St. Bernardus Tripel - Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV

TripelJ

Florida

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

Now Quaffing: St. Bernardus Tripel

Presentation: 750ml corked bottle with what I believe to be a silk screened logo of a happy monk raising his glass.

I have been waiting a long time to try the tripel brew from St. Bernardus. Pours a pale yellow with a nice big creamy head. I opted to pour some of the sediment from the bottle which clouded the beer to an opaque apricot. Smell is sweet and spicy with noticable alcohol in the nose. The taste is very smooth and balanced and that is probably the highlight of this beer. Perfect balance of malts and hops in the backend with just the right amount of spice (corriander for sure). The yeast adds a bready dimension to the flavor and makes for a fuller body and mouthfeel.

Overall: This beer reminds me of why I chose the name, Tripel J. Perfect example of the style. Smooth and subtle and dangerously drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2003 01:57:32 | More by TripelJ

JohnnyDuvel

Florida

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Excellent tripel, in the style of Chimay Cinq Cents. Yeasy, relatively full-bodied. Decent sized head, some retention. Not much lacing. Fruity and somewhat spicey, much like Chimay or Westmalle (but not as lively as the latter). Overall, as good as most of the best tripels, but not as good as Westmalle, my favorite (and the original) of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2003 04:25:44 | More by JohnnyDuvel

Jon

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

St. Bernardus Tripel pours a hazy apricot color with a bubbly, creamy off-white head. Rings of lace appear as the beer disappears down the chalice. The bouquet of yeast, spices, fruity esters, hops and must is most pleasing. The flavors are quite diverse, as well. Notes of yeast, sweet malt, mild citrus, spicy hops, minor alcohol and apricot are detected. This is a very tasty brew. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with mild carbonation. This beer possesses a great drinkability and is very well crafted. It's easy to see why the monk on the label is so jubilant --- this is a hedonistic brew!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2003 20:03:14 | More by Jon

aaronh

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy orange beer poured with a huge, fluffy off white head. Head retention is amazing. Little trails of carbonation can be seen tracing up the sides of my goblet. The aroma is a powerful fruity mix of bananas and orange, with clove accents. Bready malt and yeast notes are also present along with some peppery hops. The taste is really nice as well, with complex malt and hop flavors intermingling, with dashes of alcohol and yeast. A decent citrus note steps in ocassionally. Very bitter finish that is also extremely dry. Not much sweetness at all in this one, actually. Dry up front and a dry finish. Maybe a slight fruity sweetness in the mid taste. I was expecting to savor this beer for a while, but it goes down very easily. Nice solid mouthfeel is a little spritzy from the very fine carbonation. The only thing holding back the drinkability is the ABV, as it is slightly noticeable on the palate. This is a very fine triple that I especially like because it leans toward the dry side and doesn't get too sweet. More like an Abbey IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2003 22:17:54 | More by aaronh

SheepNutz

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

11.2oz. bottle poured into a tulip-style glass (that I broke while washing after drinking this one, RIP). It pours a hazy orange-yellow with 2 fluffy fingers of foam. There is no lacing on this one. The smell is a sweet citrus aroma, lemon and orange. A little bit of spice to the smell also. The taste is very sweet with more fruit coming out, and a hint of cinnamon. A light touch of yeast and alcohol in there as well. The mouthfeel is very full and just dances all over the tongue. For 7.5%, this is one is very drinkable tripel as well.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2003 15:27:36 | More by SheepNutz

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: perfectly opaque orangey color, with a fine, white head atop.

Aroma: full of soft spices, orange peel, lemon rind, spicy, citrusy, yeasty, full, magnificent.

Taste: excellent entry on the tongue & palate, beautiful, yeasty, rich and fruity.
Soft, yet earthy, hoppy, full-bodies, and delicious.
An excellent tripel, for the sugary aspect was much more subdued than other offerings which misinterpreted, perhaps, the portions of the sweetness in the style.

Seemed nothing more, or less, than perfect, without being mindblowing.
Very, very worthwhile brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2003 02:07:21 | More by feloniousmonk

taez555

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured a cloudy yellowish/brown body. The head was a fine opaque white with rather large bubbles that once it died down formed a beautiful wave like layer of what could only be described as cloud like.

