Val-Dieu Triple - Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu

semihobo

Michigan

2.05/5  rDev -50.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Best before end 15-01-09 on the bottle. 11.2 oz from a sample pack.

Foams a little upon popping the cap. Pours a light gold, cloudy body with a delicate, thin but evenly distributed head. It just occurs to me now that you can look at the bottom of the head by holding a beer up in the air, works pretty well in this chalice. Maybe I need to spend less time in the pool. As the beer is consumed, lacing is weak and the head has no staying power.

Smells both acidic and overly sweet. Can't pinpoint the spice but there is a prominent blend. Slightly chemical.

The taste is funky, which is not meant here as a compliment. Unrefined sweetness, with raw candi sugar and yeast byproducts that seem to marching to the beat of a different drummer. Minimal fruit, no clove, few of the delicacies one would expect for the style. Not lousy, but a little out of sorts. Slightly metallic finish.

Mouthfeel is slightly harsh on the finish, it would be nice to have lusher, softer carbonation.

Fairly weak within the style. Triples are great, and there are too many good ones to have a mediocre example. Below average for the style and very unimpressive.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2008 04:03:32 | More by semihobo

Vancer

Illinois

2.7/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Quite a disappointment. Pour from a 33cl bottle was a clear yellow, with a foamy white head if done aggressively.

The aroma, nothing – can’t believe it. Quaff was surprisingly dull and weak, No spice or sugar cane to be found. Mouth was the standard – thin and fuzzy from the carbonation.

Guess I’ll be on the bottom of reviewers, just found this boring and tedious. I should give it another chance, but doubt if I get around to it.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2006 13:31:48 | More by Vancer

JulieRFoster

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer is best enjoyed from afar. That is, its best aspects are in its appearance. The head is billowy and stiff like a meringue, with the same color. It has outstanding effervescence as large bubbles swirl clockwise around the bulb of the glass. Sticky lacing clings to the side of the glass like whipped eggwhites. The color is an attractive golden-blonde. It oddly smells like a heffe-wiezen with a lot of citrus in the nose. The taste is also citrusy, but it’s more orange while the smell is more like lemon. To its credit, the high alcohol content is practically unperceivable.
There isn’t must to say about this beer. It’s not great, but it’s not bad. Essentially it’s not worth getting unless you’re a frat boy who wants to get plastered without venturing too far from your demesne of cheap swill.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2006 02:06:35 | More by JulieRFoster

tschmidlin

Washington

2.88/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a clear medium golden - I left the sediment in the bottle. The initial aroma was sweet candy sugar with some honey, but with a discernable skunkiness.

The taste was similar to the aroma, but unfortunately the skunkiness was amplified. The finish was reminiscent of any old American Lager, like a Budweiser. As I continued drinking it smoothed out a bit, and towards the end of the bottle the skunked flavor was barely noticable. Of course, at 9% ABV and 750ml, that can mean my taste buds were a bit burned out. The candy sugar was still there though. The body was medium, with a roundness contributed by the residual sugar.

I have to say that overall this beer was really disappointing. I had it on tap just a few weeks back at the Seattle International Beerfest, and it was excellent. If you can find a fresher bottle, you may have better luck.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2003 05:30:56 | More by tschmidlin

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev -26%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Best Before: 09/09/10

Appearance: Pours a hazy, golden body with a tall, foamy, white head.

Smell: Interesting aroma smelling of a blend of white wine, green apples, yeast, and a simple pilsner.

Taste: Pilsner maltiness with a slight bready character. Pop of sugariness alongside green apples, a touch of alcohol, and a sour yeastiness. Dash of white wine. Mild spicy hops and bitterness. Finishes dry with a lingering sour fruitiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Moderate carbonation. Slight stickiness to the mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Passable. By no means by favorite tripel, I would definitely prefer a Chimay over this.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2008 00:47:37 | More by ChainGangGuy

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -24%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tarnished and pale hay yellow, yeast pour turns it opaque at the the end of the 750ml pour. No head was ever produced nor was any lacing ever evident. A poor quality appearance for a Belgian in my book. Perhaps a bad bottle as it didn't seem to have much pop with the cork twist.

Aroma is dull and yeasty dry with a smurfed in, super lagging citrus rind squeeze and a partial mustyness staying true to the overall.

Flavors are unimpressive with not much complexity going on within its taste as it nearly mirrors the dull aroma with mostly a yeasty dryness and a floating citrus rind fruity flatness. It has no real finishing qualities as it just kinda sits there making no change, nor does it attempt to. A slight tug of warmth in an ethonal-like surge makes a throat coarsing texture within the yeatsy dryness. Other than that... its borderline boring in taste for a Tripel.

