Kasteel Triple - Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

zeff80

Missouri

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

On tap at 44 Stone in Columbia, MO.

A - Poured out a hazy, golden yellow color with a one-finger, khaki colored head of bubbly foam. It left thin rings of sudsy lace on the glass.

S - It smelled fruity and yeasty with some bready notes.

T - Spicy and yeasty with some sweet bread crust flavor. Nice fruity bite added a crispness to the beer.

M - It was sharp and well-carbonated. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a pretty good tripel. Kasteel makes pretty good beers.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2012 00:55:56 | More by zeff80

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured golden yellow with a three finger white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, grain, sugar, fruit, banana, spice, and wheat. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, sugar, alcohol, grain, banana, and spice. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. Upon first inspection of the aroma on this one it was pretty close to what one would expect from the style as far as the notes given off throughout. Once I took the first sip I was really off-put by the alcohol note going on in this one as it was very distracting from the other flavors going on in this one. There was a nice representation of the style going on despite this fact, but the alcohol just dulled it down for me personally. Worth trying if you get the chance especially on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2012 18:27:58 | More by thagr81us

ficknish

California

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Beautiful light golden. Very clear with light head.

S - Citrus. Lemons. Bananas. Slight sweets and spices.

T - Sweet fruity citrus. Strong banana. Floral hops and clove spices. Alcohol.

M - Very bubbly and fun. Quite tingly.

O - A lovely beer. Very clean and sweet. Good spices. Strong alcohol flavor, but no heat. Would drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2011 22:26:12 | More by ficknish

jayhawk73

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Churchkey:

Pours a golden yellow color w/ a nice one finger white head. Super transparent- this could almost pass for a lighter beer in appearance. Nose is that of apple, honey, grape, grain. Somewhat sweet on the smell. Taste is pretty similar to the nose, with fruit sweetness and malt really coming through. Feel is medium, with sweetness, malt, and alcohol burn all competing for the top character. Overall, this is a good tripel, just not a great one. The good news is that it's priced well, and readily available around Washington DC. A good solid beer, and one I'm glad I tried on draft.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2011 00:22:26 | More by jayhawk73

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 5/27/2011 at track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains fruit, light caramelized malts, some Belgian yeast and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of apples, caramel, bananas and a bit of spice. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy, however I do not taste much as far as the Belgian yeast goes. The hops presence is very mild but complementary. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, deceptively strong kick, decent representation of style, it’s not the first Tripels I would select but it’s still a decent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2011 15:54:23 | More by TheManiacalOne

atsprings

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a tulip glass a slightly murky pale orange with a thin diminishing head. Aroma is tart lemon and sweet fruits with a hint of spice. The taste is a nice amount of sweet fruits with a great spice kick of coriander and pepper. The beer is medium bodied with just slight alcohol presence. This is a great draft Belgian beer, I'd love to see it on-tap more often.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2010 17:36:26 | More by atsprings

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Kasteel chalice, a lighter color with a white head that disapated quite quickly. It has the aroma of alcohol and sweetness. It tastes just the same, huge alcohol presence and a candied sugar burn. It is a nice beer, but it is a bit too big and sweet for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2010 20:23:45 | More by OWSLEY069

ToasterChef

Maine

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from my notes. The beer has a translucent golden yellow appearance. There is a thin ring of white soap bubbles on top of the beer. After swirling the beer around the glass, it deposits a good foamy film. As the amount of beer in my glass got lower, I noticed that looking straight down through the beer, it was clear; it was only transparent when viewed through the sides of the glass. It has a lemon citrus aroma, with a bit of musty yeast. The taste has some flavors of Belgian yeast, crisp lemon citrus, and both crystal and candy sugars. There is some hops present in the aftertaste. It has a medium body and plenty of carbonation that makes it feel a bit peppery. There is a little bit of mouthcoating, but not as much as the ABV lead me to expect. It's a crisp beer, but the sweetness and strength would make me limit myself to one pour.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2010 16:06:35 | More by ToasterChef

GRG1313

California

3.6/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark amber with almost a brown tint with a short offwhite head.