The smell took me by surprise. As soon as it poured it I could smell this huge hit of bananna like sweetness. Upon further investigation it revealed some other yeast and spice smells.

The initial taste was just as impressive. Very sweet. A lot of fruit. Banannas, dark plum, golden raisons. The hops sat just right in the mix. Bitter but never overpowering, along with some soft earth tones from the hops. What was really interesting was the hints at some darker malts. For such a light colored beer it had a lot of hints at some much darker more bitter roasty malts. Of course they all balanced well against the sweet fruit and finished with a warm alcohol and some soft bitterness.

Overall this beer is a great find. Maybe not quite your quintessential triple, but a very drinkable beer with some great up front fruit. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2003 02:22:37 | More by taez555

jcalabre

California

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Originally sampled on 29 October 2002. St. Bernardus Tripel pours a golden brown color, and has a large, tightly bubbled head w/ champagne effervescence. It's flavor is fruity up front w/ a sweet finish. I found this beer to be quite enjoyable and will have it again

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2003 20:59:37 | More by jcalabre

cokes

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Murk-filled goldenrod. Compacted, yet everlasting white froth sits on top.
Juicy nose of pineapple, apple and mangoes, mixed with chalk, must and black pepper.
A back-and-forth battle between the spicy yeast and tropical fruit. The fruit wins in overtime. Cushioned pinapple and papaya enter first, followed by a McIntosh apple crispness. Some peachy hues too. Never overly sweet or cloyingly sugary, just drifting sensations of ripeness. Cookie dough batter maltiness goes one-on-one with a sub-farmy yeast and eruptions of black pepper. Ghosts of vanilla and banana emerge. Hopping is mostly absent from the fracas, but adds a underlying rose petal suggestion that enhances the subtle white rum alcoholic finish.
Hefty for a tripel, yet soft and pillowy. Leads itself to an airy and fluffy and almost creamy texture.
A 750mL of this would be greatly appreciated. And then another...and then...
Excellent stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2003 10:44:11 | More by cokes

nomad

Kansas

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a soft orange-gold, with lots of streaming carbonation, a fair foamy head, and no lace. A bit murky looking...

Smelled of sharp sour wheat, sweet malt, and some faint fruit and vinuous scents as it opened. It tasted of a firm malt underneath a feathery light gold body. The yeast lended a french bread flavor that blanketed all else with blandness. Had a very dry finish and a tangy hops flavor. Not as subtle or bright as many tripels.

A soft mouthfeel, and fairly easy to drink, this beer came off as being not as regal and stellar as the style traditionally is. Tripels are supposed to be premier brews for special high holy days, and this one didn't sing out hymns to me like a Westmalle.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2003 10:05:38 | More by nomad

goz

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy light amber pour, large white head that mostly diminishes to good lacing. Aroma is yeasty, sweet, some lemony hints in there. Flavor is sweet, dominated with apple and banana, slight spice sneaks in, too. Body is medium, lively carbonation, and a very dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2003 09:20:10 | More by goz

daledeee

Iowa

4.88/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I always have trouble with these. I guess I haven't hung around with enough experts to identify what I taste. So here goes. All I know is that this is good stuff!!

This is the classuc Belgian taste. Very complex. I smell banana, butterscotch and bread or yeast. Lots of carbonation and bite. Hard to pour at first but head is soon under control. Clear unless you really stir up the bottom-a little cloudiness.

Tastes like the best wheat beer. Yeasty, fruity and rather tart. Very complex Not sure. I just know I like it.

This is top 5 beer for me. I could drink this all day- no I couldn't. Sorry moment of weakness 7.5% alchohol. Right behind the Apt 12. Just love it

Edit: Not quite a 5.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2003 19:19:07 | More by daledeee

bditty187

Nebraska

4.08/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark peachy-honey hue, hazy, the white head reached almost two finger’s worth, slow to dissipate, some unorganized lace. Soft banana, apples, pineapple initiates the nose with a faint hint of pepper and an undercurrent of musty sweetness. Lighter than expected palate, sweet & tart fruitiness… banana, pineapple, sort of tropical. The pepperiness is subdued, the alcohol isn’t absent, somewhat tart. The body is well-carbonated, light-medium, pleasant mouthfeel. The finish is dry yet tacky. This Tripel surprisingly light… and very damn drinkable!

