Leffe Tripel - Abbaye de Leffe S.A.

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is hazy pale golden yellow in color. It poured with a finger high white head that died down a bit but never completely faded away, consistently leaving a puffy thin head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Aromas of sweet malts are present in the nose along with notes of cloves and hints of yeast.
T: The overall taste is similar to the smell, except that the yeast flavors are a little more prominent and there are faint hints of bananas.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation along with some notes of dryness towards the finish.
O: This beer tastes a bit strong but manages to hide its alcohol rather well. It's not as fruity and alcoholic compared to some other triples.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 17:44:07 | More by metter98

doktorhops

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So apparently I have 465,789,223 more Belgian beers to taste test [note to self: Belgians love their beer]. In the spirit of attempting the impossible I bought a Tripel from Leffe, the brewery that attempts to compete with the Trappist ales... and fails... so far... I'll give it another shot though... sort of... maybe... alright then.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a St Feuillien chalice.

A: Has a cloudy, brown yeast speckled, pale orange body with a minimal white lacing on top. The "Lees" (as they call the yeast sediment in wine-making) can be a turn off to the uninitiated but be aware it is non-harmful, beneficial even as yeast sediment has an earthy flavor and is rich in B vitamins.

S: Spicy and clove-like Phenols right on the nose, followed by an earthy/sour yeast, light biscuit malt base and a touch of coriander with honey notes. Quite a rich spicy/earthy aroma overall which appeals greatly.

T: Sweet upfront, as expected from a Tripel, but it follows with a well-rounded and unexpectedly complex mixture of pepper, clove, coriander, cardamom, sourdough yeast, and finishes more dry than bitter. Solid flavour profile from a Leffe; most unexpected.

M: Mid to light body, slight slickness, oily residue and light carbonation.

D: Best of the Leffe's I've had thus far and I blame that on bottle conditioning, which can at times have a random effect on the flavour but in this instance serves Leffe well. Compared to Chimay Tripel it's a better brew, but not as good as Westmalle Trappist Tripel.

Food match: Paired well with a gourmet mushroom, asparagus & pine nut pizza from Crust Pizza.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:59:54 | More by doktorhops

sbauer

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served out of a 33cl bottle.

A: Golden yellow. Slightly cloudy with some yeast chunks. Minimal lacing and head.

S: Green apple, butter, quince.

T: Crisp, straw malts, lemon citrus. Belgian yeast esters and alcohol burn. Mostly dry. Gentle hop bitters.

M: Light bodied, highly carbonated.

O: An interesting aroma, but the taste falls flat without much to go off. Somewhat refreshing, but not terribly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 15:57:23 | More by sbauer

sfprint

Germany

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

expires April of 2013.
no visible carbonation or a head. dark orangy brown in color with small bits of sediment suspended in the opaque fluid. smells on the edge of plasticy at first but still good. bready and a bit sweet, however on the tongue the sweetness doesnt translate. a bit tart and implies lemon. a hair bitter. not a light and bright tripel, this one is heavier.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 03:08:17 | More by sfprint

HalfFull

California

2.93/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

330 ml. bottle poured into a chalice. This Tripel pours a clear golden with half an inch of white cap. Show average retention and lace.

Aroma of light Belgian yeast notes. Subtle and quite subdued.

Decent malt flavor but more of a BPA than a Tripel in nature. Offers a coarse pils character and dryness, along with an interesting and perhaps at odds creaminess to the feel of the beer. Lacks finesse and complexity to be blunt. Simple yet masks the ABV fairly well.

