Westmalle Trappist Tripel - Brouwerij Westmalle

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chewy yeast, and creaminess weight and barley malt. . Get the right glass. Balanced but alcohol is there. Carbonation, significant fruit and some spice. Complex aroma and taste.
Had a year later and really appreciated beautiful head and doughiness. Had a fresh bottle two years later and really noticed mouthfeel, pineapple ester.
Seven years later, and pineapple in a good Belgian yeast.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2004 03:57:32 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.4/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Coruscating gold with plumes of particulates so fine they nearly escape notice. The head is breathtaking in its magnificence. It's bright white, huge and hugely rocky. Scattered chunks of lace cling to the sides of the glass, although they could be more numerous. A second pour further animates the beer and breathes even more life into the beautiful crown of foam.

The nose is more spicy than fruity and falls just short of the bar set by the appearance. It's a little lacking in depth and breadth, but I'll reserve final judgment until more of the foam is gone. The aroma is of spiced pears and musky hops with an overlay of well-integrated alcohol.

Westmalle Trappist is an excellent tripel. While it's more boozy than most, that doesn't bother me a bit. The alcohol is so well-incorporated and such an integral part of the flavor profile that to lessen it would be to lessen the beer as a whole. Overall, I'd say it's less fruity and less sweet than most. The emphasis here is on spices (white pepper, cardamon, clove) and an almost arid dryness.

I prefer more candi sugar, but it's hard to argue with the bracing, snappy dryness. Westmalle Tripel isn't a training wheels tripel and it forces its drinker to appreciate it on its own terms or not at all. As expected, it opens up with warming and the various aspects of its personality become both better defined and more tightly interwoven. This is great beer.

The mouthfeel is medium-full. Like most Belgian beer, it feels lighter and more airy thanks to the abundant carbonation. The best word that I can think of to describe the mouthfeel is 'quality'. Less or more of anything wouldn't work nearly as well.

Westmalle Tripel is one of the best examples of the style that I've ever had, along with the outstanding De Dolle Dulle Teve. Even though it doesn't taste like what I've always thought was my preferred tripel profile (fruitier and sweeter), it's still more than impressive and is compulsively drinkable. Bottom line: this tripel is a home run.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2005 14:45:56 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Always around on nearly every shelf I see I decided to finally grab one and give it a proper try, after all, I have to. Poured into a which birch chalice and consumed on 08/13/2010.

The pour was a nice and cloudy golden yellow with a firm head of white perched on top for good measure. Settling quickly it left a decent amount of lace and a small puff on top.

Aroma is full of pears, apples, hints of light grasses and grains. Classic triple with a bit more fruit thrown in. Warming brings about alot more grassy notes and hints of light citrus which carry over well into the flavor. Smooth, loaded with light fruits that pop as it comes up near room temperature. Nice touches of light grains and a smooth, even feel hide the alcohol almost completely.

Overall not the best triple I have ever had, but it is very good. Very smooth and maybe one of the easiest to drink I have seen. Certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2010 03:40:56 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.2/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: The pour is a golden yellow color with an initially towering white head that eventually dies down to a finger's worth of foam.

S: Sweet malt and candi sugar come through initially with the yeast contributions following that. Pears, apples, and bananas provide some nice fruitiness.

T: The sugar component is quite strong and provides a great sweetness. Some banana bread sort of flavor along with a light bitterness.

M: The body is medium with a very full carbonation. Despite the sweetness of the beer, there's a nice dryness due to the carbonation.

D: I wish it tasted as good as it smelled, but still quite nice. One of the better tripels I've had.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2010 21:29:32 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy straw color with a nice white head and some pretty good lacing.

S: Nice yeasty spiciness atop some slightly-sweet malt character. A bit of alcohol.

T: Beautiful spicy character with plenty of powerful fruit coming through as well. Vague hop character in the background.

M: Nice and quite crisp. Excellent carbonation and feel overall.

D: The classic of the style, and something I'd always like to have a little bit of lying around.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2010 11:59:55 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pale straw-colored body topped with a profuse, foamy white head.

Smell: The aroma is marked by citrus, green apples tartness, and candy sugar. Slight hints of the alcohol content peek through in the nose.