I’d drink it again, recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2003 14:58:13 | More by bditty187

jackndan

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

St. Bernardus Tripel: Mmmm, freaking terrific!! Deep amber colored beer. Great head, thick and long lasting. Aroma, some hints of yeast, some lemon. Bottom line, taste is wonderful. Some nice sweetness, with a hint of sourness as well that strikes a wonderful balance. I’m going to focus on finishing this beer rather than typing. Buy it.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2003 15:42:50 | More by jackndan

MJR

Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a glowing golden shade with a touch of amber in the middle of the glass. A big, pillowy head has great retention and laces well.

Smell: Overall it's fruity and spicy, with a suggestion of banana and clove. A phenolic aroma is present, along with a slight bready smell.

Taste: Very rich in flavor with lots of spicy fruit and bready malt. Sweetness of Belgian candy sugar. Banana and clove make their obligatory appearances, as well as a phenolic note. Creamy and juicy, with a peppery spiciness that cuts through the rest of the flavors. There's a nice splash of alcohol on the finish, reminding me of it's strength.

Mouthfeel: Rich and warming, with a medium mouthfeel that seems to get a bit dry on the finish. Alcohol makes itself known on the tail end.

Drinkability: Good overall drinkability. I could drink a few of these over the course of an evening. This brew doesn't hide the alcohol as well as other examples, but is still a great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2003 21:53:57 | More by MJR

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours with an everlasting yellow-tinged white head over hazy golden liquid, nice level of carbonation. Nose is sweet and ultra-fruity, of the tropical variety with some slight bubblegum/banana esters wafting around too. Taste is lightly spicy/peppery...and quite fruity, like fruit punch fruity! A very decent hop bitterness cuts through in the end to wash away residual sweetness, giving way to alcohol flavors that lingers 'til the end...a mind-blowingly good Tripel!

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2003 18:44:18 | More by beerluvr

AudioGilz

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

11.2 ounce bottle.
It's cloudy/hazy burnt orange in color and the fluffy head is absolutely gargantuan in size, probably 3.5 inches. Just wiggle your glass a little, make it dance, and the head returns for another inch to inch and a half of fluffiness.
The aroma is strongly fruity, twangy, and yeasty. Some pepper is noticed as well.
An awesome flavor of yeastiness, sweetness, fruitiness, pepperyness, everythingness! It's quite enjoyable and quite smooth and creamy. The finish brings forth a surprising yet mellow caramel maltiness.

This complex beer is simply an awesome treat to drink. I'm happier than the monk on the label.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2003 14:40:57 | More by AudioGilz

StevieW

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle. Superfoamer. Medium gold color. Head was a gigantic, marshmellow soft, creamy off white head. Soft enough that a butterfly with sore feet would love to spend the night. Poured into the St. Bernardus glass it was beautiful.
First taste is perfectly sweet, very subtle alcohol heat that fades away, and fresh hop flavors. Slightly sweet, but very definite refreshing citrus quality. Sweetness is everpresent but not overly done. Same cotton candy dryness on the finish. Fresh citrus peels, belgian yeast, and sour apples finish the flavors. Malty sweetness lingers, but only makes you want more.
Highly charged, not slick, but more refreshing than any tripel I can remember. No alcohol heat lingers. No slickness. Medium bodied, very good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2003 19:23:20 | More by StevieW

mzwolinski

California

3.88/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy orange in color, with a finger-thick white head. Great lace down the glass. Aroma is bready and yeasty, with spicy and grape-like notes. Flavor is very gently spiced and very smoothly balanced. Bits of orange, maybe some banana in the finish. Well-carbonated with a light mouthfeel and a dry finish. Still, this beer seems a bit "heavy" to me. The mouthfeel is perhaps a bit too creamy, and this could stand to be balanced by some additional tartness, or some extra kick in the hop department. Decent, but I couldn't drink several of these in a row.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2003 15:45:59 | More by mzwolinski

francisweizen

Australia

4.08/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pretty good but not what I was expecting. The St. Bernardus line of beers are touted very much on BA so I had very high hopes for this beer, which is the first of the 3 St. B beers I purchased last week from my local beer store. While this triple was good it was quite different from the other triples I have had. This beer poured a VERY nice dark golden colour with a nice big, frothy head to it. This beer had a very complex aroma of fruits, candy sugar, malts, some slight hops, and sweetness. The taste was more of the same but also a bit too sweet for my tastes. The mouthfeel was full and creamy and the drinkability as pretty good, but the sweetness in this beer was enough to turn me off a little bit.
Maybe it is just me...but I have had many better triples.
Cheers!,
F.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2003 20:56:11 | More by francisweizen