Nose of big Belgian fruit - peaches, stone fruit, ripe pears and ripe bananas.

Mouthfeel is big and rich and well balanced.

Flavors follow the nose with rich assertive flavors of big carmel, raisins, pears, stone fruit and bananas.

Finish is big malty fruit. Nice if you like a big malty brew.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2010 11:32:42 | More by GRG1313

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Off the tap.

Pours a hazy golden yellow. Thick head that hangs for a while.

Smells of fresh malty grains and maybe a little tart.

The taste is comparable, a bit of citrus sweetness with malty body. The alcohol comes through, mostly on the aftertaste.

Feels sharp, good carbonation. Otherwise dry and easy going.

This is a big beer. Good drinkability, but not sustained drinkability. Pretty dry. A pretty good Belgian trippel worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2009 23:53:17 | More by Cylinsier

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's the other day.

The beer pours a bright gold color with fairly good head retention and very good lacing. The beer smells very good, and I get an aroma of honey, ranier cherry and fuji apple. There is also some underlying spice, but it's dominated by the honey and sweet fruit flavors. The flavors on the palate completly replicate the nose, and the beer is smooth and satisfying. Alcohol is very well disguised, so one needs to be careful with this stuff. My 10 ounce goblet was gone entirely too quickly.

Impressive beer from Kasteel.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2008 13:36:33 | More by johnmichaelsen

edbeered

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap at the Belgian Beer Fest at the Muddy Pig in St Paul on 9/14 and again on draft on 9/17(leftovers, woo-hoo!), this pours a hazy golden color, with a small white head that quickly dissipates, leaving a fine white lace on the glass. The smell is fruity and citrussy. The taste, oh the taste! To me, this was the best tasting Tripel at the Fest, and there were a bunch of them(including Gouden Carolous, St Bernardus, St Feullian, Val Dieu, La Rulles, and Des Rocs, as well as some domestic versions). The flavors I tasted included banana, cherry, a brandy-like alcohol flavor, a slight citrussy lemon/orange flavor, a sweet caramel/honey flavor, and a light crispness I found irresistable. The disparate flavors blended into an outstanding whole. The mouthfeel is light yet full-flavored. This is a fantastic beer, and one I will continue to enjoy until it's gone(hopefully, not for a while!).

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2008 01:19:10 | More by edbeered

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

3.61/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance: Hazy golden. Big foamy Tripel head. Attractive enough, nothing outstanding.
smell: No denying it's a Tripel. Some yeast, some fruit (a faint apple cider smell comes through. Again, a nice Triple, though nothing to distinguish it so far.
taste: Much like the nose. A nice fruity apple cider note in the finish, but mostly good enough, nothing great.
overall: Nice Tripel. Glad I tried it. Not wowed.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 23:24:16 | More by cindyjeffsmith

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.28/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

750ml bottle, best before 2015

A- Dark golden, light orange or something in between. Frothy white head that totally disappears in the span of a couple of seconds, no lacing either

S- Sweet aroma as to be expected. Caramel malts and a slight fruitiness among a yeasty feel, slight alcohol whiff. Quite weak

T- Luckily a little brighter than what the smell promised. Sweet malts upfront, notes of honey and caramel. Alcohol is very much present, bringing a warming feel and a touch of estery spiciness. Slight herbal finish with a touch of bitterness. Decent but far from the complexity that you can taste in most belgian tripels

M- Quite light body for the style, expecially low on the carbonation side. Overall quite easy to drink. Alcohol brings a warming feel but gets too much in the way as the beer warms

O- This bottle had no or signs of infection or major issues, so i'm reviewing the beer for what i had, which was still decently enjoyable, but mediocre and lacking complexity. It seemed to me like they were trying to bolster things up by just raising ABV