Feel does offer a bit of character but is limited by a certain faux spice character to the finish. Overall not rating too high for a Tripel but still a ale. Yeast notes are a bit too subtle to generate any enthusiasm.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 05:00:29 | More by HalfFull

Douberd

Netherlands

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

ABV 8,5%
Bottle of 300 ml. At home, poyred into my Chimay chalice.
This beer has a honey liked colour, very hazy. One finger of off-white head that quickly was reduced into just a thin layer on the beer's surface. leaving heavy lacing behind.
An amazing strong aroma of dark fruits, plums mostly, and some banana and apricot notes.
The taste is sweet with the fruity notes much more noticeable. It leaves a nice bitterness behind. Unfortunately it also had a slight metallic taste, but maybe it's just my bottle, since I had it a couple of times before and I don't remember it having it. 4
Rich and full body, average carbonation. The alcohol certainly distinguishable, if not at first, certainly when the beer starts to warm up a bit. Dry on the palate.
A really great beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 18:47:50 | More by Douberd

dansmcd

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Dull cloudy orange under a finger of bubbly head.

S - Quite mild estery tripel aroma, yeast, apple and grape.

T - Yeast, brett, champagne, orange, apple, pear and the slightest hint of smoke.

M - Spicy mouthful, highly carbonated, medium body.

O - Enjoyable for a tripel fan like myself but when Tripel Karmeliet is so widely available and tremendous you are better off with one of those.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 12:35:40 | More by dansmcd

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured chilled in ale glass on Superbowl Sunday

A: good head, carb; medium yellow color; nice lacing
S: apple, pear, yeast, belgian aroma
T: classic Belgian tripel; tastes boozy, but isn't terribly; cider, pear, sweet, not hoppy

overall, a really nice beer

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 00:42:30 | More by Arithmeticus

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Golden yellow beer, quite dark almost amber. Veiled. Nice looking head on top of it, however it disappear quite too fast to my liking :). Nice aroma... fruity with some belgian yeast. Nice, and very inviting! Well balanced in the nose. On the taste, it is quite sugary with some fruity notes. Maybe too sugary for my liking. Very dry finish. Medium body. Carbonation is quite good and very well balanced.

A nice tripel that I would like to get my hands on it in Quebec. Drank this one during supper at Hotel New York in Rotterdam!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 01:32:34 | More by ZorPrime

Mar02x

Netherlands

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - A white head, decent looking and then turns to fluffy quite quick. The fluid is clear and gold colored. No visible carbonatie.

S - A strong smell of pine and citrus.

T - A rather dry and solid taste of pine and citrus. This beer is more inbetween a triple and a DIPA. The grain tones make it just more a triple though.

M - A creamy sticky feeling comes direct after the medium carboantion has settled down. After swallowing the medium bitterness sets in.

O - A reasonable triple, not extraordinary though.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 16:27:51 | More by Mar02x

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured in its own chalice.

A: Pours a hazy golden "whity" color. Looks like a Weissbier. Head is bubbled and medium head. Medium to low retention. Many lacings

S: Spicy. Sweet malts. Fruity. Bit citrus. Alcohol. Belgian yeasts

T: Sweet malts. Delicious sweet bitterness. Belgian yeasts. Bit citrus

M: Creamy and molasses, heavy body. Characteristic sweet bitterness

O: Very decent triple

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 21:37:30 | More by eduardolinhalis

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.55/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pour is a bit darker than usuall for this style, hazy deep golden. The white head is smaller than others in thes style, airy and light. Dissipates quickly into faint lacings.

S: Sour yeasty notes. Sweet malt and some wheat. Lots of citric fruits.

T: Sweet malt, seams a bit dark. Dark dried fruits, but even more fresh fruits: bananas (hence the wheat), oranges and some faint grapefruit. Yeast and spices.

M: Long lovely sour, sweet bitter aftertaste - very complex. Body is full and carbonation medium.

O: A nice beer, but not very exciing as a tripel.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 13:52:49 | More by Sunnanek

Beeronious07

Macedonia

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

it came as one of 4 beers in the gift pack that also includes two Leffe chalices. the price of the whole gift pack was 25.72 euro. served it at the temperature of 10 Celsius in the 330 milliliter chalice i got from the gift pack. best before date 22/07/12

A - even though there is none carbonation and i don't like the pale brown color, i totally loved the black grains visible when exposed to light.

