Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale - Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured a murky light brown with tons of sediment with a two finger khaki colored head that subsided to half a finger very slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, bread, dark fruit, and raisins. The flavor was of sweet malt, bread, dark fruit, raisins, and cream. It had a heavy feel on the palate with medium carbonation which reminded me of a thin milkshake. Overall this was a decent brew. At first this one was a little off-putting due to all of the sediment present in it. Even with all of the sediment present in this glass the flavor and aroma on this one was still quite nice. There was a ton of dark fruit going on here, specifically raisin. This was definitely the factor that made this brew enjoyable. Definitely worth trying with or without the sediment.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 11:45:55 | More by thagr81us

impending

California

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The Trappist. Pours a pleasant clear copper cola, served with minimal head, little lacing.

First rate in complexity of aroma. The number of descriptors to define this aroma are vast. Very nice.

WoW - where to begin with the taste, again tremendous complexity. This is a meld of a tripel / dark ale / oud bruin and a hint of saison. Mouthfeel is thin and creamy smooth.

The bottle version sometimes delivers floaties the size of Rhode Island, the kind you catch on your tongue and an image of a bug crosses your mind.

It's dark in the backyard, mid summer cicadas are roaring in the background, it's a great night, great to be alive, yet the floaties would freak you out making it . . . undrinkable!

Complex by every measure.
cheers
jd

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2011 05:15:44 | More by impending

nezelrac

New York

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had this on tap at my local

A - hazy pale brown with light tan head little retention or lacing; looks almost chunky with yeast

S - yeasty, malty, rising bread dough, baked banana, hints of dried sour cherry

T - big malty profile for a triple, plenty of yeast-driven flavors, decent length with a spicy/estery finish

M - creamy, moderate CO2, maltiness takes the edge off the typical tartness

D - well made and very enjoyable, malt makes it slow going

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2011 21:56:44 | More by nezelrac

Rizow

California

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

on tap at the Trappist

A - A beautiful dark nut brown, with darker shades layered over, like they used a Newcastle as a starting point and built on and away from it.

S - Like all the great darker Tripels, it smells of powerful malt, caramel, and hints of banana. Tremendous nose.

T - And also like the great darker Tripels, rich flavors of malt and caramel are pushed out to the front. And like the smell, I always get hints of bananas. The taste mimics the nose on this one.

M - Very present carbonation. Not too light, this is a beer with some substance to it, for its style.

D - Sweet, but that's how I like it. Complex, holds your attention. I would gladly have a second.

A beer to be sought out. The quintessential big malt Trippel, and maybe my favorite Trippel overall. A tip of the hat.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2009 23:39:05 | More by Rizow

glid02

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Brick Store.

Pours a slightly hazy brown color with dark purple highlights and a 1.5-finger light tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving thick lacing.

Smells of a combination of dark and light fruits - pears, figs, and plums - with hints of brown sugar.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Sweet malt flavors up front are soon overtaken by large amounts of sugarcoated pears, raisins, and figs. Near the end of the sip the fruit flavors fade just a bit to allow for a crisp ending that leaves a hint of sugar lingering on the palate.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass quickly and could have another with absolutely no problem.

Overall I was a bit perplexed when the "triple" I ordered came out looking like this but I was soon assuaged by a smooth beverage. This beer does all the little things right and is well worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2009 04:20:00 | More by glid02

bamadog

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at The Comet. Poured into a tulip.

Appearance: A deep plum color is what comes to me in the pour and it arrives with a 1/2 finger head that disappears entirely; body is very hazy and appears to be clouded with sediment; no lacing is present.

Smell: A sweet chocolatey malty smell; definitely nutty, but the nose is weak overall and I'm not getting much out of some very deep inhales.

Taste: Primary flavor is a deep roasty nuttiness; sweet candied dark candied frutis and a maltiness that is very much like burnt sugar and brown sugar; as the drink warms, there is much more of a caramel presence as well from the malts.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly lively from carbonation that seemingly comes out of nowhere -- I was unaware of any just from looking at it; very warm in the mouth, chest and throat; leaves a fair stickiness all over the mouth; body is pleasently thick but not overly so that it feels like I need to scrape my teeth afterwards.

Drinkability: Moderately high. I had to warm up to this one as it didn't catch my palate right away. Fortunately, it took me a while to get through it and more of the flavors really started to come out from the warming.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2009 02:16:59 | More by bamadog

pwoods

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the comet. 12oz. Snifter.

