Straffe Hendrik Brugse Tripel Bier 9° - Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik / Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.8/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Brassy golden hue, translucent, with a generous white frothy head and good retention and lace. On-point for the style.

S - Way delicious! Belgian, buttery, biscuity, and lemon-zesty with a crisp alcohol twang. A slightly different take on the Tripel, but an exceptionally delicious one nonetheless.

T - The taste follows the nose. I get a delicious richness and nearly perfect balance and harmony of the flavors. The malted grain is bready, a bit husky and with just enough sweetness, it is still refreshingly dry. The hop is lightly fragrant and herbal and adds a sublime balance of bitterness. And the yeast imparts delicate notes of lemon, apple and pear. Just an outstanding and refreshing Tripel.

M - Fantastic. Well-carbonated, but with a creamy-soft mouthfeel that is totally complementary.

D - Drinking it at the BA Brandy Hunahpu event, shockingly this ends up as one of my top 5 favorite brews of the substantial day. Surprisingly good.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 20:40:47 | More by ktrillionaire

weazal

California

4.78/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Look: Golden, semi-translucent. Nice head on pour that reduces to a fine film.

Smell: Fresh lemon, tangerine, and caramel malt. It's soft and a little hard to pick up, but complex and wonderful.

Taste: Instant onslaught of flavor! Very upfront sweetness that's overwhelmingly banana! Like crazy amounts of sweet, ripe, banana.

Mouthfeel: Perfectly balanced thick-ish body against a front of the tongue spritzy carbonation.

Drink: Ends sweetly, leaving you wanting more - but possibly too sweet which can also be a little turn off.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 04:33:56 | More by weazal

Trueant1

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Opened with a pop. White foamy head that goes down quickly. Darker for this style with a medium amber color.
Lots of champain bubbles.

Smells of sweet Belgium candy sugars, yeast, bananas, and
alcoholic spices. "lots" going on here.

Tastes of bananas, sweet candy sugars, alcohol, and bitter saaz hops. Very great brew!

Good mouthfeel, sugary and wet. Too much carbonation for my likes.

The drinkability is awesome. This brew has sugars and spices and is very tasty. I love the smell of bananas as I sip this awesome brew. Where is the 9%, dangerous!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 08:46:53 | More by Trueant1

Beerenauslese

California

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a honey amber, with an ample head that settles quickly, leaving a layer of small bubbles and lacing.

Smells of wet straw, ginger, coriander, with sweet and sour notes.

True to the tripel style, tastes of honey, light roasted malts, oatmeal, banana, pepper, dried tropical fruit, butterscotch. Not overly sweet, but pleasantly sweet enough. A hoppy bitterness in the finish that is balanced by a moderate sweetness. A nicely balanced taste sensation.

Mouthfeel is full, rich, and buttery, with sudsy carbonation.
A very drinkable triple, this beer assumes a place on my list as one of the best tripels. At 9 percent, it is getting to my head, but as I drink it slowly, in a very pleasant way.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2009 02:21:32 | More by Beerenauslese

brentk56

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a fairly clear almost golden color with a massive head that leaves a very nice pattern of lace

Smell: Rather perfumey, floral aroma with hints of coriander, white pepper and stone fruit

Taste: Floral, biscuity opening with plenty of sweet, honey-like flavors; by mid-palate, the spices (coriander and white pepper), stone fruit and bitter elements arrive; after the swallow, the flavors coalesce nicely, leaving the honey flavors lingering on the tip of the tongue

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with spritzy carbonation; slight warmth in the gullet

Drinkability: Not sure what a Brugse Tripel is supposed to taste like but the brewery claims this is the last authentic example; really enjoyed this beer

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 23:58:43 | More by brentk56

Cyrano41

Virginia

4.48/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a goblet, thin head with light lacing.
Aroma had strong fruit overtone, mostly citrus. Can a smell be tangy? this was. The color was a deep orange-red.
Mouthfeel was full but not heavy. Taste was complex, fruit layered with malt and hops. A very smooth brew, well balanced between sweet and bitter. This was one of the 180 offerings at Bilbo Baggins, in Alexandria, VA. I strongly recommend the beer and the pub.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 13:57:41 | More by Cyrano41

TripelHunter

United Kingdom (England)

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'm surprised this has not seen the most favourable reviews. To my mind it's one of the best tripels going. Quite similar to Dulle Teve (Mad Bitch) in that it's the classic taste of a tripel.

I recently held a beer-tasting session with 25 different Belgian beers. This was the unanimous winner, seeing off strong competition from St Bernardus in close second.