Taste: All at once, it's sweet, citrusy, and spicy. Very much like a dry white wine. Wraps up with a rather pronounced alcohol finish full of yeasty notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body that is slightly watery with a fizzy cabonation.

Drinkability: A rather dispiriting experience. Sadly, this is one of my least favorite of the trappist beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2006 02:05:45 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey color with a fluffy white head that leaves plenty of soapy lacing around the sides of the glass

Smell: Extremely complex and each time I sniff I pick up different aromas - apricot, vanilla, balsa wood, barnyard funk, candy sugar, banana, and medicinal tones

Taste: Expecting the usual tripel profile, I was quite surprised not to pick up the sweet tones on the front of the palate; starts out very yeasty and bready with some unripe tropical fruit and green apple flavors that are quickly subsumed by bitter, medicinal aspect; the finish is quite unusual, with the bitterness dominating in a not unpleasant way

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and velvety, with plenty of carbonation

Drinkability: With its tannic sourness, this is not a beer I want to consume in quantity, but it is an interesting change of pace and would work well with sharp cheese

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2005 22:11:06 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best before 5/26/12.

Pours a murky light orange with a 3 inch foamy off-white head that settles to a craggy cap. Chunky streaks of foam line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of white grapes, green apples, citrus fruit, spices, and yeast aromas. Taste is of white grape juice, citrus zest, spices, and mild Belgian yeast. There is a mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a medium body and a crisp level of carbonation. Overall, this is a really good tripel and another great beer from Westmalle.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 04:18:15 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a hazy yellow/brown colored brew with a huge bubbly head with better then expected retention. Aroma is quite complex with some different spices that are quite hard to identify and no trace of that high level of ABV. Carbonation is great with an above average body but still lighter then expected, I also noticed a lot of less or sediment floating around. Taste is quite refreshing with again the mix of spice overshadowing the malts and hops. Overall, a very good tripel but still not enough to make this the best Trappist.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2004 18:28:41 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is among the best of the trappist. Looks peachy and coppery. Highly carbonated and formed a rocky and persitant foamstand that laced well and shows good legging. Smells very sweet of honey, fresh fruits and berries, spices, alcohol, and that unique belgian souring. Tastes malty and candy sweet. Powdered sugar and honey. Sweet fruits of pears, peaches, and raspberries. Spices of clove, corriander, all-spice, ginger and pepper. Sweet alcohol becomes a bit harsh and phenolic in flavor. Remains firm in body throughout the session. High, sweet alcohol combined with the carbonation becomes numbing and playful through the entire mouth. Finishes dry and hot, leaving mild tartness, sourness and lingering hop flavor (noble varieties). This is a very complex and well matured, handled beer. I'm sorry that I have passed this one up so many times previously.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2005 21:05:10 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep hazy golden color with a huge blooming head that leaves a masive amount of lacing,I get a large dose of grassy hopps in the aroma with a light spiciness.Flavor has a smoky quality along with a big dose of grassy hop finishing big and spicey.A beer full of flavor just what I was looking for very well done.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2004 00:51:40 | More by oberon

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.88/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

When many a brew are lauded for their boldness and brashness, it's wonderfully refreshing to sit down and savor a perfectly balanced product that soothes and mellows. Westmalle triple is just such a delightful ale.

Color is a hazy orange, and the head's a full, towering stack of crackling, lacey, creamy foam.

Aroma is led by sugar and spice, followed by everything nice.

On my first sip: sublime! Utterly heavenly! Light, smooth, uplifting, dazzling in every way.
Some fruitiness comes through in the middle, peaches, orange, slight citrus. Hops are lively, malt is solid, and delivers more than sufficient sweetness.
My satisfaction grows with each rewarding sip. I feel that I ought to re-consider every beer I deemed "perfect" prior to this. Soft, smooth, mellow, with a dominant and delightful finish.

Can a beer be better than this, be more perfect than perfect?
.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2003 13:38:54 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a pale gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades. The aroma is good. It has a pale malt scent with the addition of spices and that fruity Belgian yeast. It seems a bit dry. The taste is good. It has an intense amount of malts and a warm aftertaste. It goes down smooth and finishes dry and with a fruity Belgian yeast flavor. It has wonderful mouthfeel. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a fine tripel. It has excellent aroma and flavor; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2004 02:08:22 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an Orval goblet. Beer is yellow, dark, and hazy Forms a head of medium and small bubbles that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. Carbonation steady and moderate. Looks fine.