A: deep brown woody color. Short head but some lacing.

S: Deep malts and candi sugar sweetness. Some crushed peanuts? A bit of light black liquorice.

T/M: Good depth of sweetness with the candi, caramel, and black licquorice. Some deeper fruits from the yeast and light hoppiness. Body is medium with good carbo.

D: ABV is very well hidden and drinks easy.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2009 23:58:14 | More by pwoods

MiScusi

California

4.68/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Lucky Baldwins.

Not the best looking beer in the world. Kind of a muddy chocolate milk color, not much head. This was an excellent beer in terms of it's taste and smell. It was malty, Belgiany (of course), a little chocolate, not much roast to it, and the body was a happy medium with the alcohol not showing up a ton in the flavor. Very easy drinking big beer, and very tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2009 04:57:13 | More by MiScusi

JonathanL7890

Texas

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter glass. 1 finger foam, light brown head.
Aroma: spice belgian candy sweetness.
Taste: Dried fruit, plums, raisins. Taste starts sweet and then gets attenuated by the bitterness in the back of the tongue. Very complex.
Mouthfeel: silky, smooth on the tongue. Bubbly.
Drinkability is great for a 10% abv, but I could only have one of these.

Overall an excellent brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2009 18:03:05 | More by JonathanL7890

tmoneyba

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Draft at Teller's in Cincy on 01/16/2006.

Poured a ruby color with a small off-white head that diminished slowly with fair lacing. Moderate fuity port aroma with a small alcohol tone. Medium body with a smooth texture. Moderate spicy fruit and port with a medium sweet finish of average duration with that same small alcohol bite.

Very flavorful brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2008 16:34:41 | More by tmoneyba

blakesell

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at the Dilly Deli during the Boon lambic cask tasting.

Appearance- Brown, sporadic head with beautiful lacing.

Smell- It is way too cold. Very difficult to get a proper smell off this thing. I catch some FIG, candi sugar, and plums.

Taste- Sweet, doesn't really taste like a triple at all. In fact, I think they may have been sent what I wanted to taste anyway, the Belgian Brown. But since they have told everyone and swear up and down that this is the triple, I will review it as such. Candi sugar on the tongue, thickness with the FIG, plum, spices, and black licorice.

Mouthfeel- Sticky sweet, stays on the palate until I need cheese. Lucky for me they have Rochefort cheese offered here.

Drinkability- Not so much. This beer is too big and sweet for my tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2007 02:09:20 | More by blakesell

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at La Chatalaine in Dublin Ohio. Dark copper color with a hint of haziness, nice lacing from the light tan head. The aroma is really strong with darkish fruits, I imagined cherries, figs, and raisins. Really nice. The flavor had the fruits, but mixed with a splash of cough syrup (I could do without that) and a mild alcoholic burn on the backside. Still good, as I like the dark fruit flavor in this style of beer. Nice authentic Belgian Dark Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2007 23:47:14 | More by TurdFurgison

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at Max's tonight. What an impressive beer.

This beer pours a dark brown amber coler, with impressive head/foam retention and lacing. On the nose one gets some sweetness and Belgium spices, only a prelude to the beer itself. On the palate this has an incredible flavor profile of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cherries, vanilla and plum. This beer is very, very rich and sweet, with an outstanding (though not heavy) mouthfeel. The beer is very full bodied on the palate, though not with the explosive mouthfilling presensce of some Belgiums. In any event, this is a very good beer, with a nice hoppy presence that keeps it from becoming dull or tiring to drink. Considering the abv., this beer is amazingly drinkable, dangerously so. I drank the first one in about 15 minutes and was all set to order another.

An absolute winner and highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2007 23:53:04 | More by johnmichaelsen

BretSikkink

Mexico

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Uniformly solid BSDA, everything is spot on for the style. Nice dark look, appropriately low carbonation. The nose jumps up fairly malty, with a lot of sweetness. Goji berry flavor rocks the palate, that lovely viscous complexity for which the Belgians are so admired. I do think it is ever so slightly overrated, but then again, I've enjoyed it on several occasions both on tap and bottled. If you don't like to see your hand on the other side of the glass, I would find it hard to believe that you didn't like this brew. Highly recommended.

*addendum: I have heard tell of bad bottles of a few BdR's beer, esp. the dark ones. While I don't mean to imply that you shouldn't buy them, definitely check the dates and try to ensure that there are no "masses" in the bottle that ought no to be there, and to be proactive in letting the store and brewery know about the issue.

