Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel - Brasserie d'Achouffe

natelocc787

California

3.38/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I'll be honest. I've got a few Belgian IPA's under my belt and none stand up to Stone's Cali-Belgique.

Beautiful pour in the Duvel tulip with a ginormous, irregular, rocky foam head. The nose has more pepper than any nose I've ever smelt. It also contains pear brandy, golden apple, Belgian yeast, biscuit dough, minute funk and more fruity esters. The taste comes close to earning a higher score but it just isn't anything special. At all. I really appreciate the hops, the lemon and grassy pepper notes from the hop bill. Tomahawk and Saaz are very apparent. To this point, aside from the Stone example, I haven't been impressed with these Belgian IPA's. They simply don't have enough flavor to complement the hops. Mouthfeel is as average as it gets, a classic, normal Belgian feel. Nothing smooth, fluffy, velvety or creamy. Just average. Not too difficult to quaff. I wouldn't pay for this beer again. Still though, it's a good beer. take that for what it's worth.

Belgian IPA's have a long way to go before they can stand side by side American IPA's. As of now, it's no contest.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 05:29:42 | More by natelocc787

joeland

Vermont

3.38/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: pours a gloden color with a two finger high head that is very fluffy. leaves a thick looking lacing

s: smelss is more of a tripel with a slight hint of a mix between flora and citrus hops.

t: taste is the same as the smell but the hops come threw more in the after taste. but it taste more like a tripel. the booz taste shows threw as well.

m: medium to high crabnation with a medium mouth feel.

d: a decent beer but it's slow slipping beer

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 18:45:52 | More by joeland

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Smells more like a tripel than an IPA for sure. Pilsner malt, white sugar, lots of fruity esters, bitter orange and pear, mild clove. Mild European hop aroma.

Appearance: Yellow with orange highlights. Super chunky even with a gentle pour. Head pours tall and is bright white in color. Good retention and tons of lacing.

Taste: The hops show up immediately in the flavor. Hops are resinous and mostly pine. Some diacetyl. Pilsner malt, clove, and white sugar to balance out the hops. Aftertaste is resinous hops, pine and butterscotch. Peppery phenols.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Oily texture, but finishes a bit dry. High carbonation.

Overall: Interesting, but not impressive. I love a good Belgian IPA, but the hops are a bit much and take over the malt completely. Milder hops would help here.

Notes: 16/12/11 date on bottle, drank on 3/29/2012.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 02:19:58 | More by soulfly1492

sprucetip

Alaska

3.4/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Finally got around to trying this one. I'm not particularly familiar with Belgian IPA, so take that for what it's worth.

Not much nose on this one. Perhapys it was old (Alaska is a long ways from Belgium). Sweet malty mainly, with a faint hint of hops.

The absolutely most fantastic head ever. It never went down, and I thought I was pouring carefully. Over and hour in an aventinus glass, down to the bottom, and there was still a good hunk of thick, whipped cream-like foam. Pale yellow, otherwise, alost like an American macro.

The taste did not do a whole lot for me. It was pretty sweet and malty. The hops didn't have to be searched for, but for something called an IPA, even a Belgian IPA, I expected more.

medium body, no warming to speak of.

I got her down easily enough, but it's not near the top of my list for an encore.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 05:43:19 | More by sprucetip

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into dimple glass. Pours cloudy yellow with a large fluffy white head. Aroma is a nice mixture of fresh citrus hops, yeast, spices, and malt that's mainly bread and some light citrus-ish fruitiness. Flavor is fairly strong but flavorful hops up front, mellowing slightly to a dry, yeasty, tart/fruity, and somewhat spiced tripel, but finishing with quite a few hops also. As advertised, it's a hopped tripel, but somewhat less hopping would probably have brought out more complexity. Definitely worth seeking out if you like both American-style and Belgian-style beers. Can't say I'm a big fan of this one here due to its high rankings.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 17:52:10 | More by CuriousMonk

largadeer

California

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Hazy golden-amber with visible yeast floating around. The head is downright strange looking; it's huge and rocky, slowly dissipating into weird, lumpy foam formations.

Smell: Hops of the citrus (namely lemon) and herbal variety, yeast, and a bit of funk.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Drier than I was expecting, though it still has a decent malt character. Hops are flavorful but not overly strong, and definitely not comparable to an American IPA. It has an herbal and citrus-rind bitterness to it, which isn't entirely enjoyable to me.

