Zatte - Brouwerij 't IJ

metter98

New York

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On-tap at Frenzi, Amsterdam, Netherlands

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that died down, leaving a thin film on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: The aroma is quite fruity and has apples and bananas along with hints of yeast and spices.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has some additional flavors of candi sugars.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has some complexity and is enjoyable to sip. The alcohol is relatively well hidden from the taste.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2013 20:33:05 | More by metter98

Maakun

Afghanistan

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Colour is pale dark yellow/light brown, quite cloudy even though I didn't pour the yeast. White head that shrinks quickly. Some nice bubbles rising to the top. Looks inviting...

Smell is freshly bakes bread, yeast, lemon peel, cloves.

Taste is yeasty, some lemon, lots of malts; quite bready. Then a light hoppy bitterness, cloves, and some other fruits (apricots, oranges). There's a light unbalance between the yeast and hops that gives a slight funky note. I've had theis beer many times before but this is the first time I've noticed this.

Mouth is medium, not too much carbonation, but clings a bit to the mouth. I like that's it's not too heavy.

This is a very nice tripel, quite how they should be. Though there seems to be something slightly off with this bottle, it's still very enjoyable. Could be a bit better though.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 18:25:10 | More by Maakun

Guden

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another of my backlog from Europe notes, not sure where I had this in Amsterdam but it went well with my stomp pot.

A- A cloudy beige color with no head despite regular pour. Pretty disappointing to look at all around.

S- Clove, cinnamon, banana, bubblegum and a hint of fresh wood. There's a lot going on here and it's all really nice and plays really well together.

T- Sweet and tangy on the front end with a bubblegum and clove middle. Finish is off dry with lingering tang and spice (cinnamon, coriander and clove).

M- Fairly dry with thin carbonation. Pretty average for style but a bit more body might have helped in this case.

T- One of the better tripels I have had though it could look a lot better and a bit more malt or hops would help balance out the fruit and spice from the yeast more.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 01:21:25 | More by Guden

Aethien

Netherlands

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy straw colour with a fairly small white head that doesn't quite fade away and leaves plenty of lacing.
A sweet fruit smell, mostly pineapple with alcohol and some yeast.
It's quite a sweet triple, but not overly sweet and very fruity. There's pineapple, mango and orange in the taste alongside the yeast that was also present in the smell.
There's plenty of carbonation and it's very light bodied. Very smooth and a little tingly on the tongue.

Definitely a nice brew and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 19:08:09 | More by Aethien

pleasewearpants

California

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy golden straw color. Nice white head dissipates after a few minutes. Light tropical fruit aromas. Mango is the most prominent. Flavor seems a bit dry with a light iron minerality. Finishes with a pleasant coating bitterness. After swishing this around in my mouth for a bit I noticed a strange numbing and lightheadedness. Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 01:23:51 | More by pleasewearpants

jbertsch

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this at the brewery, outside on one of the benches with some cheese.

Hazy golden orange in color. Foamy head. Smell was nice with some bright fruits (pineapple, mango) along with a mustiness and and some hay/straw notes. Yeastiness is definitely present. The taste matches the aroma. It's more sweet than I expected, but enjoyable. Lemon, grapfruit, orange... notes of all are found. And it's VERY smooth. Medium body.

Didn't notice the alcohol at all. It's a little sweet, but definitely enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2011 22:41:34 | More by jbertsch

eric5bellies

Australia

4.4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my St Bernardus chalice

A - Pours a very nice hazey honeycomb colour with a big white head that reduces slowly to a film.

S - Smeels like a weizenbock of sweet caramels and spice.

T - Plenty of spice up front followed by some herbal like flavours and some grapefruit too. Finishes with a sweet boozyness.

M - Medium carbonation and body.

D - This is a great tripel and a must try.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 17:13:15 | More by eric5bellies

sfprint

Germany

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Massive fluffy cartoon head, lots of carbonation, slightly hazy golden yellow.

S: Strange intense smell. Somewhat chemical and bitter thistle. Unique for sure.

T: That weird thistle is very present and isn't my favorite flavor. Interesting though. Underneath that it's a slightly spiced banana-y weiss. Sweet corn.

M: Very weissbier like. A bit astringent and mouth souring.

D: Almost a good beer, and I'm sure it's good for a lot of people. It's just the strong thistle that turns me off.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 23:27:29 | More by sfprint

RuudJH

Netherlands

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dutch brewed ale. Bio tripel, unfiltered unpasteurized.

Colour dark golden, with a big creamy head, very good carbonation, nice lacing.

Fresh clean fruity smell, floral hops. Malts and typical belgian yeastyness.
Nice bittersweetness in the taste.
Aftertaste is also bittersweet. Good body on this too.
It's medium dry like a typical tripel... and overall it's a very nice example of this style of beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 11:02:57 | More by RuudJH

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle. date is 3/06 not sure what that means i don't think it could mean its a 5 year old brew though, it was out of the fridge at the store.