Feel is soggy and flat in carbonation among a smooth, unexcited mediumish body. Very pale, quite dull, and underwhelming. Only thing likable is the warmth that does have a nudge of complexity in spice nearer the fade across the finish late.

"Disappointed..."

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2006 00:56:08 | More by tavernjef

dannyvee

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

paid $4 for a 11.2 oz bottle with best before jan '05 ticked on the label.
sampled in the val-dieu goblet
the foamy head stood for a while leaving nice lacing in its wake. cloudy, golden coloring. aromas of candy & floral. mouthfeel is medium/full with the floral notes further emerging. there was a slightly skunky flavor (esthers?) peppery.
it got better as i drank it (warmed up? the 9% setting in?) but i'm not sure that i'd get it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2003 00:18:05 | More by dannyvee

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew is a golden blond color with some yeast in suspension. It's generous head is soapy, and very stable, leaving lots of intricate lace. The smell gives the impression of a dry, yeasty, highly alcoholic beer. There's a little medicinal and phenolic quality...lots of yeast in the aroma, plus some alcohol. The taste is semi-sweet, with a Belgian yeast flavor and lots of pale malt. There's also a warming that borders on hotness, and isn't really well placed. Finishes a little sweeter than the overall taste. Fairly full in body. This one is satisfying, but not quite good, compared to similar classed Belgian Tripels. .

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2009 20:46:15 | More by Suds

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.28/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer is high in the rankings, but I am not overwhelmed with warm thoughts when I drink this one. The appearance of the beer is good, a orange, yellow color with a big lasting head.

Smell, however, was 100% lactic acid, no doubt about it. This is not ment to be this way. Some grainy and yeasty smells break through, but it is just not enough.

In the taste I can not detect the lactic acid and although the taste is pretty yeasty, this does not ruin the beer. It is fruity and a bit smoky. The yeast determines most of the beers flavors, with mango, peach and smoky tastes. Body is medium and a bit on the sticky side. Some acidity is in there, but on an acceptable level.

This was not the beer I expected.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2006 21:33:36 | More by Absumaster

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A little thin maltwise considering what the style makes you expect. Pours a big white head on a hazy yellow body. Candi sugar and Belgian spicines crowds out any malt. I had a bunch of big beers like this between adoption trips to Russia, to help clear my palate of nasty Russian pale lagers.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2005 17:15:24 | More by DrunkMcDermott

WeymouthMike

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy dark amber with a creamy head which doesn't fade, really I poured this from a 33ml bottle a good 40+ minutes ago and the head is holding strong.

Not much of a nose, with a strong sniff I detect phenols and some metallic like smell.

The metallic taste is the first characteristic I am able to find followed by the alcohol. Some light banana and cloves are also found.

Mouthfeel is creamy with little carbonation.

Not something I would go looking for. I wish I had a large bottle as smaller bottle tend to deliver as well in my experience.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2007 23:58:11 | More by WeymouthMike

geexploitation

Indiana

3.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours very clear and light gold, with a just slightly off-white head that lacks volume but coats the side of the glass in Brussels lace. Fairly slight aroma of white candi sugar and a vague, rough aroma... like fine-grained sandpaper, but the beige, uncolorful kind. What I'm saying is that the aroma is not too compelling. Taste is pretty sweet, with just a touch of hop bitterness that doesn't do enough to balance things out. There's a creaminess to the mouthfeel that combines with the sweetness of the palate to make things unpleasantly sweet. Overall, this is an OK tripel, but not something that displays the balance and depth of aroma/flavor that the better example of the style do. Nice to try, but not worth buying a second time for me... I'll stick with the Val-Dieu blond and brown -- they're better.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2007 00:18:01 | More by geexploitation

n2185

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear yellow-gold with two fingers of white head that fades into a white cap with decent lacing.

S: Some light spice and clove aromas up front followed by smells of biscuits and light breads. There are some sweet candy and light fruit notes in there, but they're surprisingly subtle.

T: Light fruit and clove flavors at first followed by a slightly bitter bread and yeast flavor that dominates all other flavors. There is an underlying honey-sweet flavor as well.

M: Light body with high carbonation, this beer is pretty well attenuated but there is a bit of an underlying sticky sweetness that keeps it from being as crisp as it should.