An interesting beer, but having tried it a couple of times now, I think I can safely say that it's not my thing.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2007 23:27:23 | More by largadeer

keithmurray

Louisiana

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - golden amber color with bits of sediment suspended in the body, fluffy white head

Smell - one note citrus tone, a slight bit of skunk on this as well, cracker

Taste - wheat, lemon, mango, pale malt, presence of black pepper

mouthfeel - medium bodied, heavy carbonation, slightly sweet upfront, nice lingering bitterness on the back and finish

Overall - decent beverage I'm glad to have tried, refreshing

Price Point - $9.99/750ML bottle

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 18:49:45 | More by keithmurray

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Capped 75cl bottle into my Hair of the Dog tulip. Slight gusher, though I was very careful with the bottle.

A: Hazy bright gold with TONS of brilliant white head and tons of lacing left behind.

S: Very much Belgian and very little IPA...earthy, funky wet hay aromas, plenty of crisp Belgian yeast, pretty floral and very bready with a pronounced crisp malt presence, and lots of grassy hops. There is a hint of fruitiness but the grassy nature of the Saaz is really all of the hop component I get.

T: Follows the nose, Belgian yeast with a striking 'dirty' earth taste, pale malt breadiness, and a sharp grassy bitterness on the finish. Floral, fruity flavors wind their way through the flavor profile but from start to finish their overwhelmed with yeasty esters and Saaz hop bitterness. Dry, chalky finish.

MF: Lighter, not quite medium bodied (which is surprising @ 9% abv). Crisp, chalky, and dry. Its refreshing in a way, but still un-enjoyable because of the flavors. Surprisingly low carbonation considering the gushing of the bottle.

O: Epitome of 'meh' - this thing must be older because I don't get an ounce of Amarillo or Tomahawk hops on the nose or the palate. There is a light fruitiness (pear/apple/grape skins) but I attribute that to the Belgian-style Chouffe yeast. The only plus is the 9% cannot be smelled or tasted.

Will revisit this one with a fresh bottle, someday.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 14:35:39 | More by Scotchboy

headlessclown

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours golden with medium head and retention.

S: Belgian yeast with a bit of banana phenol in there.

T: Belgian yeast spice, kind of weak in the middle with a moderately bitter back end.

M: Medium-heavy with low-medium carbonation.

D: Not the best Belgian IPA. Drinkable and enjoyable but not incredible.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 22:08:22 | More by headlessclown

merc7186

New York

3.45/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer in a 12oz draft. For the record, I love belgian beers and I love Chouffe but this beer underwhelmed me.

This beer has a decent appearance with a nice light, hazy color to it, mild head to it and minimal lacing on the glass. The smell is okay with a mild hoppiness and the smell of a deep bitter lambic, not appropraite for this style of beer. The taste is okay with a mild hoppiness and some bitter sour citrus flavors, it tastes like a straight sour lambic (notice the theme). The mouthfeel is a mild sour, biterness to it but lingers mildly. Overall, I was really disappointed with this beer as it did not live up to its billing IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2011 02:21:42 | More by merc7186

phisig137

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy gold color with the most amazing head I've ever seen.... FAR better than duvel. The head rises to about three fingers, and falls very slowly, leaving behind huge amounts of lace, and a craggy cap on top of the beer. Simply beautiful.

Aroma is very subdued. I get mostly floral hops, but not a whole lot of them.

Flavor is odd to say the least. I honestly think that the hops and yeast esters cancel each other out. It's just a but thin. Of the two bottles I've had, they have both tasted different. But some things remain the same. It's too hoppy to be a triple, and not hoppy enough to be an IPA. It's too belgian-ey and estery to be an IPA, but not estery and yeasty enough to be a triple. I'm truly confused. It's an interesting beer to try, but don't expect either an IPA or a triple. Don't even expect a hybrid. Just expect a dry, beautiful looking beer, that doesn't quite know what it wants to be.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin, for either style, and drinkability is pretty good.

I would buy this again, but it's not on the top of my list. I just don't have any idea what to think about it. It is definitely not what you expect. I'm curious to see what this may do with a bit of age on it... IPA's shouldn't be aged, but some belgians should... what do I do? At the very least, this beer gets the "prettiest beer award" in my book. That head is just unbelievable.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2006 03:32:54 | More by phisig137

Cresant

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured several tulip glasses from this undated green, 25.4 oz. bottle. Both glasses developed a huge meringue-like head. The firm, bold head stayed and stayed throughout the drink. Clumpy lacing all down the glass. Clear body in the first glass, more cloudy in the second glass.

Smelled of yeast and alcohol. Minor hops.

Taste was bitterness and Begian yeastiness. Slight aspirin flavor. Mild pineapple sweetness. Bitter lingering finish.

Mouthfeel was medium to full bodied. Creamy smooth texture. It was interesting but I don't feel it lived up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2006 02:36:11 | More by Cresant

IPAescotch

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass. Several inches of head, faded within fifteeen minutes. Nice cloudy Straw colored golden haze. Slight lacing fades but head sticks to glass.

