Watou Tripel - Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle poured into a Unibroue chalice.

A: golden in color with a mild haze. Four fingers of rocky white head retains very well. Thick clumps of lacing cling to the glass in jagged patterns.

S: Very fruit-forward with perfumey scents of pear and apple blossom. Quick, sharp whiffs of clove and spice. White pepper and church incense. Faint grassy hops. Honeyed dough and grain.

T: Honeyed dough and golden malts. Bready. Yeast takes the mid palate with tastes of chalk, clove, pepper, and spices. Very floral quality with apple blossoms coming across quite strongly. Pear. Mild grassy, herbal hop. Dries significantly into the finish and ends abruptly with dry grain, cracker, and faint yeast.

M: Medium bodied. Sits a little more heavily in the mouth than I'd like. Almost a bit sludgy. Small bubbled, biting carbonation picks it up just enough. Creamy.

O: It's a little sweeter than I'd normally like a tripel to be, and almost feels a little half-baked. Not quite as complex as other examples of the style, and not quite as drinkable. Still more than worthy of a drink though.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 06:19:31 | More by ryan1788a5

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-21-2013 17:13:10 | More by Slatetank

JoshFrierson86

Arkansas

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-17-2013 00:53:50 | More by JoshFrierson86

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-10-2013 16:11:36 | More by twenty5

jdawg80

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-10-2013 14:08:10 | More by jdawg80

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-05-2013 22:59:24 | More by ejimhof

Elbrownbag

Netherlands

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

04-01-2013 19:51:16 | More by Elbrownbag

bacasnax

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%

03-31-2013 01:30:35 | More by bacasnax

schoon

Iowa

4/5  rDev -1.5%

03-30-2013 22:42:31 | More by schoon

harpus

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

03-26-2013 20:34:23 | More by harpus

timothybarney

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

03-21-2013 00:40:46 | More by timothybarney

alelover

Michigan

4/5  rDev -1.5%

03-13-2013 19:02:58 | More by alelover

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

03-11-2013 04:40:13 | More by spycow

GreenMountainBoy

Vermont

4/5  rDev -1.5%

03-10-2013 01:46:17 | More by GreenMountainBoy

Proteios7

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +17%

02-25-2013 01:08:10 | More by Proteios7

justinm4bama

Alabama

4.75/5  rDev +17%

02-10-2013 04:58:36 | More by justinm4bama

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

02-05-2013 18:42:52 | More by DmanGTR

Beer21

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%

02-04-2013 05:20:44 | More by Beer21

KillaB

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

01-29-2013 05:49:46 | More by KillaB

mrosenfeld32

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%

01-26-2013 01:03:05 | More by mrosenfeld32

safaricook

Netherlands

4/5  rDev -1.5%

01-25-2013 21:05:33 | More by safaricook

spoony

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 330 ml bottle (dated February 13, 2015) into a tulip.

A-A timid pour produces a huge, dense, shiny, white head of foam. The head leaves some decent-sized chunks on the glass as I drink it down. The brew is mostly clear (left the sediment in the bottle) and is orange-tinted gold in color. A fair amount of carbonation is visible.

S-I smell something I can only describe as "juice box" up front...kind of a sweet, fruity note, but non-descript. As the brew warmed, I detected mild banana/clove notes from the yeast and a lightly sharp, peppery, grassy note.

T-The taste tracked the smell with less juice box to be found. The brew provides some sweet, tropical banana, along with slightly floral, grassy flavors. Subtle.

M-The feel is nice and creamy with a slick finish. Medium body.

O-This is a fine Belgian tripel. The appearance is what other tripels should strive for and the mouthfeel matches the flavor nicely. It has that subtlety in flavor that many American brewers should take note of, but it lacks the complexity and spice shown in the best variants of this style (its Bernardus cousin, for example).

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 04:29:43 | More by spoony

rangerred

Tennessee

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

330ml bottle into a goblet.

Pours a slightly hazy medium orange with a half finger fluffy white head. Excellent head retention with just a little bit of lacing on the sides of the glass.

There is really a whole lot going on in the aroma. Lots of Belgian spicyness along with some peach and orange. marmalade. Strong notes of caramel candy and lightly toasted bread. More earthy than I was expecting.

The flavor doesn't seem quite as complex as the aroma but it is still quite enjoyable. Bread mixed with peaches and orange throughout with a lot of banana and clove up front. Hops are nearly non-existent which is appropriate. Some caramel sweetness but it is restrained with a somewhat drying finish bringing up the end. No hint of alcohol whatsoever.

Overall, a really good tripel with quite a bit going on. I really love the number of nuances in the aroma and flavor. This is a really interesting as well as refreshing beer to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 02:10:08 | More by rangerred

leedorham

Washington

4/5  rDev -1.5%

01-21-2013 16:32:21 | More by leedorham

uturn

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

01-16-2013 02:01:39 | More by uturn