Suds

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Simply an amazing beer. Murky orange color with an impressive, small bubbled head. Aroma is spicy, and fruity (like orange rind). Taste is layered and complex: yeast, pepper, wood, citrus, grain. Finish is dry, and the mouthfeel is full, thick, creamy, and very soft. Alcohol warming is there, but it really isn't all that pronounced. Very good...wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2003 14:10:51 | More by Suds

DarrellK

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Serving Type - 33ml bottle with use by date of 2004, a little less arty that many Belgian brews.

Appearance - Blonde color with a tight full head that generates a nice lace.

Smell - The least attractive aspect of the brew. The brew had only a moderate aroma but there was a soapy overtone to the bottle I had, the glass was washed without soap.

Taste - Pretty much as described in the previous reviews, but the various components were fairly subtle for the style.

Mouthfeel - As long as you drank through the head, the result was a great mouth, almost a chiffon pie texture. If the head went down and you sipped the beer the mouth was dramatically reduced.

Drinkability - Not many would recommend a 7.5% brew as a session beer, but this tripel did not overwhelm you with the alcohol so you might have another. It is a quality Belgian beer that is probably just a shade lower than the top brews.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2003 13:47:31 | More by DarrellK

Jason

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

33cl slender brown bottle with a “consume before end of 2004” freshness date on the side of the label.

Appearance: Hazy pale amber, darker than a lot of tripels I have had and the lace is just ok as it leave only a ring.

Smell: Faint whiff of alcohol, fruit and solvent but mostly toned down. Touch of tropical fruit as well in the nose.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Nicely layered and infused carbonation, fluffy moderate body that goes creamy underneath the crispness. Solid dry malt character, phenols are present with waves of herbal flavour and the sweet and spicy alcohol delivers some fruitiness to the taste buds. Chalky yeast. Undertone of hops show a tired bitterness but all of the other flavours pick up the slack to keep things in balance.

Drinkability & Notes: Hmm … not exactly what I expected or even what I see a tripel as but there is no doubt this is a good beer. Nothing earth shattering, just good.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2003 18:52:37 | More by Jason

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 330 mL bottle (capped), marked 7.5% abv.

Appearance: Cloudy, golden, with lively carbonation, and very beautiful, creamy, white foam that left good lace on the glass. (Slightly darker if yeast sediment was added.)

Smell: Citrus, malt, slightly fruity (apples, grapes), and some alcohol.

Taste: Modest flavor - malt and hops (floral), not much fruit in the flavor except a bit in the finish (banana), and some yeast flavors.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, light on the tongue, slight hoppiness in the finish.

Drinkability: Very good. A clean and smooth brew. It was much better as it warmed from refridgerator temperature.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2003 20:53:41 | More by UncleJimbo

hyuga

North Carolina

4.97/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

An golden/orange-yellow hued haze of a liquid with a very nice white head that stays quite well without any help. Amazing aroma! In-your-face sweet and spicy with a doughy yeast background. Banana esters, juicy strawberries, and am I crazy, or do I detect some mango in there as well? Slight spicy alcohol tones as well. Great complexity. And now into my mouth it goes... The first thought that hits me with this beer is the amazingly thick and chewy mouthfeel. Not many beers have this, and for me, it's a highly sought-after quality. Like the aroma, very sweet doughy flavor from the yeast and malt, like a mix between cookie and bread dough. This is perfect with the mouthfeel the way it is. Clove shows up in the spice department, a welcome addition to the other flavors. There is a bit of fruitiness, mostly banana, but it's much more subdued than in the nose. Hop bitterness plays a slight role, balancing everything out well. Alcohol warms all the way through. More targeted hop bitterness in the finish. Overall, a wonderful, wonderful beer. This one goes on the "must buy in massive quantities" list. My favorite tripel, even above Unibroue 10 and New Belgium's "Trippel".

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2003 02:54:54 | More by hyuga