Nothing too overt. Some spicy hop aroma.

Spicy hops, and peppery initial taste.

Quite a dry aftertaste makes you even more thirsty. Darker hints surprised me for this IPA.

Makes you thirsty and, behold, there's a refreshing beer right in front of you. Plus, the abv is a fine motivation. And also well hidden by the spicy nature of this brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 19:47:08 | More by IPAescotch

jmhart

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz into a snifter

A- Hazy muted burnt gold. Not much of a head on it even with a moderate pour, but a interesting webbing made up of bubbles nearly 1mm in diameter. Really airy. Loads of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass.

S-Caramel malt with bits of pine and lemon hops, with the slightest bit of a nutty undertone. Complex despite by lack of adjectives. Not as much yeast in the smell as I would have liked.

T- A base of caramel malt with flavors of yeast, pine, lemon, herbs, and loads of bittering hops. Not nearly as much citrus or yeast as I expect out of a Belgian IPA.

M- Light bodied with a HEAVY carbonation bite.

D- It's a good brew, but being an IPA and being made and Belgium doesn't make you a Belgian IPA. It's good, but there's a number of Belgian IPAs I'd pick up before I got this one again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 22:14:36 | More by jmhart

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Lots of yeast sediment in a orange-yellow body with a thick billowy white head.
S- Aroma is grainy, yeasty, lemony and grassy. Kinda meh.
T- Very bitter up front. A strong green apple flavor over some grassy and lemony flavors.
M- Medium body. Bitter mouthfeel all over. Smooth low carbonation
O- It's ok, and people should try it once, but for its price I probably won't try it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 03:37:44 | More by jsprain1

kbnooshay

New York

3.5/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a semi hazy yellow golden color with a HUGE super fluffy white head. Aroma is citrusy, yeasty and a fruitiness, especially pear and apple. Now this is interesting. Never had a belgian IPA before! Tastes like a typical strong pale beligian but with hops! Not super hoppy though just enough. I dunno, this is kinda weird but i think i like it. Might be the bunk ass cheese i had before this. Feel is kinaa slick and sticky with some carbonation tingly.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 05:37:15 | More by kbnooshay

jonziefle

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured a yellowish/golden cloudy, with a good amount of carbonation. At least three fingers of fluffy off-white head.

Smell: Very bready malty smell, with some hops in there for good measure. A very "Belgian" frangrance. Smells almost wheat beer like, almost.

Taste: Bitter and malty Belgian ale, with more sweetness and hoppiness than most. Once again, almost wheat like. It has a sour bite and a back of the throat tingle. Also, it seems the more you drink, the better and the smoother it becomes.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and smooth at the same time. Medium-bodied. Plenty of carbonation.

Drinkability: Interesting beer, definitely a blend of two worlds. Tastes sort of like what it is, a Belgian pale with hops. However, not my cup of tea (or mug of beer as it would be). Something to try, but not something I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2009 00:59:51 | More by jonziefle

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.5/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Got this at the bottle shop down the road.

From a bottle into a tulip.

APPEARANCE: Pours a 4 finger, thinner looking, fluffy white head with great retention. Color is amber or chrome yellow with medium carbonation. The head turns very thin and bubbly over time, leaving thin splotchy bubbles down the glass. What the hell? No head remains, and ends looking flat. Bleh.

SMELL: Pale malts, spicy yeasty notes, coriander perhaps, and some hints of floral and grapefruit. Slightly muted for the style.

TASTE: Pale malts, toasted grains, and spicy coriander and peppery yeasty notes as well. Hops come in hear the finish, with some floral and grapefruit flavors. The aftertaste is medium strong with hints of spice and some hop bitterness for balance. Pretty good really.

PALATE: Medium body and higher levels of carbonation. Semi-creamy on the palate, goes down fine with a little bite and finishes slightly dry on the palate.

OVERALL: A decent beer, but not their best offering I don't think. There are also some better examples of the style here in the low countries, like Urthel's Hop-It. The head on this one also became scarily nasty as well. This one tasted pretty good really, but the look and muted nose let it down. I'd pass.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2010 20:15:01 | More by Jeffo

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Explodes with a five+ fingered white, pillowy head that leaves gobs of lace. A clear pale amber color. Hoppy nose. Starts just on the hoppy side with some sourness, slight hop but smooth finish. Good carbonation and medium bodied. $7.99 for a 750ml bottle from John's Grocery Iowa City, IA. Also $4.19 330ml bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, ME.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2006 01:37:57 | More by jdhilt

shbobdb

Indiana

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer starts out quite strong! The PNW hops fight with pleasant yeast esters for quite the flavour combination!

