Kapittel Abt - Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.

Tone

Missouri

3.3/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Pours a cloudy, brown/copper color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of hops, pine, slight citrus (grapefruit), sweet malt, slight pale malt, and a hint of rice. Fits the style of a Tripel. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of pale malt, slight sweet malt, hint of earthy malt, rice, slight hops, and slight spice. Overall, decent appearance and blend, but weaker body and aroma than I'm accustomed too with Tripels.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 17:06:08 | More by Tone

newton99

Belgium

3.59/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A)- Pours a hazy golden orange color. Produced a nice fluffy white cap. Decent retention. Tons of lace.

(S)- A nice dry clay-like biscuit. Bits of lemon and clove.

(T)- Very dry and spicy(clove). Tons of clay and yeast components.

(M)- A crisp carbonation level. Dry and spicy with lots of earthy components. Kinda bitter.

(D)- Not bad. Straightforward enough and heavy on spice and clay.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 10:06:42 | More by newton99

Quackershnoc

Michigan

3.99/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

11.2-ounce bottle, served in a goblet (01/08/2013)
Appearance: a beautiful, hazy, burnt orange color; sediment floating around in it; thin white head the leaves a collar
Aroma: this smells like a malt and fruit explosion; caramel; I think I get some banana, cherry, grape, pear and maybe some other fruits; yeast/bread; a hint of spice in there too; man, this smells really awesome, best smelling beer of recent memory
Taste: starts kind of tart, lemony and appley; moves into some nice sweetness, caramel, malt, bread; the sweetness carries through the finish which is more fruit, some spiciness, a little alcohol, and I think a little hop; dry, bitter aftertaste with some lingering fruit flavors which is quite enjoyable
Mouthfeel: full-bodied and viscous; great carbonation
Overall Impression: thanks to Fr. Jonathan Perrotta for the Christmas present!; I still have yet to meet a Belgian that I didn’t like, and this is no different; man it smells fantastic; it’s kind of strange in that it is so sweet for most of the taste but the aftertaste is fairly bitter; well balanced, smooth, and very drinkable

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 04:04:37 | More by Quackershnoc

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz beer was poured into a snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured a one ginger frothy head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is a hazy pale orange yellow hue with some clarity and plenty of bubbles coming up through the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Apples, pears, vanilla, spices, Belgian candy, bready malts, and a little booze on the nose too.

Taste: Same as above. Vanilla and spices are a good feature. Mellowing bready notes and warming alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium carbonation, medium bodied, warming alcohol, and quite enjoyable.

Overall: Another solid tripel to add to the list. 2nd of the 3rd kapittel beers I got from volunteering last years BBF. Solid score.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 07:34:52 | More by Flounder57

JimTeal

Nevada

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very unusual beer, almost a toffee finish with the dose of caramel. And I agree with a few other reviewers, almost too sweet, so I'd call this a sippin' special occasion beverage. The color is beautifully clear amber, and the reasonably light head lingers. My judgement of this fine beer may be blunted by the many Belgian blonds, which this is definitely not. It is much heavier, thus the quad/tripel comparison, but still quite drinkable for special occasions. I paired it with some fine aged Gouda and it really complimented the taste, so I recommend trying some food pairings to offset the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 23:45:09 | More by JimTeal

crnipeter

Slovenia

2.83/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Deep golden with two fingers thick white creamy head that lasts.

Aroma is predominantly phenolic (spicy & clove-like) with citrus-peel esters, unexpected bready-doughish malt and noticeable spicy alcohol.

Flavor is peppery with intense, almost astringent phenolic bitterness that combined with carbonation lends dry finish with a bit excessive alcohol warming.

Nearly medium bodied with alcoholic smoothness.

In short, a spicy phenol-governed Tripel with a firm alcohol signet (330 ml, Best Before End 04-2014, into tulip).

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 15:50:54 | More by crnipeter

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle into chalice, best by 10/2013. Pours cloudy golden orange color with a very nice 1-2 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. good spotty lacing clings to the glass, with a fair amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of lemon, pear, apple, pepper, clove, honey, candi sugar, bread, herbal, earth, and yeast spices. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good complexity. Taste of big pear, apple, pepper, clove, bread, plum, earth, herbal, candi sugar, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of light fruits, pepper, clove, herbal, bread, earth, candi sugar, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of malt sweetness with peppery spiciness; and nice flavor complexity. Medium-high carbonation and medium full bodied; with a slightly slick and prickly mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden at 10%, with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Tripel. Good flavor complexity and balance; and very smooth to sip on. Really enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 04:01:48 | More by superspak

Greywulfken

New York

4.28/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: hazy golden pour yields golden orange beer with a beige fomay head; lid of foam remained throughout; motes of lace

S: very faint smelling of sweet malt and delicate fruits and spice

T: pale fruits, subtle citrus and spice

M: very creamy, refreshing and clean-tasting

O: a bright, soft, thoroughly enjoyable beer - and I had it at the perfect temp, too - probably around 55 F

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 18:40:07 | More by Greywulfken

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Local Provisions. From notes.