It pours a deep god with a slight bit of hase, the head is big, foamy, and white and recedes quickly, then slowly, leaving only spots of lacing.

The smell is awesome. Think if someone dropped a banana in a glass of Orval. It has a bright citrusy funk alongside ripe banana. There is some earth and spiciness and a hint of grain as well. hint of strawberry.

The taste doesn't evoke as much funk. It is fruity, slightly musty, slightly earthy, with a dryness like Orval. It has a nice fruity tang, some slight alcohol, and some grain.

Holy fuck, is this orval junior or what? Caught me off guard.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 00:03:00 | More by crossovert

gyllstromk

Belgium

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Love the label; evokes a retro cigarette pack.

Pours a cloudy, dark blond, with a nice frothy layer on top. Aroma is spicy, with citrus zest, and general fruitiness.
creamy, Flavor has a nice body with a faint, lemony acidity; juniper and spices on the exhale, and a hint of hops. Quite a creamy feel that's enhanced by a good level of carbonation. Overall a very enjoyable beer!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2010 17:22:17 | More by gyllstromk

Fizzlybear

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

L - On opening it was so over carbonated a ¼ of the beer was lost all over my floor, maybe due to its journey across the sea to me, Poured a copper colour with some sediment floating around.

S - The smell was very sweet, with hints of honey / sugar and fruit and a bit of yeast in the back.

T - A bit shocked that the taste wasn't anything like the smell, there was a strong spiced/herby flavour that turned into a slightly fruity aftertaste.

M&D - Goes down well, leaves a nice flavour around your mouth.

Overall a good beer, just not as much flavour as its Columbus counterpart.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 10:15:57 | More by Fizzlybear

RobeyStreet

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A good, drinkable beer. Light golden in color, good head, a subtly sweet/caramel flavor. Medium body in terms of heaviness of flavor. Not too light, not too dark. This is a good beer to drink on a night out when you're having a couple, or even just with a light snack. It's not overwhelming but it has enough of a taste to not bore you.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2009 22:11:38 | More by RobeyStreet

Jeffo

Netherlands

2.68/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Got this at the bottle shop down the road.

Into a chalice.

APPEARANCE: Pours a 2+ finger thicker looking white head with great retention. Colour is gamboges or carrot orange. Opaque and medium carbonation. A good foam cap remains and leaves lots of good lacing down the sides.

SMELL: Toasted malt and some sweet apples and apricot. Some yeasty spices with some coriander as well. Mild in strength.

TASTE: Toasted malt, sweet apples and apricots. Spicy yeast and coriander as well. Sweet honey notes and a slight metallic note as well. Mild flavour profile, though the metallic touch is not all that pleasant.

PALATE: Medium-light body, slightly thin on the palate as well. Goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry on the palate. I'd like it to be a little thicker really.

OVERALL: A decent beer, but not something worth writing home about. Looks nice, but the rest of it is a little below average. A little too metalic in the taste profile and a little light on the palate. There are better triples out there. I'd pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2009 13:21:08 | More by Jeffo

cadenwhitaker

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very smooth and simple Triple.

Now, this reminds, really reminds me of their Columbus, lots of similar flavors. Unfortunately I don't have them both with me so I can't verify that.

This is sweet, sugary, caramel(y), filled with honey and malts. Drinking this to me is like enjoying a tall glass of honey, the amber color, the smell, the taste, all reflect back to that.

I love honey flavored beers, so my review will reflect that.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 02:37:50 | More by cadenwhitaker

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

BB 20/06/09, served lightly chilled in Hapkin's tulip-shaped bowl sniffer.

A: dark golden to bright amber hue, full of fine yet semi-lively carbonation, topped with a 1-inch light beige froth with rather good retention.
S: the astringent smell rings a bell of oak-aged cider even, full of damp, oxidised-fruity and funky-lactic notes, on top of a high-level of dry-ish tangerine/citrus-peels, woody spices, perfumy fruit esters, leaving a much milder input of pale malts behind. Overall, way too yeasty at the expense of any balance.
T: lactic-sweet, musty & rusty fruits, almost like a farm-house ale thanks to the high level of funky flavour, which was not so... unpleasant if it didn't go OTT and tarnish a potential balance on the flavour profile. Behind the lactic-yeasty façade lies a quieter flavour profile consisting of olive- and clove-ish spiciness, leather-ish woodiness, bitter dried citrus-peels, sour-sweet medium-bodied malts, and randomly chewy bitterness likely due to hops and, again, yeastiness.
M&D: the mouthfeel is pretty decent, with very smooth carbonation softening the overall palate and a potentially sharp flavour as a result of the yeastiness. Alas, just like all other 't IJ beers in bottles I've tried, the yeast sediments don't seem to bring out the best from this brew apart from only the most pungent elements that simply overpower a potentially decent flavour and aroma. A real pity.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2009 20:57:24 | More by wl0307

madorb

Illinois

2.6/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Purchased 12/08 at Sun Devil liquors in Mesa Arizona. Looks like according to the label it is from 08/04.

appearance: poured hazy and golden with a very small head

smell: bready, a hint of belgian yeast, and very syrupy sweet. not very appealing.

taste: sweet, with that sweet corn taste you often find in macro lagers. not really getting the belgian yeast aspects, it's also a bit on the metallic side which all leads me to believe this is probably past its prime.

mouthfeel: a bit on the syrupy side but with nice crisp bubbles, this is pretty much the high point of the beer

drinkability: low.