O: A decent beer, but a bit bland overall. I'd like more presence from both the light fruit flavors as well as the spicy yeast characteristics. And while it's not as bad as many takes on the style, there's still a bit of a sticky sweetness in there that detracts from the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 03:11:24 | More by n2185

stumac

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

this brew pours up a crazy golden color with an immaculate white dome. the microscopic particles that get swept into my nose are yeast, malt sugars, peach. I take shots before work, baybuh! i taste a rollercoaster of fruits and yeasts and:

a walk through the city on a cloudy day
when someone stops you by yelling your name
you dont know what to do, you dont know what to say
then they spit in your your face and you stumble in dismay.

medium bodied, low carbo. smooth like a babe's ass. Keep this in mind, this berr has been aged for over 200 years ( minus 199) so it is quite on the smooth side and it quenches quite quickly and qualifies it for the quad run.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2009 04:34:27 | More by stumac

kbnooshay

New York

3.4/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from an 11.2 ounce stubby bottle. The fizz was loud as i poured it into the glass. The body was a gorgeously hazy orange-gold. There is lots of sediment settling to the bottom. The white foamy head had good retention.

Smell: Peppery and alcoholic with some nice sweet orange/fruity aromas.

Taste: Very sweet and malty. Slightly dry and tart at first. I picked up a nice orange hint. The flavor is pleasant but there is some acidity that takes away from the overall score. I could barely detect any hops, the brew was dominated by sweetness and malt. The feel is moderate to light.

I actually wouldn't want more than this 11.2 ounce bottle. It is way too unbalanced, acidic and a sweet tart overload. The lack of complexity also keeps it from being anything special.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2008 03:18:19 | More by kbnooshay

Mitchster

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours out to a lightly hazy medium-golden, forming a large and clumpy, soapy bone-white head with very good retention and nice lacing. Carbonation is moderate. Aroma is predominated by apple juice, cloves, and a wiff of alcohol. I'm distinctly picking up on orange peel but it could be my imagination as it would be odd for the style. No bananas. Mouthfeel is crisp and sharp with a medium and lightly syrupy body. Alcohol adds a stinging quality. Taste begins with grainy cereal notes and cloves, quickly overpowered by isopropyl alcohol esters and it's associated mouthfeel. Bitterness is mild and cereal sweetness runs throughout the middle. There is an odd grainy sweetness and wheat adds a lightly ruddy mouthfeel towards the semi-grassy finish. Lingering notes of candi sugar but it's not syrupy sweet.

This is an odd duck...it certainly passes as a triple, but the cereal, alcohol and grass make it quite odd for the style. There are many better triples out there for the price (I paid $3.49 for a stubby 11.2 oz bottle). Not impressed with the 2 brews I've had from this brewery so far. Pass on it.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2005 16:52:55 | More by Mitchster

stcules

Italy

3.45/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Golden yellow, turbid, with yeast. Good withe foam, thin and abundant, with good laces.
Fresh and floreal smell, with cutted grass. Good but nothing very special. Maybe a note of balsamic?
The taste is good. fresh, bread, yeast, wood notes (?).
Medium body.
Aftertaste is bitter, but not too much.
Good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2003 13:04:03 | More by stcules

Philousa

California

3.49/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A golden, tawny yellow beverage, pours very clear and has carbonation to spare. The myriad streams of bubbles float to the top and replenish the two finger head as quickly as the top bubbles burst. The foam seems endless and hasn't subsided for at least a minute since I poured the beer. Settles soon after, but bubbles keep coming. Seems like it's putting on a show. A sweet juice, champagne-like aroma starts things out along with sweet, light fruit: pear & green apple. A mild steely metal aroma lingers underneath. There is a pungent, strong dough aroma that comes though occasionally. Lots of flavors hit at once: sweet fruit described earlier, doughy German pretzel, thin, metallic flavor that often accompanies high gravity pilsner malts, and an earthy bitterness that grows towards the end and lingers on the back of the tongue. Feel is slightly viscous and finish is decidedly dry. Both appropriate for the style.

Though I'm growing weary of Tripels, after having discovered that St. Bernardus makes the best one, this is truly interesting considering it has a limited range. Remind me of champagne so much that MGD should be sued for their "champagne of beers" slogan.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 04:34:42 | More by Philousa

frank4sail

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Light gold to straw yellow in color. Not much head to speak of other than a slight white outer ring of fine lace. Slightly under carbonated with a few little bubbles. Flatness hurts the mouth but it is a smooth brew on the palate. Not a ton of nose but there is a honey sweetness detected. The taste enforces the honey theme as well as a dry tartness that is left on the tongue. The mouth is left with a film of honey and floral hoppiness. The brew is good but a little too sweet and undercarbonated to truly make me want to come back again and again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2003 08:50:31 | More by frank4sail

NahpunGnome

California

3.5/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle poured into a Chimay Goblet.