It's sleek and classic; impressive in being able to match it's own alcoholic strength.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 20:40:44 | More by TripelHunter

gfreed

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Definitely not your daddy's tripel. Brewed in one of the most pleasant towns in all of Europe, this beer lacks the ugly color typical of many tripels as well as the sometimes overly funky aroma and taste, while retaining enough funk to be interesting. Very clear amber in the glass (except for when you get to the bottom of the bottle) with decent fizz; loose head that barely lasts a minute. The aroma has enough barnyardy straw and lemon/netmeg to announce it as a tripel; the taste is not as sharp, however, nor is it as sour as one would expect for this style. It's an easy drinker, and the 9% ABV is nowhere to be found-- not much warmth; no wobble after drinking. Very nice; very nice.

I'd like to like more tripels, but there are so few that don't look like crap and taste like old lemonade. This is not one of those, but it might not satisfy the principled tripel purist.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 01:57:21 | More by gfreed

kmo1030

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours a crystal clear amber color with a thick just off white head that fades to a film.
the aroma is an appealing cidery caramel with notes of pear and some more traditional tripel aromas: yeast and tropical fruits mostly. in addition, there is some floral, slightly herbal hoppiness.
the flavor begins very fruity with the tropical and pear flavors. caramel kicks in beyond the fruits, giving them a roasted caramelized richness. there is a bit of bitterness that is used to great effect, expertly balancing out the flavor. there's also some very pleasant hop flavor in the mix as well, further adding to the complexity. the bready yeast creates a nice roundness.
the mouthfeel is wonmderfully silky, it's somewhat full with a very delicate carbonation that's used to great effect, guiding the beer gently over the palate.
the drinkability is good it drinks like beer with ahalf it's abv. overall, it was a very pleasant surprise. it's very good tripel, with something a little different to offer due to it's uncharacteristic malt profile.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 01:42:43 | More by kmo1030

ElijahCSkuggs

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

In my life-long quest of finding my favorite Tripel I have come across Straffe Hendrik's lil tasty treat. Nice lookin' bottle with a crescent shaped Moon-face on the front. Handsome stuff.

First thing to catch my eye here was the yeast floaties. I don't see that very often in Tripels so I'm not giving it higher points. As well, it wasn't as foggy as I'm used to. With that said, it was darker than usual and sported a thick bland white head that had great retention and some sticky, patchy lacing.

Floral, hoppy, honey-dust (my own term) spice feel that also hit me with some clove smell. Very nice.

Fruity,lively and sweet taste that hides the booze very well - it appears shyly in the aftertaste - a good thing. It delivered candy sugar with a dry finish that delivered a tiny bite. Incredibly tasty.

For fans of the sweeter style of Tripels, you can do no wrong here checking this bad boy out.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 00:29:52 | More by ElijahCSkuggs

vfgccp

New York

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A – Apple juice body. Small to medium bubbled head. Ok retention, but poor lace.

S – Pear, nectarine, honey, and a soft kick of booze.

T – A nice mirror of the nose up front. Pear, nectarine, and honey pair marry up with coriander and clove. Soft, warm booze accents the finish.

M – Nice carbonation. Medium body. Sweet, fruity finish.

O – A solid triple.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 18:47:39 | More by vfgccp

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a lightly hazed golden yellow color with great carbonation leaving a nice white cap

S: Light booze stings the nostrils as does a light pepper, biscuit, lemon, apples and citrus

T: A bit hot and peppery followed by some green apple, banana, orange peel and grass. A nice concoction of flavors

M: Medium bodied, tasty, well carbonated with a nice feel

O: Very nice and easily drinkable, nice representation for the style

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 04:19:43 | More by barleywinefiend

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Straffe Hendrik Brugse Tripel Bier 9˚
25.4 oz bottle, corked and caged
$9.99 @ Total Wine & More, Claymont, DE

Appearance: Clear, deep golden/amber body. The moderately-sized creamy white head drops readily but it maintains a solid collar throughout. Sparse, splashy lacing lines the glass. Subsequent pours become hazy as the sedimented yeast is roused.

Aroma: Fruity and yeasty, gently caramelish and honey-like. Floral and spicy, almost minty hops.