Aroma is a little odd. I hope this isn't skunked. Some yeast, some spice, some sulfur.

Medium body, lots of carbonation in the mouth, slightly bitter at the end, nice yeast character, pepper and spice in the midpalate. Second taste, drinkability is high, this beer is definitely not skunked. Its drinks nice, finishes slightly dry, overall a great tripel.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 04:42:59 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.47/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a hazy golden color with a white head. The aroma is fruity. I get a lot of orange and lemon notes as well as some floral notes. There is some grass from the hops as well as some Belgian yeast and a little bit of candy sugar. The flavor is heavy on the yeast and orange citrus notes. I also get some sweetness from the candy sugar and a little bit of pepper and coriander. There is a little bit of alcohol detectable. The beer is very easy to drink. Thin to medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A world classic.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 02:05:23 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.47/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured into a chalice. It had an orange/pumpkin color. Nice 3-finger head. it left very nice lacing.

S - It smelled of citrus, yeast and alcohol.

T - The taste was an intersting mix of citrus and mild spiciness. The alcohol taste really came through as it warmed up.

M - It was fairly crisp and medium-bodied.

D - Another great tripel from Belgium. It is one that I will pick up again and again.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2006 20:29:28 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.15/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: It poured hazy golden yellow into a snifter glass with a huge, foamy white head. There's a medium level of carbonation and a good amount of head retention.
S: Aromas of alcohol are present in the nose, along with smells of spices and yeast.
T: The taste is very complex, well balanced and includes some bitterness from the hops, sweetness in the form of candi sugars, yeastiness, and spices.
M: The beer feels medium-bodied on the palate and rather strong. The finish feels both dry and sweet and the carbonation lends a good degree of smoothness.
D: This beer is a definite sipper (but in a good way).

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 01:24:15 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My buddy Seth brought back some trappist brews he picked up in Belgium. Not sure if there's any difference in these vs. what we get in the US. Served in my Darkness goblet. Best before 04/09/10 - so this already a few years old.

A - Three fingers of egg-white foam, which is ridiculous in a goblet. Great retention and beautiful lacing. Opaque orange-peach color with plentiful bubbles lazily rising to the top.

S - Bread, white wine, lemon citrus, yeast, spices and pepper, a touch of musty funk - there's almost a wheat beer quality to this with the strong coriander smell. There's some also caramel maltiness in the background. Solid tripel smell.

T - The taste is less interesting than the smell - actually kind of disappointing. Lots of pepper, lemon, and yeast, and some hints of sweet fruits. Again, there are some elements of wheat beer. No hint of the 9.5% listed on the bottle.

M - Creamy, medium body, solid carbonation. Nice slightly sticky and warming residue. Very satisfying in this regard.

D - One bottle is pretty easy drinking, but the carbonation and ABV would stop me before I got through two of these.

I'm finding I prefer quads to tripels by quite a significant margin.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2009 04:19:09 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A 750ml bottle with a synthetic cork. Pours a hazy gold color and is topped by a frothy two-finger thick pale tan colored head. The aroma is quite yeasty, despite the beer resting unsettled for two weeks in my beer fridge. There is also lots of spicy yeast driven notes with pepper, ginger and lemon being most notable. As I get used to the aroma some fruit notes begin to pick up, with notes of green apple and tart pear being evident. The green apple note really becomes quite apparent after a bit.

The beer is full and peppery after my first sip. The beer almost has a creamy consistency and the spice notes give it a piquant sharpness that I like in a good Tripel. The spiciness hold throughout the taste profile of this beer, finishing with a sharp ginger like note at the end. This has a fairly full body to it, yet still remains quite dry on the palate, mainly I think because of the yeasty spiciness. As I mentioned this tastes quite yeasty as well, it gives it a sharp yeast bite to it. The beer has a light tartness to it that plays up the fruity aspects of the beer; mostly I get notes of green apple but there are notes of pear and a bit of tart plum as well, it also plays up the ginger note that is found in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2005 04:32:26 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.43/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an 11.2oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright gold color with a large foamy white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts, Belgian yeast, banana, citrus, some hops and spice.