A - Not as cloudy as I expected since this is a Tripel. The head isn't too tall, but looks nice.

S - I sense mostly bananas and a slight hint of alcohol.

T - Not as yeasty as I expected. There's also a slight alcohol in the aftertaste. Not too sweet and fairly balanced.

M - Just like its appearance, not too thick, not too thin.

D - Since there is an alcohol note in the aftertaste, the alochol tends to linger on my palate the more I drink. Some may not like to have more than 1 or 2 servings of this.

Summary - This is a pretty good tripel, but isn't the stereotypical one in my opinion. The color seems a little darker and not as cloudy as other tripels that I've tried. I think the alcohol could be hidden a bit better.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2010 22:00:58 | More by NahpunGnome

qcitydarkstar

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a chalice from a 750ml bottle.

My Val-Dieu Triple poured a light orange color that took a faint amber glow in the light gleaming with sediment. A monstrous, billowing two-inch head developed that settled unevenly with one side gradually rising as the other fell. The scent was lightly alcohol and nondescript.

Despite boasting a high ABV (9%), this ale was very light in flavor with hints of white grape, orange and nutmeg. Although this beer did not seem very carbonated, it had a very champagne-like sprite and sparkle. While refreshing, something was very off in the aftertaste, filling the back of the tongue with cupric and soap tastes.

Ultimately this ale proved refreshing in the same manner as a good saison, but a little bland. With the wealth of tripels that exist in the modern American beer market, I doubt I would purchase this again, but I encourage all to try and make up their own minds.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2005 21:39:45 | More by qcitydarkstar

rajendra82

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pale golden appearance is clear, as the yeast is not poured in the goblet. The head is tall, pillowing, and delicate. It does not stand well to the rigors of sipping. Carbonation is quite subdued for the style.

The aroma is perfumey sweet and a bit woody. The taste is also mild by Belgian standards with a bit of sweetened grain taste, and notes of oak, vanilla, apple, and pear. The taste becomes a bit more sharp and spicy after pouring the yeast in the glassware. There is a tinge of hop bitterness in the ending. The alcohol is very well hidden, and only shows up as a mild afterburn.

The beer is quite well made, but lacks enough character to run with the big boys. A welcome addition to my portfolio nonetheless

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2004 03:39:53 | More by rajendra82

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

330 mL bottle, poured into a Duvel tulip. BB 23/02/2012. Served around 6-7C initially.

A: Nice white head with stellar retention and beautiful lacing. The body though is a little murky (I know I let some yeast in there, but not that much) and a touch more to the brown end of the spectrum than I was expecting.

S: A bit of bready yeast that is dominated by an enjoyable traditional belgian nose with a light bit of earthy funk (not strong enough to be considered a barnyard aroma) and a bit of cherry fruit

T: A bit of a letdown honestly. The body has a nice level of viscosity without being thick or cloying, just reminding you of the barley from whence it came. The esters aren't terribly strong in the body though, being overtaken by a bit of alcoholic heat and the body. Personally I like my belgians to be a touch more assertive than this.

M: As above. Enjoyable as it gives a solid body to enjoy the beer with.

D: Decent, nothing to write home about though.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 23:05:47 | More by kjyost

Wonka

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

25.4 FL. OZ.
9% ALC./VOL.

Massive amount of air rushed out at uncorking. There’s a good amount of yeast waiting so be careful on the pour.

Appearance – just a touch cloudy; golden body with a constant stream of bubbles rising to feed the head; lush, lofty white head; sheetlike lacing; really one of the more impressive tripels I have seen

Smell – somewhat like a candy cane with a heavy dose of spice

Taste – spices from start to finish; yeasty; a bit of a cooked green bean taste; a dose of an early pear; there’s a light banana taste in there and maybe a hint of green grape

Mouthfeel – nice moderate body; smooth upfront and crisp, clean and dry at the end

Drinkability - a good drinkable tripel; this doesn’t exactly fit my taste but in investigation, its rather quaffable

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2005 21:05:39 | More by Wonka

Paddez

Belgium

3.6/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bought at the cultuur & folklore festival in Wijnandsrade

This beer poured a cloudy golden brew with a decent head. Good lacing.
Aroma is malty and spicy with some funky/barnyard yeasty aroma's popping up in the backgournd. Taste has these same yeasty, woody flavours but is also spicy and fruity. There's no bitter finish, so the beer becomes a bit too sweet and tiring after a while. Crisp and pleasant mouthfeel.

Not nearly the best beer in this style but still a pleasant and solid example.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2005 16:55:30 | More by Paddez