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2007 00:06:30 | More by BretSikkink

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On-tap 2/4/07 at Pitcher’s Pub in Cumberland, RI, served in a goblet.

A: The beer is a deep brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of brown sugar, dark fruit, caramelized malt and faint yeast.

T: The taste is sweet with the same flavors of dark fruits, brown sugar, caramel and a little yeast, that you get from the smell. Likewise the after-taste is sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium-to-heavy body, light-to-medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Very tasty, goes down very easily, it has a heavy kick that is well-disguised and makes this beer dangerously drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2007 22:43:23 | More by TheManiacalOne

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in an oversized wine goblet)

A- This beer has a dark brown hazy body with a thin wisp of head floating on top.

S- The smell of perfumed brown sugar has a faint apricot note to it that is just a touch sweet. There is a slight note of lightly toasted malt that has an edge of sweetness and a light candy hint.

T- This beer has a dark sweet malt flavor with a faint wet wood note and a light caramel note. There is a hint of sweet bourbon in the background. As it warmed there was a hint of red Lifesavers in the finish. The overall taste was not overly sweet but very dark fruity flavors.

M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a faint fizz in the finish.

D- This beer is dark and sweet with lots of nice complex flavors and really taste like a special occasion beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2006 23:26:19 | More by rhoadsrage

expatsteve

Wisconsin

4.93/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Deep brown color with copper tones. No head, but light lacing. Medium viscosity, low clarity, with a medium body.

Aroma: Bread, plums, raisins, apricots. Malty finish, with white wine edge.

Taste: Rich and brilliant, with an immediate complexity that perfectly balances the alcohol in the beer. Dates, apricots and plums, with cider highlights. Bready, sweet-sour finish with deep malts. Brown sugar notes, with subtle cinnamon and cloves. Malts develop in depth and complexity over the course of a glass.

Mouthfeel: Medium body carries the flavor of the beer perfectly, and the smooth, malty finish caps the beer perfectly. Low carbonation adds to the smoothness of the beer in the tongue.

Drinkability: In many ways, I prefer the body of this beer to the Rocs Grand Cru (though the initial maltiness of the Cru still commends it - see my review). The balance between rich fruits, sour malts, and smooth finish balances this beer, making it particularly drinkable and complex without seeming overengineered.

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2006 03:48:39 | More by expatsteve

Golden2wenty1

Wisconsin

4.83/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap at none other than the magnificent Maduro here in downtown Madison for riDICulous $3 a pour during happy hour (M-R, 4-7).

Pours a dark, rusty brown..a little hazy with a short-lived skim of khaki bubbles in a pretty St. Bernie's chalice. Nose is maple syrup/toffee/caramel malt, cherry/fig and musty yeast. Taste is remeniscent of those Ocean Spray juice cran/apple/cherry/grape juice blends, predominantly sweet/tart cherry and fig/date with a solid maple sugar/toffee malt backbone and a hint of spicy yeast. Mouthfeel is thin and smooth with microcarbonation. Where is the 10%? This is insanely drinkable for a BSDA which it certainly resembles much more than any tripel I've had. Some may find it a bit sweet but I find it simply yummy.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2006 02:07:17 | More by Golden2wenty1

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip from a tap at San Francisco’s wonderful Toronado. Body is muddied crimson with magenta/chestnut hues. Spectacular and unique color. Head is thick, sticky, chunky even. Tapioca in color, it lasts for a decent amount of time and then flattens out into beautiful clingy lace.

Nose is dried cherries and berries, cookie dough ice cream, chestnuts, prunes, and raisons. Very welcoming and tempting.

Taste begins with toffee and opens into a smorgasbord of dark fruits: cherries, plums, prunes, dates, raisons, black grapes... A thick malt base wraps all the fine fruit flavors together into a blanket that warms and pleasures your tongue.

Mouthfeel is perfect. Like hot cocoa after a long day of sledding, it doesn’t get any better than this. Silky and luxurious, light enough to leave you thirsty for more yet completely enthralling. There is no desire for more body for there is no want for satisfaction.