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 18:17:10 | More by Cozzatoad

metter98

New York

3.81/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that gradually died down, leaving a wide collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of sweet malts and fruity yeasts are present in the nose along with some hints of alcohol and spices.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has honey-like flavors of malts along with notes of peppery spices. There is some sweetness from the malts and candi sugars but this is mostly balanced off by a light amount of bitterness and notes of alcohol.
M: It feels medium-bodied and slightly smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. Some hints of warming from the alcohol are perceptible.
O: There's no mistaking the strength of this beer given the notes of alcohol in the taste but it is a nice beer to sip and a good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 18:59:17 | More by metter98

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 2012/01/10. 750ml bottle split into two different Belgian goblets.

Pours with decent clarity, boasting a honey tangerine-gold color. The head is a little disappointing. Really fizzy bubbles expelled themselves almost at the speed of gravity.

White bread, banana, green peppercorn, alcohol, coriander, wheat, and clove. Pretty big in the nose. Not as brash as I had remembered, but the aroma is unmistakable even from a distance.

Strong and spicy. Lots of peppery spice and coriander. Clove is here, too. It's the spiciness of the yeast and the booze that kill back the huge crusty bread notes from the aroma. Even the fruitiness of the banana and pear and light bubblegum get lost in the bitter and dusty yeast and 11% ABV. Tastes like it was meant to be a 'big balls' kind of beer, but I have to knock it for imbalance. The flavor is good, if not impressive. I just wish there was more fruitiness (not necessarily sweetness) to balance.

Very hot in the gut. Slightly burning in the back of the throat, too. Body is supple. Carbonation speaks for itself--a high note for Kasteel Tripel.

A beer I used to love, but my palate has changed and I have tasted so many epic tripels now. One of the first of the style I ever enjoyed. That was a younger me. This beer actually exceeded my expectations; perhaps, I feared the booziness of the big bottle and refrained from revisiting it over the past few years. It's been at least that long since I've last had one. And, guess what, I'd go after another one sooner than later. I guess it just still sticks with me.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 03:25:22 | More by thecheapies

DylanK

Kansas

4.23/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured in a chalice. Mild carbonation gives way to a bit of lacing. Color is comparable to somewhat cloudy bourbon.

S: Pleasant, with a nasal-passage opening hint of ethanol from this 11% ABV trippel. Not a seasoned reviewer yet and I am having difficulty detecting specific notes.

T: There is a decent alcoholic bite to this brew, but a mild bitterness gives way to a refreshing sweetness.

M: Thin, light with little carbonation once it hits your tongue.

Overall, I'm pleased. I would definitely drink it again!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 21:59:26 | More by DylanK

Halcyondays

California

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Apparently my review got sent into the 7% Blond category, there was some confusion when I initially wrote this; this is a review from 5/1/10, the triple, moving it to the proper spot -

11.2 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a dark gold/amber with a mild white head, no real lace.

S: Cake batter, baked pears.

T: Sweet pilsner malt and Belgian candy sugar. Nice pear and banana esters too. A tad boozy at 11%, but it works wonders with the flavours, everything is integrated.

M: A tad overcarbonated, but a nice full body, smooth.

D: A delicious tripel with a modicum of ethanol power. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 07:06:06 | More by Halcyondays

JimTeal

Nevada

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pretty much by the book tripel. It looks and tastes good, but it does not excite. At 11%ABV it should have some kick in the rear besides alcohol. Compared to Belgians it is an also ran, good but not great and certainly short on body, head, flavor and smell. For my money I'd invest a few cents more and buy a better experience than this rather bland offering from Van Honsebrouck.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 23:41:07 | More by JimTeal

NielZ

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle at home.

Nice head that comes up 'professional', doesnt disappear that quick.
A good looking golden color to.

The beer is a full-bodied one, wich is detailled with a nice mix of freshness and dryness.
It tastes like a real special beer.

The mouth feeling is very nice its sparkling in your mouth, it warms up your mouth.