T: The taste is excellently balanced with flavors of Belgian yeast, banana, lemon, spice and pale hops. The malt character is a little on the thin side, but it's not as if you need it to be any heavier in this case. The after-taste is a little bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, very clean finish.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not very filling, great representation of style.

There are two quick personal stories I think I need to relate regarding this beer. The first is that when I bought this beer I was afraid it may be past its prime and questioned the date on the bottle (http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/903581) because the same store might occasionally try to sell a less-than-fresh bottle to you by placing a red, clearance price tag on it. Some fellow BA's at the time helped me realize that the date was "best before 5/18/08" and that the beer would be fine and I thank them for that. The second story (which happened before story #1) is that two people whose opinions of beer I deeply respect tried this beer at the same exact time with their backs turned to each other so each wouldn't see the reaction of the other. When they turned around, both of them had shocked looks on their faces and were amazed at how great the beer tasted. While I may not like the beer as much as they did, I can certainly see why they were so amazed.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2007 04:43:04 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured out as a muddy yellow color with a decent white head on it. The lacing is scattered and doesn't really stick to the glass all that well. The foam does stay on top of the beer though. The smell of the beer had a Belgian yeast aroma followed but some spices on the nose. The taste of the beer was smooth and a little floral. The spices dance on the tongue in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is very drinkable. Overall this Trappist is quite good and doesn't really fail anywhere. It's enjoyable and well worth the time to try it.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 22:52:47 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750 ml bottle with ths code on the neck: 09/05/07 think it means sept 07?? If not this will only get better!

Pours honey colored & effervescent with 3 fingers of fluffy white head. Nice filmy head with some lacing all the way down

S: Slight appleskins with fruitty scents up front, these intensify as the ale warms

T: Rich fruitty ( apples, pears, lemons & others) taste up front. The yeasty notes & honey sweetness as the ale warms. This kind of reminds me of cider, perry or sparkling wine as it warms in many ways. Finishes with fruittyness, warming sensations, &grapefruitty hops

MF: Spritzy, perfect carbonation& balance

Very drinkable. a supper tripel (usually not my style). A bit pricey, but a nice holiday indulgence, easily sets the pace for this style

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2006 06:29:16 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle, bought from BevMo Huntington Beach, bottle date 7/6/07,

A: Pours a light burnt orange, with a full, fluffy white balloon of a head, which has good retention and leaves great lacing.

S: Quite complex - orange, lemon, pepper, coriander, bubblegum esters, mint.

T: Great tasting tripel. Orange and lemon definitely come in on the first sip, bready malt, a bit of sourdough bread, with spicy, earthy and dry hop bitterness in the finish.

M: Light, spritzy, very dry, high carbonation, a beer that really hides the alcohol.

D: A complex beer, more of a sipper than a drinking beer, the standard of the style was no letdown, better than Chimay's Cinq Cents, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2008 02:34:09 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a gold color with a thin head that remained through the drink. Some lacing developed. Some light sediment. The aroma is malt, grass, and some yeast. The flavor is super, as the sweetness of the malt is nicely balanced with yeast, citrus, apples, and alcohol.

The mouthfeel is clean and crisp. Strong carbonation. The flavors ride the tongue well after swallowing. Awesome brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2004 13:42:14 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured into Westmalle chalice:

Pours golden with a one-finger creamy head that descends to a lasting cover.

The smell is of herbal spiciness, especially sage, and orange peel. Saaz grassiness in the back.

The taste is of grassy herbs (again, esp. sage) with orange and lemon fruitiness. The sweet malt and spicy yeast interact very well with Saaz hops giving it a balancing bitterness in the back. Wonderful balance. Earthy spiciness gives it a nice kick, though smooth, as does the touch of peppery, warming alcohol. Dreamy. Long, dry finish.

The body is full, rich and creamy.

Powerful, but drinkable..., well sippable. After finishing the small bottle I was looking for more, though it was enough for a wonderful night-cap. One of Belgium's great contributions to mankind.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2007 03:07:24 | More by jwc215