S - all that my noobie nose can say is that the smell is fruity with a pinch of alcohol in the back.

T - some banana and apricots and thats it. mainly fruity like the smell, and also the intensity of it is like the smell, not very strong.

M - no carbonation at all. medium body and its hard to imagine that the ABV is 8.5.

after finishing the beer you don't even feel like u had it, instead like after a glass of apricot juice.

beerly yours,
beeronious07

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 21:07:42 | More by Beeronious07

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours hazy orange with a large fading head.
Nose shows doughy yeast, faint honey and lots of butterscotch.
Big doughy characters dominate the flavours followed by more honey and some booze. Overly sweet.
Nice moderately high carbonation helps with that though.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 09:33:36 | More by CrazyDavros

kojevergas

California

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

33cl brown glass bottle with classic pressure cap served into stemware in Ghent, Belgium. Best before date is August, 2008. Reviewed live.

A: One finger of slight cream, thin, and of very poor retention even considering the high ABV. Floating yeast particles abound. Copper colour, nontransparent but not solid.

Sm: Alcohol, caramelized malt, light fruit esters, lingering fermented brewer's sugar, light pleasant yeast, and maybe even some floral tones. A moderate strength scent.

T: The notes from the nose are present but very limited. The barley comes through aided by the malt and tinges of floral and slight fruit esters. Complex yet restrained. Brewer's sugar lends a slightly unwelcome sweetness just before the climax. Some tobacco notes. Not bold, but pretty well constructed.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Doesn't quite match the flavours of the body, but it tries. Par for the style, just not for the beer.

Dr: High ABV, very drinkable for the ABV, but average quality. I imagine the price is a bit high, but it was shared by a friend so I don't know.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 21:15:30 | More by kojevergas

benfons

Belgium

2.75/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Hazy blond color decent dense head, apparently i should have poured it more carefully a lot of fragments are floating around;

S: rather sweet, grains, apricots, pineapple

T: not delivering on the promise of the nose, some hoppiness, but mainly something soapy overpowering other things.

M: Good thickness good abv but the soapiness bothers

O: this one wasn't great, altough i think that i might have had a bad bottle

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 20:59:09 | More by benfons

rvdoorn

Netherlands

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Look: poured a hazy gold color with a nice stable white head.
Smell: banana, vanilla, orange and spicy clove.
Taste: sweet, nutty, malty, hoppy and fruity with orange peelings and some yeast
Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation, medium bodied, quite cripsy
Overall: nice tripel

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 17:36:12 | More by rvdoorn

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew pours the color of pale golden orange. The head stands a finger high, and is composed of big white bubbles that disappear quickly. Little lacing is left as it goes. There is a full haze to the clarity of the brew, and particulates are noted throughout the glass. Carbonation looks light to medium. The aroma is wrought with clovey phenols and yeast. There is a little vanilla, and generous grain, but nothing sweet to really soften the edge. Faint orange and spice are detectable as well. As we sip a pleasing mix of malt and yeast hit the palate. The front, too, is actually sweetened a bit by a flash of sugary citrus. This lags through the middle where phenols crash in, bittering the flavor, with vanilla simultaneously softening things up far back at the base of the tongue. The finale is yeasty and metallic. These are muddled in a sea of malt, with peppery spice gluing everything together. The aftertaste breathes with cloves and phenols, and a touch of that same yeast. The body is medium and the carbonation is medium. The beer puts up quite a froth with each sip, and is creamy to the lips. The mouth is left dry by the finish. The abv is standard, and even a bit low for the style, but the beer drinks with simplicity.