When the beer was first served, it was rather cold but completely delicious. The yeast esters were balanced by the citrusy hops. But the wonderfully dry finish from the sugar used really let the hops shine. Delicious.

But as the beer warmed, the yeast esters took over more and more until the end when the beer was around room temp. At that point the beer tasted just like any other Tripel. Nothing too special.

But overall a pleasant experience. Nothing I'd really seek out, but I certainly don't regret it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2006 20:40:45 | More by shbobdb

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On-tap 2/24/07 at British Beer Company, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep yellow color, with a medium white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick even lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of Belgian yeast, spice, some hops and a little bit of fruit (banana & apple).

T: A strong Belgian yeast flavor mixed with a floral hops bitterness dominates the taste. There’s a tiny bit of malt and fruit sweetness. After-taste is bready and bitter.

M: Crisp with a little smoothness, light-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is dry and clean.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not filling, hell of a kick to it, but I found this beer fell short of the hype surrounding it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2007 15:55:55 | More by TheManiacalOne

Brent

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

What a funky, cross style, throw the rules out the window beer this is. Combination almost-double IPA and Belgian Tripel. Interesting interplay of Belgian yeast and loads of hops. The Belgian spirit of beer adventure is evident here, and the sum effect was good, but not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2007 14:04:39 | More by Brent

Onslow

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

bought in to my store, sold half a case in one day! ... pours with an obscenely huge white rocky pederasts head and lacing ... lots of sweet honey and fresh pie with caramel (then blended on puree) .... is very smooth and delicious ... another beuty from the chouffers!! ...broccoli heads??

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2008 15:34:14 | More by Onslow

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle decanted into my Duvel tulip. Bottle says batch #4, best before end of 2009, I hope this is fresh!

A: Yowza! We have a gusher! Lost about half an oz, which doesn't bother me as much as the fact that the sediment is all churned up. Oh well. The beer itself is a hazy light orange with a lot of floaties. Massive white head, made of pretty big bubbles. Plenty of visible carbonation. As the head slowly recedes, it leaves a ton of gorgeous lacework.

S: Light citrus hops with lemon and orange with a sweet malt presence, candy-like. The entire bouquet is rather complex, with some spice as well with hints of clove and pepper. Very appealing.

T: Opens up with plenty of hops, with citrus characteristics as well as the earthy, spicy Saaz character. Hop bitterness isn't extreme but present and is in contrast with the floral, honey-like malt sweetness that's light in body. The finish is dry and spicy with a mace-like bitterness (minus the aroma). While that description makes it sound like a winner, it unfortunately isn't the case. The combination of spicy hops, spicy yeast , citrus hops and floral and delicate malts isn't working the wonders on my palate I thought it would.

M: Light and dry, this beer is awesome on the palate with great carbonation. The spices on the finish don't quite work though

D: While I'm failing to notice the 9% ABV, it's not my sobriety that will keep me from reaching for another but my tastebuds themselves. All said and done, a pretty unique beer, one that I probably will revisit a few times a year when i see it on tap. I guess Belgian IPAs aren't quite my thing :-(

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2008 23:24:56 | More by DefenCorps

eclaycamp

Kansas

3.53/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

33 cl bottle. I've had Belgian IPAs in the past with varying results. Most of those have been limited to United States examples, so it'll be interesting to try one from Belgium. The painted bottle proudly advertises Tomahawk, Amarillo, and Saaz hops. Popping the cap and the beer just explodes out of the bottle. Literally. It's all over my floor and kitchen sink. Finally stops foaming enough for me to pour it, though I've lost roughly a third of it to the drain. Disappointing start, to say the list. Small half inch of sudsy foam that quickly disperses. No real head retention on this one. Lots of suspended yeast toward the bottom of the glass give the beer a rather murky and cloudy appearance. No clarity at all. Lots of funk is present in the nose of the beer and I'm starting to wonder if I didn't get a bad bottle. I picked up several imports when I was down in Wichita about a month ago, and I have to wonder if they didn't get ruined either before I purchased or shortly thereafter.

Despite my misgivings, the flavor profile is solid. Lots of hops in the finish, though they're a little bit muddy. Some Belgian yeast present in the afterfinish. Mild cardboard up front. Carbonation level is very light and the body of the beer leads it to be very easy drinking. Reminds me of a grapefruit soda - think Squirt. It's almost refreshing, as the hop bitterness makes a counterpoint to the Belgian sweetness.

Overall though I feel like this particular beer is fighting with itself. Doesn't seem to know if it wants to be an IPA or if it wants to be a Tripel. So it ends up muddy. I've had this on other occasions and this isn't the best example of what I know this beer can be. I have to chalk it up that something was off in the bottle I had. Disappointing experience.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 19:48:32 | More by eclaycamp