A - Poured cloudy with a light brown body. Two fingers of thick white head. Lot's of yeast specs. Good carbonation coming up. A nice wall of lace on one side of the glass and a finger of retention.

S - Dark fruit, sugars. Quite nice. Rich dark fruit. Some yeast.

T - Dark fruit, sugar. Tripel elements are there with yeast and orange with dark fruit like plums. Yeast and a light alcohol note with a mild spicy hop as well.

M - Light tingly carbonation, medium to full body, sweet then dry finish.

O/D - Like a Tripel and Quad blended together. Subtle yet really complex. Nice stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 00:36:21 | More by tbeckett

DARIVA

Netherlands

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Light brown cloudy beer with a small head.

S: Raisins, caramel and biscuit.

T: Sweet, slightly bitter and the taste of nougat.

M: Good composition, nice carbonation and delicious slightly bitter aftertaste.

O: Nice balanced beer, but maybe to sweet.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 16:34:01 | More by DARIVA

zeff80

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a cloudy, golden orange color with a three-finger, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left sudsy sheets of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled spicy and yeasty with a touch of grain.

T - It tasted very spicy with a yeasty bite. Good blend of grain and caramel sweetness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is a pretty nice tripel. I'm glad I was able to find a single 11.2 oz bottle to sample in Topeka, KS.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 22:24:11 | More by zeff80

smbslt

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured carefully into a wine goblet. May have done a disservice* but figured the majority yeast was better left behind

A - Yellow orange, managed to keep fairly clear, some of the finer sentiment mixing in. Effervescence created a thin white head which quickly dissipated with no carbonation to replenish it.

S - Spiced orange and nutty hints with caramel maltiness no alcohol in the nose to speak of.

T - initially the alcohol overpowered and burned. After getting used to it or anesthetized, the spices came though as did the orange *but at the bottom the yeast added a floral nutty complexity that I missed by not upending the bottle.

M - Thin but left a coating without much taste.

O - Definitely grew on me but need to get past the alcohol to get to what this one is about.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 02:27:17 | More by smbslt

Squelch

United Kingdom (England)

3.3/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Slightly cloudy. White billowy head. Large bubbles. Effervescent.

Smell: Nice and malty. Lots of esters here.

Taste: Lackluster. Missing that little something. Bland triple.

Mouthfeel: Dry in the finish. Puckering. Smooth.

Overall: Mediocre example. Alcohol well hidden but nothing exceptional about this at all.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 19:06:13 | More by Squelch

flagmantho

Washington

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

Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: pours a hazy deep-gold hue with a few floaties, a goodly effervescence and two fingers of frothy ivory head. Not bad.

Smell: an interesting aroma for a tripel. Sweet malt pairs up with a light, citrusy tartness and a little bit of green apple. Brighter than the average tripel, but a good aroma nonetheless.

Taste: hugely sweet malt flavor with some good orchard fruit flavors on top of the malt. Like all my favorite tripels, there are apple and pear in spades here. Alcohol is also plenty big, but that's to be expected.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation. This has a creaminess as well as a prickly effervescence which work well with the brighter flavors in this tripel. It's a little bit different than your typical very-good tripel, and I like that.

Overall: I like this beer quite a lot. There are better tripels out there, but I am in no way disappointed with my purchase of this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 00:16:06 | More by flagmantho

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a chalice)
best before 0612
A- This beer pours a deep aged copper body that is hazy with jetsum bits and a gentle carbonation. There is a big bubbly white head that last for a short bit.

S- The soft candy sugar aroma has a monastery yeast hint and a soft green noble hop note in the finish.

T- The soft candy pale malt flavor leads to a green pine bite in the finish with some yeast esters coming through as the beer warms.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a slight alcohol heat in the finish.

O- This beer has a nice soft sweetness with a big hop character at least for this style and a nice alcohol heat support.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 21:52:16 | More by rhoadsrage

kojevergas

California

2.93/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle enjoyed in 't Velootje, Gent, Belgium. Not a great bar for reviewing beers, but worth going to.

A: Fluffy orange-gold colour. Some haze. Decent retention and thickness of head.

Sm: Fruit ester hops.

T: Hoppy body. Alcohol. Barley on the finish. Clean (unlike 't Velootje itself). Crystal hops in the climax, which is unexpected but not unwelcome for the style. Built pretty standard all around. The balance is offset - especially by the alcohol.

Mf: Too smooth and too wet, the classic fallacy.

Dr: Average in quality and in price. Worth a try, but a bit of a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 11:41:34 | More by kojevergas

sweemzander

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

11.2oz bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a hazy golden orange color. Produced a nice fluffy white cap. Decent retention. Tons of lace.

(S)- A nice dry clay-like biscuit. Bits of lemon and clove.

(T)- Very dry and spicy(clove). Tons of clay and yeast components.

(M)- A crisp carbonation level. Dry and spicy with lots of earthy components. Kinda bitter.