The first taste is a fresh taste with hints to fruit (banana's & some melon) , grain and minth.
To fast after the first taste there comes up an alcohol taste, which is very warming.
The taste is a bit dry and got hints to pepper, coffee, caramel and honey.
Alchohol taste isnt that noticeable.

Overall the beer is a nice mix of freshness and dryness, however the fruit taste doesnt last that long and gets way to quicky overwhelmed by the dry tast..

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 21:40:13 | More by NielZ

Thickfreakness

New York

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a crystal clear honey yellow into my Bruery tulip. A fluffy three finger head sizzles atop this golden delight... but fades away really quickly. Just some touches of lacing stick around and hang on. Really lively carbonation.

S- Banana, black peppercorns, dried apricots, honey, pear, thyme, sage, over ripe apples... and a huge amount of alcohol. It opens up a little bit as it warms up, but the alcohol really strips away and hides alot of the fruit lying beneath.

T- Honey, crispy-sour green apple, Asian pear, touches of banana yeastiness, spicy green and black peppercorns. Has some nice floral/herbacious notes laying underneath. The alcohol really eats up almost everything else, but I kind of expected that when I saw that it's an 11% Belgian Triple... DUH!!!

M- Spicy/Sweet/Alcoholic... sneaky hints of citrus that never really poke their heads up. Peppery, apricot/honey, tangy apple... and BOOZE! Some distant funk settles on your tongue if you don't sip it for a while.

O- Nice crispiness, fruit flavors really open up at near room temp. Alot of alcohol in both the nose and taste... again...11%. I think I'll start this at room temp the next time I open one. This is to Triples... what Devil Dancer is to IIPA's. This will forever be in my rotation! I love high octane brews on occasion.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 22:04:08 | More by Thickfreakness

RickS95

Indiana

3.08/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottled on 090303

Pours a hazy, deep golden straw color with some light shades of orange to give it a slightly darker look. The head is nondescript and fleeting, eventually leaving a white ring up top.

Pepper is dominant in the nose. Belgian yeast is present, but only barely. Some grape or pear is also there.

Taste follows the lead of the nose in that pepper, yeast and some fruits are there, but everything is muted because of the pepper spice and the alcohol.

The pepper is abundant, overly so, and combined with the heat from the alcohol, it really hammers the palate. After just a couple sips, my lips are still hot. The carbonation doesn't help tame anything.

It's a very manly beer, and not everyone is going to like it. It's not something I want to dry again for a long time as there are plenty of other triples out there to try.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 04:05:44 | More by RickS95

Douberd

Netherlands

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle of 330 ml at home. Poured a deep golden yellow coloured beer with a big soapy head of two and a half fingers. The head quickly became just a line on the surface of the beer. Minimal activity in the glass.
Aroma of fruits, mostly bananas, and yeast. Also light aroma of the high alcohol but not irritating.
Sweet taste, strong alcohol but on the tip of the tongue but after that goes down easily and alcohol is only just a bit traceable. Last part of the sip is also fruity.
Thick on the body but only average. Carbonation is also average.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 18:50:28 | More by Douberd

Glibber

Idaho

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Light straw calor with a rather solid white head- poured agressively out of a corked bottle. Smell of yeast and some light lemon citrus. Drinks easily, I felt the alcohol was very well concealed, nice carbination and relatively sweet on the front end, with a short bourbon alcohol burst, but a bread, slightly floral back end with very little lingering alcohol.
Actually a good value for $8.50. Not as complex as I prefer, nor the dark fruit undertones I love, but very Farmhouse Ale that tastes like 7%ABV- but it is actually 11%.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 04:12:29 | More by Glibber

tronester

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light golden in color with a thin white head. Smells lightly of apples. Taste is a sweet caramel finishing with some ethanol. Mouthfeel is rich, low carbonation. Overall a good triple. However it is a bit higher in alcohol than I typically like.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 00:57:27 | More by tronester