Overall not very impressive, i'm not sure if it's because of the age, assuming i read the label properly, but it was an on the whole not particularly enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2009 02:16:51 | More by madorb

dirtylou

Washington

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at the brewery in amsterdam - something ridiculous like 2 euros

appearance: poured a slightly hazy golden color with a medium tone and some moderate beige froth - fits the standard for the style

smell: tropical fruit syrup, pineapple, light belgian yeast

taste: i found this to be a pretty strong effort with a flavour profile that mirrors the nose - pineapple and tropical fruit cocktail are the main components of this tripel. This one is a little musty and funky as well...moderately spiced

mouthfeel: syrupy and sweet

drinkability: high

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2008 19:53:48 | More by dirtylou

jophish17

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased at Green's Discount Beverage, Buford Hwy location

Appearance: a dark tripel with a lot of yeast floating around, the last drops from the bottle were heavy in sediment. Head not much thicker than a Ritz cracker. Not the appearance I'd expect from a tripel, but it still looks decent

Smell: Heavy on raisin, with the alcohol coming through strong too (probably due to the age, 03.05 notched on the bottle)

Taste: sweet malt flavor but with a sour apple twist in the aftertaste. Kinda funky taste with some wild yeast, and a bit of vinegar flavor.

Feel: Moderate in body feel, with fair carbonation.

Drinkability: high, which seems standard on IJ beers

Overall: a fair beer from an underrated Dutch brewery, though its not quite the gem that Struis is, Zatte is a nice ale that doesn't really fit the image of a standard tripel

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2008 22:39:13 | More by jophish17

ATPete

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Served at Brouwerij 't IJ in April 2008

A- Hazy yellow, strong, long lasting white head. Some visible carbonation

S- Spice, hops, booze, yeast

T- Pretty bitter, a lot of spice, overall good malt/hop ratio, its not over done. Some wheat?

M- Light, very light

D- This is 8%?

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2008 18:40:35 | More by ATPete

tobyandgina

Nevada

2.68/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Head was average, off-white with not a lot of lacing.
Lightly cloudy and hazy body.

Smell was malty, straw with average hops for this style. A little bit of oranges, raisins and brown sugar. Heavy in yeast.

On the palate: Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation with not a very big finish. Slightly bitter flavor as well.

Drinkability was pretty low little because it was too yeasty for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2008 22:33:08 | More by tobyandgina

Onslow

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Had fresh on tap at the tiny brewpub in Amsterdam: Looks a little like Duvel but darker, has a big head to but a lot fuller and creamier. honey apple alcohol smell...

.. boom! has a noticeable kick. but a fruitiness in the taste is nice. a good good tripel..."

..there is not a lot better than a truly fresh tripel on tap in the place it is made when its 3 degrees outside!! wonderful!

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2008 14:12:47 | More by Onslow

JBogan

Nevada

3.08/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Strange label, with what looks like a picture of an ostrich standing over an egg in the desert with drool coming out of it's mouth and a windmill in the background.

Poured from a brown bottled marked 8-02. Nice bright orange color with a small head and no lacing. Lots of particles floating and some carbonation rising from the bottom.

Smelled of banana and apples, slight alcohol also.

Tasted of banana and citrus along with some sort of musty-ness (is that a word?)

Felt ok in the mouth, a but thick with some carbonation tingle. Smooth.

All in all this was an alright beeer. It sort of reminded me of Ayinger's Brau-Weiss but not quite as refined. Not sure what the prime drinking age for this beer is but this bottle had been around for over 5 years. Anyways, it's worth a try if you like this style beer, otherwise your beer drinking life will still be complete if you don't.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2007 21:59:47 | More by JBogan

BarryNL

Netherlands

2.75/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A bit of a shock to me this one... from what I've heard I was expecting to like it a lot but to be honest I almost thought I'd accidentally poured it into an ashtray instead of a glass - the smell is pure ashtray and the taste has hints of this. Also, there's way more suspended particles than is really acceptable even for a beer of this style.

I almost wonder if I got an off bottle - I might give this one another go - perhaps I'll pop by the brewery one evening to drink one there even and if it's better I'll rework this review.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2007 20:53:19 | More by BarryNL

geetlord

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a cloudy gold with lots of suspended yeasts. The head was tall white and foamy. The smell was sweet with reasonable amounts of yeast. I found the flavor predominantly full of yeast with hints of light malts and fruits. The mouthfeel was crisp and dry. Overall I found this to be a pretty decent tripel, though I cannot say that I was particularly impressed by it.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2007 21:10:41 | More by geetlord