mouthfeel, but also comes out a bit too wet and watery. Flattened juice box character to this. Luckily not too boozy either.

Overall it's not bad but it's a letdown from the nose entirely and doesn't have the malt density that I like for this style. Hints at crisp at white wine but doesn't quite get there either. The good news is as it warms up it gets a bit better and with a good candy sweetness to come through. This one takes time.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 22:42:44 | More by smakawhat

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into a chalice.

The beer has a bright yellow/gold see through body with a rush of bubbles and a sudsy white head.

Very fruity with banana, pear, and apple. It’s also got some pepper, earth, and bubblegum.

All the fruit and spice from the nose is here in it, but the spice seems a little more heavy-handed on the palate. The bubblegum was first noticed on the tongue before picking it up in the nose. It’s got a lively level of carbonation, medium mouth feel, and fairly dry.

I was totally surprised by this! It’s hard to go into a beer without any sort of expectation in todays world of ratings. I wasn’t blown away, but I loved the hell out of this thing. It’s a straight up no frills tripel but is put together so well. After Westmalle most tripels meld together for me. This might go the lead of that tight knit pack.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 05:38:18 | More by MattSweatshirt

RodneyFarva

Spain

4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into a snifter

a: pours a clear golden, two finger white head froths and bubbles, slowly dissipating to a thin film

s: white wine/champagne, yeast, Belgian sugars, pears, citrus, some grape and bubble gum as well.

t: light, tart, and crisp, grape and yeast, bubble gum and white sugar, high-champagne light carbonation and light mouthfeel.

o: a solid tripel. very smooth, lots of flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 18:40:17 | More by RodneyFarva

iSip

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Affligem Tripel, 22 oz. bomber: I got the chance to sample this highly rated triple over the weekend. The body is golden in color and as clear as you are careful keeping the sediment out of your pour. The head is average, and continuous carbonation replenishes it during the drinking experience. Very solid tripel aroma of Belgian yeast and champagne. Flavor was middle of the road, not outstanding or odd notes, just solidly where a tripel should be. Overall, a very good beer, but did not wow me as other tripels have. Maybe it was my mood that evening. That’s the tough part of reviewing beer, there are so many factors that influence the experience of having a beer. To be fair, beer reviews should be head to head comparisons rather than individual tastings.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 17:18:32 | More by iSip

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into signature chalice, bottled 6/27/2011. Pours slightly cloudy golden straw color with a 1 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice thin cap that lingers. Some decent lacing on the glass, with a good amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big lemon, pear, apricot, pepper, clove, banana, herbal, bubblegum, floral, orange, and yeast spices. Very nice, balanced, and complex aromas with good strength. Taste of big lemon, pear, apricot, grape, banana, clove, pepper, bubblegum, herbal, floral, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of apricot, lemon, banana, clove, pepper, bubblegum, herbal, and yeast spices on the finish for a while. Fantastic flavor balance with spiciness; with pretty much no cloying sweetness. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a slightly creamy and slick mouthfeel as expected for the style. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with hardly any warming present on the finish. Very smooth, but is still definitely a sipper at 9%. Overall this is a highly excellent Tripel! Fantastic flavor balance and complexity; and extremely smooth to sip on. Recommended for Tripel fans.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:11:57 | More by superspak

angusdegraosta

New York

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Affligem Tripel is a rich gold with nice head and not too much lacing. The fine particles of yeast take their time settling, if they settle at all. Crisp, peppery floral aroma. This is a spicy and sweet beer with noticeable alcohol. I can understand why people have tasted some apple and pear as well. Dense stuff, almost like a carbonated nectar, but that rounds out the strong flavors very nicely. Whether it is as good as a Trappist ale or La Fin du Monde I can't say right now. I'd need a side-by-side comparison. I think it represents its style well and is worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 20:52:45 | More by angusdegraosta

diamondc

Texas

4.53/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Huge floaties in this one.. medium gold color, a huge head on the initial pour, but dies down quickly. Some spotty lacing though.

S: Honeydew, floral, spring showers, red apples, a bit of a peppery kick, too. Excellent.

T: Fruity ... pear-like, cloves, nutmeg, alcohol really coming up front here, spicy hops. Very complex, big flavors. Wonderful.

M: A bit hot compared to other world class tripels, yet I don't really mind.

O: Great tripel, reminds me of Avery's Salvation. A definite must try.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 07:50:23 | More by diamondc