Overall, what we found most enjoyable about this brew was the yeastiness. There were bold inclusions in the aroma and the taste, which for a tripel, were uncharacteristically bitter. This was not a bad thing, but there was some metallic flavoring in the finish that was less than desirable. This offering is clearly a tripel, and does not disappoint as an average for the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 13:57:35 | More by TheBrewo

philphilphil

Australia

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

very leffe. Similarish too the blonde.
Appearance is cloudy with 23 inch thick head.
Smell is tripel typical,
Taste is like eveey other leffe, which is good.
Mouthfeel is thickish with about correct carbonation.
Drinkability is only restriceted by price.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 00:30:16 | More by philphilphil

Ashmada

Belgium

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A oft-consumed social beer for me.

L: Murky golden color, medium head with good lacing, with a somewhat mesmerising body.

S: Very yeasty smell with traces of spices and fruit.

T: Starts with slightly sweet malt follows with spicy and citrusy hints and ends in bitterness.
The alcohol does shine through, but isn't overpowering.

M: Creamy, medium-bodied mouthfeel.

D: If time permits (this is not a beer you quaff down in a matter of seconds), I'll almost always have a second... but rarely a third, owing to the 8.5% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 16:01:08 | More by Ashmada

xylophonica

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 75cl bottle into a chalice.
Note: This bottle is actually rated at 8.5% rather than the 8.1% listed above.

A - Very dark murky/honey colour. Nice finger of head.

S - Malt and breads. Hint of honey as well.

T - Very creamy, not just from the head but the main body of the beer as well. The smoothness continues and partially masks the rest of the flavours. Little bit of bite & spiciness but again is mainly hidden by the cream.

M - As mentioned above very smooth, but a bit lacking in character otherwise.

D - Easy to drink but a bit like an inflated version of the blonde.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 14:23:08 | More by xylophonica

akenethon

Germany

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: orange-golden color, persistent foam, some settlement on the bottom.
S: smokey, malty smell with hint of fruit(apricot)
T: malty yet refreshing, slightly sweet. could be a little more aromatic. slightly bitter, medicine herb-like aftertaste.
M: somewhat sour, and fresh for its style. it feels lighter than its alcohol content
D:It's a good beer, I like the malty taste and the herbal aftertaste that hits right ather you swallow it, but mouthfeel is kinda weak.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 20:03:37 | More by akenethon

Ior

France

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

25 cl bottle from a six-pack purchased at the local supermarket, poured into a wine glass.

Hazy golden colour. Off-white head with decent retention. Some lacing.

Honey dominates the nose. There are spices and citrus as well. Quite complex. Similar to a belgian wit, but sweeter.

Citrus, honey, spices and yeast are present in the taste. Drier than suggested by the smell. Some grainy notes perhaps. Alcohol barely noticable. Dry, short, yeasty finish that makes you want to take another sip. I suspect this would go excellent with food.

Medium mouthfeel, lively carbonation. Very refreshing and drinkable

A nice surprise considering that I'm not a big fan of the regular Leffe blond. Perhaps I'll have another...

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2010 21:04:38 | More by Ior

eric5bellies

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drank from my Duvel Tulip

A - Pours a nice hazey honey colour with tight white head that retains well.

S - Nice spicey herba and slightly sweet.

T - Lemon citrus and yeats are the dominat flavours quite spicey toward the finish wit an alcohol kick

M - Medium carbonation and body.

D - Not the best Tripel but not the worst either. has the complexity that one desires when selecting this style.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 14:52:09 | More by eric5bellies

BoitSansSoif

France

3.63/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

BB Dec 10, 2011
A-Hazy golden color w/nice creamy head and decent retention that thickly laces.
S-Lightly toasted bread, fruity esters (pear, apple, apricot), light spice (clove), faint banana.
T&M- Same as aroma, slightly sweet throughout, finish is slightly dry w/clean aftertaste and a hint of alcohol heat. Fairly light body, lightly carbonated...a tad too light.
D-Fine example of a triple, easy to drink, basic. Decent brew for fair price. I still prefer the Leffe 9° or Brune though if I'm grabbing Leffe.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 16:45:13 | More by BoitSansSoif