Flavor: All of the gentle fruit and yeast found in the nose carries over into the flavor. I find plenty of pear and apple, as well as a bit of citrus zest (lemon, orange), and some soft tangerine and peach. It's gently caramelish, or perhaps more like lightly browned sugar. It's honeyish and floral. There are suggestions of spice to it although they're light (cinnamon, anise, ginger); and along with the spicy, seeming minty, leafy and floral hops it's just a slight touch cola-like. The alcohol never shows; and it's mildly bitter with just enough that in combination with the spiciness it never becomes "sweet". It's more rich and complex than you might expect of a "tripel", but this is a Brugse tripel. It's very rounded, and you don't find any specific note, or notes, at any certain point as it crosses the palate. They're pretty much all there, and sometimes you find different things at different times, especially in the very long-lingering finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full and dextrinous in body. Well-carbonated, it initially bristles the palate, but then becomes more "foaming" as it warms, and thus more "creamy".

Overall: Quite an interesting and charming beer! Highly satisfying. Quite unique. Worth seeking out!

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 00:59:24 | More by NeroFiddled

pinotboy007

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had not seen this before - grabbed it at the Whole Foods (Fair Lakes); very cool label w/caged synthetic cork.

A - Opened w/a loud, Champagne-styled "pop" and is deep gold with a fluffy white cap that settled to a ring. No lacing.

S - Banana and coriander with a touch of leather and maybe raw honey, too. Wow - very nice! :)

T - Pleased to report that it tastes like it smells; delicious and complex - more so as it warms. It has a warm touch of sweetness that doesn't detract from its nicely balanced profile.

M - Decent, creamy fizz that makes for a lip-smacking ale.

D - At 9%, it's a bit too drinkable, if you get my drift. I could drink this all the way to the hospital. Yum! :)

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 21:46:09 | More by pinotboy007

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked up this 0.33l bottle on 05Oct12 at a great little bottle shop on the Belgian-Holland border. Quaffed it in my room Maastricht on 06Oct during a break between shopping and drinking. Cost was €1.52, fwiw.

Had a lovely, medium golden color, with a very slight haze. Carbo was plentiful and steady, and the head was healthy, off-white, foamy and fine. Lacing? Top shelf! Had a lovely nose which combined spiciness and tropical fruit. Had a medium body, with a light, prickly airiness.

Was a touch crackery, with some candi sweetness. A little more tropical fruit was present here, which segued into a dry, peppery finish. Quite nice! This really hit the spot! Prosit!!

4.35/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1522

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 19:53:32 | More by Bierman9

JBogan

Nevada

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful medium gold with a one finger white topper which leaves moderate lacing.

The aroma consists of banana, bubblegum, yeast, and some floral notes.

Tasted as above, along with some citrus fruit and sweet malt. The alcohol was completely hidden.

The mouthfeel was superb. Very smooth and creamy, with a medium to thick body.

This a wonderful representation of the tripel style. Very easy to drink and agreeable, with nothing off about it. If you like this style at all, do yourself a favor and give this a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 01:11:15 | More by JBogan

meatmallet

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a deep golden orange with a medium sized white head. Not the normal Belgian sediment but what looks to be flakes are suspended inside.

Smell: Very nice. Some sweet pale malts, pear, apples, a sugary sweetness, light spiciness, and even a little floral. It is not overwhelming but its all there.

Taste: Not your normal tripel. Starts sweet yet tart with an over ripe pears apricots and caramel. It has all of the tastes from the nose with malts yeast and some nice alcohol kick. Towards the end it faces a little bit to a bitter hops and an alcohol aftertaste.

Mouthfeel/drinkability: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. at 9.0% ABV it goes down really easy.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2010 04:28:20 | More by meatmallet

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours translucent gold with a lot of snowflake/dandruff yeast flakes. Huge foam that has staying power. Nose reminds me of yeast-bready banana bread, holiday cakes, and pineapple display at a Hawaiian buffet. Palate offers plenty of pineapple, tartness, wheaty/malty backbone, and a chewy yeastyness all through till the finish. Also has a musty, female pheromone sort of mustiness to it, in a good way. Smile.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 02:53:30 | More by yemenmocha

superspak

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into chalice, bottled in 2010. Pours cloudy golden amber color with a nice 1-2 finger dense off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts. Some spotty lacing on the glass, with plenty of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big lemon, pepper, clove, apple, orange, coriander, honey, biscuit, herbs, and yeast spices. Nice and well balanced aromas. Taste of big lemon, pepper, orange, pear, biscuit, honey, coriander, herbal, and floral notes. Lingering notes of citrus, pear, pepper, and herbs on the finish for a while. Great balance of flavors with nice complexity. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel noticed after the carbonation died down. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming on the finish present. Nice and smooth drinking for the level of alcohol. Overall this is a fantastic Tripel offering. Great complexity, balance, and smooth drinking for the level of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:15:40 | More by superspak

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

11.2 ounce bottle - $4.29 at Hop City in Atlanta, Georgia. Though that area of the label is a bit tattered, it seems I'm in well ahead of the Best Before date of 2012.