A top beer. I feel blessed to have found it on tap. Many thanks to Toronado for tracking this down.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2006 20:29:44 | More by DaPeculierDane

tonytuffnuts

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

When first served, the off-white head stood almost 1/4 inch, eventually fizzing down to an enduring 1/8 inch on top of a dark amber body. Like unbleached wool, some thin beige strands remained from the original pour, lacing the glass with an unattractive residue. What remained leaned more toward a frothy/foamy head than a moist/bubbly one.

Smell was pretty intriguing: fruity notes of plum or fig, I noticed even a hint of banana lingering after I inhaled; honey and subtle brown sugar stood at the forefront.

My tastebuds were overpowered by the aromas. But, I noted weak traces of the aforementioned fruits on my tongue, in addition to red grapes. If anything, the honey masked an otherwise noticable taste of alcohol.

One of the smoothest drinking beers I've ever had. The bubbles are very unintrusive and unnoticable. Very sweet... in fact, I worry that a different batch could be too sweet. The sugars remained in my mouth long after the last sip. I'm looking forward to enjoying this a few times over the spring.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2006 01:09:22 | More by tonytuffnuts

francisweizen

Australia

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one is a classic. I've had it on several occasions, but these notes are for the tap version which I sampled a few times some months ago at the Steelgaarden below the brew works in Bethlehem. This one is a cracked out triple sorta thing for sure. Dark rasiny/plum brune with a nice off-white head of foam that is big, bubbly, and lasting. Aromas are all brown sugar, a bit of maple, and tripley spices, as well as a nice clean maltiness and a light hoppiness to bring it all together. The taste is spicy and strong with the burnt brown/maple sugar flavors abounding on the buds. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to thick, and drinkability is very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2006 23:28:58 | More by francisweizen

hero27

Iowa

4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Lava Lounge in Waterloo, Iowa..

Pours a very opaque brown color with a mountainous head of creamy beige foam. The smell is damn complex..dark fruits, spices, toffee malts and everything but the kitchen sink. Tastes heavenly..this Belgian is truly a masterpiece, and is always a good choice on draft if available. The 10% alcohol will keep you in check, but still very easy to drink for such a complex brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2005 23:13:34 | More by hero27

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is gonna go down as one of my bigger disappointment beers ever. Poured a garnet brown in color with hardly any head. Light could penetrate when held up to a light source, but it would have difficulty piercing through. Nose was sickly sweet malty with some rpunes and figs. Flavor was not nearly as yeasty as I was expecting. It was kind of flat and dull. The malts came across as a bit too sweet and the fruit I picked up in the aroma came through as overripe. Picked up some cherries too which kind of saved this beer for me. Alcohol was also very nicely hidden. Mouthfeel was surprisingly lighter than I thought. However, my taste buds were kind of soured on this beer and I did not feel like order another.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2005 22:08:33 | More by MuddyFeet

PorterLambic

Florida

2.63/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a nice ruby red with lots of brown infused throughout. A good tan head with rather large bubbles on it. Not the color of your average triple.
Smell is malt and hops. Expected more but couldn't find it.
Taste is malty, with dark fruit all over and a light hop presence.
Mouthfeel is quite watery, not at all what I expected, but smooth. No indication that this is a 10% ABV brew anywher from smell through the last sip.
Drinkability is just all right. The flavor is good and slightly rich but with little for the nose and the watery feel I don't think that is enough to carry it into the ranks of the good triples.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2005 19:20:08 | More by PorterLambic

BrewMaster

California

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Served in a tulip style glass at Lucky Baldwin's Belgian Beer Fest. Beautiful dark brown color with a thin light tan head.

Smell: Fruity, very fruity, but in a good way. Citrusy (orange?) with a good malty nose as well.

Taste: This is what we've all come to see. Very complex and interesting flavor in this beer. There is a good bit of smoky taste to this beer with a some sandy notes. Really, the beer is rich with fatty, bacon slathered malts. There's something silly going on in this beer. It's a good but nearly indescribable smokiness that is reminsicent of my breakfast this morning. It certianly doesn't taste like a Schlenkerla or anything, but it makes me think that this beer has lusted after the Schlenkerla on many a late night. There are other flavors though, despite what my review may lead you to think. The citrus flavors continue to the end along with a unique fruitines that I shall call pomegranate for lack of a better descriptor.

Mouthfeel: It dances in my mouth with smoothness not known to many beers. No funky aftertaste, just a clean, palate molesting goodness.

Drinkability: Sure, I'll have a another. I don't mind if I do. Chop chop love, get me another!

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2005 05:29:08 | More by BrewMaster