(D)- Not bad. Straightforward enough and heavy on spice and clay.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 01:20:00 | More by sweemzander

clayrock81

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a orangish body in a tulip glass with decent head and a nice lace ring around glass. Light, airy hops with floral goodiness and has a good touch of yeast; typical triple smell. A light to medium body with sour notes and a hint of malty stickiness. Passes easy, finishes smooth, yeast gives off a spicy edge and makes it easier to drink and the sour and plush fruits mix with some sweet malts. Unfortunately, the tartness of the beer and its sour edge, as well as the prickly carbonation, seem to overshadow everything and the different fruit flavors and malts are subtly overshadowed and muted. I enjoyed this beer but it seems to be a little murky and not top notch.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 17:02:51 | More by clayrock81

flannelman808

California

3.6/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a hazy pond scummy looking orange yellow color with a fair amount of sediment. A rocky off white head which has excellent lacing and good retention.

S: Banana, clove and spice come to the forefront on the nose for me. Soft sort of mellow fruity notes linger throughout. I fear for lingering sweetness.

T: Banana confection and earthy spice ... the palate would seem to follow right with the nose. There are some bitter notes which help keep the brew in check but overall its a bit sweet as I suspected. This would be a great follow up for those who lean toward Triple Karmeliet, Maredsous 10, or any of the Triple varieties which finish less conventionally. I will say as it warms some medicinal notes begin to show up rather uninvitedly.

M: Sticky and carbonic

O: Not a bad brew but not for me ...

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 06:23:53 | More by flannelman808

rinhaak

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle poured into a goblet. The label on the bottle differs from the one shown on the BA site (same colors, it shows four monks sitting round a table toasting beer). Perhaps an updated design?

Pours a rich caramel color with a full, thick head. Lots of sediment is floating in the bottom of the glass. Strong brown sugar and warming spices fill the nose: a pleasant but still rather average smelling Belgian. The taste is lovely. Not too boozy, there is a maple syrup sweetness that balances a slight sour tang on the edge of the tongue. Baking spices (cloves, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg) and a yeasty biscuitiness round out this beer. The beer is thick and a tad syrupy in the mouth.

Although a lovely tripel that is certainly worth having, it lacks any truly distinctive characteristics that would cause me to seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 15:21:41 | More by rinhaak

chumba526

Oregon

1.98/5  rDev -49%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Appears hazy orange with a large off color white head.

It smells quite citrusy. There is also a strong candi sugar type of a smell. There is also a bit of an alcohol smell to the beer.

It tastes a bit metallic there is a strong clove like flavor. I get a bit of an alcohol burn from the beer. There is also an odd taste to the beer. There is a sweet overbearing candi sugar flavor to the beer. It almost tastes like something that died. There is also a funky fruit taste to the beer as well.

There is a high carbonation level and there is a bit of a crisp mouth feel to the beer.

The drinkability is limited and it is very alcohol like and rough around the edges. There is a weird meat like metallic flavor as well. The flavor kind of makes me kind of feel like throwing up.

Overall a rough, clumsy beer. Not a very good tripel. A pretty gross beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 01:54:44 | More by chumba526

lionchow

California

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Turbid caramel color. Rocky off-white head.

Aroma is beautiful caramel and fresh bread.

Flavor is of candi sugar, caramel, fresh bread, and a nice amount of strong alcohol. A good yeasty flavor as well. A slight earthy, bitterness melds well with alcohol bite. Well balanced.

Smooth, easy drinking.

Overall a very nice beer, not exceptional but very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 19:11:37 | More by lionchow

WesWes

New York

3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a cloudy gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a light malty sweetness along with a mild yeast fruitiness. The taste is decent as well. It has a dry pale malt flavor along with a touch of sweetness and a mild estery character. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with some prickly carbonation. This is an average Belgian ale. The yeast character is the only thing that makes this even remotely interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 22:20:18 | More by WesWes

bskrtz

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 ounce bottle at 42 degrees poured into glass beer challis

A) This beer projects beautiful bright copper hues and is very hazy with sediment settling at the bottom of the glass. Ample puffy white head disappears quickly.

S) Abundant sweet orange citrus, toffee, clove honey. Truly delightful and very smooth with no harsh esters and plenty of sparkly carbonation.

T) Sweet dates, dark red raisons & figs, citrus, baked bread. Very mild hops -- this beer is all about the malt. Wonderful.

M) Bottle conditioned secondary fermentation fizz. Smooth, dense and thick. Very refreshing.

D) Het Kapittel is an excellent example of the classic Belgian Triple. I have to limit myself to one as this beer is very strong at 10% ABV

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 01:43:24 | More by bskrtz

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.72/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

11.2 oz bottle.

It pours a murky red/orange/brown with a huge white head. The head looks perfect, but the color could be a bit brighter. The head sticks and sticks and sticks with a nice fluffy mound on top and then it finally recedes with some nice lacing.

The smell is rather intriguing. It has a classic honey-like malt scent with some candied fruits. The x factor is coming from the yeast, there is an unusual but enticing aroma, slightly spicy, almost root-like.

The taste is pretty good as well. The yeast is just dominating here, tons of fruity esters, some spiciness, and it melds nicely with the sweet graham crackery malt.

It is a full-bodied, full-flavored tripel, a nice suprise.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 07:30:05 | More by crossovert