Trappist Tripel
Brouwerij Westmalle

Trappist TripelTrappist Tripel
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Brouwerij Westmalle
 
Belgium
Style:
Tripel
Ranked #3
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,255
Avg:
4.3 | pDev: 10%
Reviews:
1,893
Ratings:
4,985
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 19, 2024
Added:
Nov 06, 2000
Wants:
  496
Gots:
  1,010
Westmalle's Tripel is a clear, golden yellow Trappist beer of 9.5°. The slow brewing process and secondary fermentation in the bottle produce a complex beer, with a fruity scent of ripe banana and a beautiful, nuanced hop nose. The soft and creamy taste, with a bitter touch carried by the fruit aroma, has a lot of finesse and elegance. Enjoy the wonderfully long and dry aftertaste.

Beer connoisseurs sometimes call the Westmalle Tripel the “mother of all tripels”. That's because the first Tripel was ever brewed within our abbey walls in 1934.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ccrida:
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

4.62/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Poured from a 330ml bottle (two in a row in fact) into my 70s era Westmalle chalice, the Tripel is a cloudy golden orange with a light, white 2-finger head that fades fairly quickly to a persistent skim leaving only a bit of scattered bubbly lace. It is well carbonated, with active streamers lasting the whole glass. The wonderful color and chill haze make this very visually appealing, although I'd like a rockier, longer lasting head.
The aroma is moderate, pineapple and banana with a slight spicy hop backbone and assertive yet clean alcohol.
The taste is also very nice and follows the aroma, grainy, fruity and spicy, and thanks to the high attenuation not at all sweet or cloying. The finish is very dry and clean, only a tad bitter, with noticeable but not overwhelming booze that increases as it warms, though certainly no fusels.
The mouthfeel is light and lively, yet still creamy and rich, and beguiles it's high ABV - masterful.
The drinkability of this is through the roof. It taste great, has superb depth, and is very clean with little indication of it's kick. Luckily, it is priced high enough that those that buy it will be savoring.
Westmalle was the first Tripel (at least by the Trappists, Drie Lindin's Witkap Pater is probably the originator), and is the benchmark of the style for a reason. This a fantastic beer. It has a very romantic old world history, yet it's execution is clearly indicative of their modern brewery and scientific approach. It's just too difficult for me to try to discern favorite beer, but Westmalle's Tripel is certainly high on my list. If you have a chance to get this, do so, take your time and savor all that it has to offer. And of course, don't serve it too cold!!!
Mar 24, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.81 by MeIquiades from Illinois

Mar 19, 2024
Photo of moysauce
Rated by moysauce from Illinois

3.99/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Last had in 2022 I believe? Maybe 2023
Mar 06, 2024
Photo of walser
Reviewed by walser from New York

4.4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
From Wegmans in an 11.2oz bottle with expiry in 9 months. Poured hayzy hay colored into wine glass. Nose of banana w spritz of pineapple on top of hops and malt w crest of sugar. The alcohol is middle tongue and only shows if you go searching for it. Very gently made beer. Everything is very balanced and the ingredients seem fresh and unadulterated. Very very good. Hopefully a brewer in the US tripel craze copies the understatement of this. Thank you Trappists.
Mar 01, 2024
 
Rated: 4.4 by Miles_Nilges from New York

Feb 13, 2024
Photo of Mr_Brown
Reviewed by Mr_Brown from Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
hazy gold, thin foam
smell of apples, cider, sugars, some pines.
starts very dry for 9.5% alc, finishes with lingering sweetness.
Feels similar to cider or natural wine, hazy and dry, but with sweetness
O: a great triple, starts dry and finishes sweet. Lacks some funkiness in taste compared to triple karmeliet from Bosteels. Natural-wine-like feeling is what I love about it.
Feb 04, 2024
 
Rated: 4.49 by gongfu from Connecticut

Jan 31, 2024
 
Rated: 4.4 by Supper1

Jan 30, 2024
 
Rated: 4.39 by modal from Pennsylvania

Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 4.21 by Rodya-CA from California

Jan 26, 2024
Photo of UWDAWG
Reviewed by UWDAWG from Washington

4.13/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 330ml bottle with a bottled on date of 2-21-22 and a best by date of 2-21-24 into a teku glass at 52 degrees.

Look- Pale gold, moderately hazy, plentiful large visible particulate, white sudsy head, above average head retention, average lacing.

Smell- Ripe banana, floral, apple, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Ripe banana, apple, black pepper, clove, grassy malt character, mildly sweet, medium strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, highly creamy, mildly sweet, moderately dry finish.

Overall- Not a style that I tend to drink, but this beer is regarded as one of the best of it’s kind. I like to be introduced to new styles in this fashion so I can be assured I’m giving myself the best possible chance of properly assessing the style. That being said, this beer provided a new and interesting drinking experience that was pleasant and enjoyable.
Jan 19, 2024
 
Rated: 2.9 by SeanP99 from North Carolina

Jan 11, 2024
 
Photo of nasal
Reviewed by nasal from Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Hot, high abv flavor. Love it, but would need to try it side by side with my other favorite tripels to know if I prefer this funkier tripel over a sweeter tripel like Fin du Monde.
Dec 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by TrueMetalJake from Oregon

Dec 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Dec 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.85 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.44 by Happyyb from New Hampshire

Dec 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
Trappist Tripel from Brouwerij Westmalle
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 4985 ratings