Appearance: Pours out a hazy, deep golden-hued body with a ½ inch of lasting, foam-like, white head.

Smell: Sweet-scented bouquet of unprocessed honey with a light pils malt quality tucked within. Touches of semi-ripe peach fruitiness with just a bit of fresh orange zest. Secondary notes smelling of flowers and spice.

Taste: A taste of honey-basted pilsner maltiness blended with some additional candi sugar sweetness and liberally garnished with fresh flower petals. Fruity accents suggesting white peaches and citrus. Touch of coriander-like phenolic spiciness furthered by the modest hop character and alcohol. Experiencing some slight, satisfying warmth on the softly drying, mildly spicy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation. Nicely creamy mouthfeel overall.

Drinkability: A tasty brew that drinks remarkably easy despite its supposed 9% ABV. All in all, it's a very delightful, heck, even picturesque example of a tripel.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 17:56:11 | More by ChainGangGuy

LoadedSchells

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- golden straw with a very slight haze. The head reminds me of lake foam that washes up on the beach that doesn't stick around too long.
S- pears, pears, some malt that resembles more of a heffe, pears, and that oh so familiar Belgian yeast.
T- the pears really stick around here along with some fresh apple. This reminds me of a fruitier westmalle tripel. The roasted malt they claim on the label isn't really there, the color suggests that's also the case. The saws and styrians are there on the back end .keeping all that fruit sweetness in check and lending a pinch of dry to the equation. Is there alcohol in this?
M- nothing too heavy, fairly crisp.
D- this brew could get me in trouble. Enough said.

This could be a really dangerous fallback in the stable of tripels.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 04:04:26 | More by LoadedSchells

4000qtrap

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.25

Source/Serving: 22oz, bottle cellared 3 years

S: Lots of bright caramel/toffee with a seamless, juicy orange-floral-herbal twist. Not peppery or spiced at all, but everything else. Compelling, distinctive nose for a trippel.

T: Unusually sweet upfront for the style, quite a load of staightforward caramel malts. Blends effortlessly with a lot of complex floral and yeast notes which are distinctive, hard to describe, and tasty. Definitely not spicy at all. Edges of orange are pleasant and herbal hops are faint. Sweetness is ever-so slightly balanced by a bit of alcohol and hops, keeping it from being too-too sweet. But, its sweet. More body than a typical trippel by a load too, but very drinkable. Classic Belgian un-interpretation twist to a style, which I like, with this baordering on a lightly hopped Belgian pale ale I'd say. However, since this bottle is 3 years old, it could just be the hops have faded.

Notes: A malty trippel that isn't spicy, but is complex, interesting and floral-orange-y.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 06:16:13 | More by 4000qtrap

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.23/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle served in a Chimay chalice.

A: Pours a dark orange color which is quite dark and clear to a Tripel. Beautiful, anyway. Forms a huge white to yellow colored head with great retention and a lot of lacings left around

S: Caramel malts backbone with strong notes of dark fruits, toffee and candy sugar. Quite sweet indeed. Quite bready too with strong notes of Belgian yeasts. Mild notes of flowery hops. A bit of alcohol in the very end. Less spiced than a classic Tripel but excellent anyway

T: Follows the nose. Very malty and bready beer. Notes of dark fruits, mainly plums and raisins. Toffee, candy and caramel malts. Upfront is sweet and end is considerable bitterness which is slightly citrus. Well balanced

M: Heavy creamy molasses body. Good carbonation and the classic Belgian bittersweet aftertaste

O: Very drinkable. An excellent Belgian Tripel specimens with strong personality

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 19:47:39 | More by eduardolinhalis

peabody

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a slightly cloudy and very effervescent
orange to yellow/amber color with one finger of white suds that dissapate very quickly.
Very light aroma but the burning yeast and malt from belgium come through.
This one tastes the part for a tripel. Wonderful yeast and sugary malts mask the 9% very well.
Mouthfeel is a little sticky but the flavors leave quickly and the mouth is ready for the next sip.
Drinkability is only OK here but cold this one could go down quickly and with a lot of volume.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 01:42:48 | More by peabody

megahurts4

Louisiana

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Straffe Henkrik Bruges Triple (9)

Appearance: Amber, medium head, and good lacing.

Smell: Yeast, grain, slight flowery hops, slight clove.

Taste: Yeast, wheat, slight caramel, apples, malts, and cloves.

Mouthfeel: Medium-heavy.

Overall:
A nice malty brew. It has plenty of clove flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 04:00:29 | More by megahurts4