Oud Beersel Bersalis Tripel - Brouwerij Oud Beersel

largadeer

California

2.1/5  rDev -41.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Effervescent pale gold in the glass, topped by a thick frothy cap. Clarity is pretty good, and so is head retention.

The aroma reminds me of, uh... Pop Rocks? Grape Kool-Aid? Maybe a bit of Pucker Powder Candy? I'm afraid to drink this.

I do it anyway, hopefully because I've got an adventurous palate and not because I'm a drunken hobo. It tastes curiously like someone dissolved a handful of grape flavored candy powder in a beer. It's a bit grainy, malty, like it could possibly be a good beer with any other yeast strain. I'm not sure what else to say. I'll let the scores do the talking.

Update: I just sneezed a few times and now my nose is stuffy and I can't smell or taste anything, which suddenly made this beer much more enjoyable. Highly recommended if you're suffering from a sinus flu and want to get drunk.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 04:42:03 | More by largadeer

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.38/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Had a draught version in the top bar of Delirium Tremens Dec 2011: almost enjoyed it! Would have scored higher if I'd reviewed this on-tap version.

Here's the original review:

The second beer in 'a random Belgian tasting evening' held with my wife. Posh brown 33cl bottle, best before Apr 2011, drank mid Nov 2010.

The beer was poured slowly into a Duvel glass, sadly half way through the pour a huge globule of sediment flew out of the bottle inpregnating the glass with large lumps of floating yeast and whatever friends it had lurking at the base of the bottle.

The beer was a cloudy, dull, old gold colour with flotsam taking its time sinking to the bottom of the glass. I watched the white head disappear quicker than I watched the beer clear.

The smell was of strong yeasts (the glass was full of it, so what did I expect to find?) and alcohol, nothing else.

I couldn't wait all night, so I started to sip the beer as soon as I saw a clear portion at the top. The beer is just a sweet, alcohol carrying Vessel, disappointed.

No depth of flavours, no uniqueness or redeeming features at all. It could have been a can of any super strenght lager that alcoholics seem to favour (apart from the look of course).

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 12:39:41 | More by BlackHaddock

impending

California

2.42/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

33cl into a tulip. Pours a clear dark butterscotch, towering dense pure white fine bubbled head but the carbonation is unusually large bubbled. Clumpy frothy lacing.

Aroma strong of light skinned fruits and powdery yeast, distant citrus.

Yeast dominates the taste, minor fruits and loud alcohol. Sweetness is more prominent in the finish rather then the typical beginning. The finish is slightly unpleasant. The bitterness in the finish seems more rancid than from hops - but not as bad as that may sound.

Full bodied, slightly cloying mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 22:39:59 | More by impending

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

2.73/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A-Honey colored with fluffed nimbus head. Oh god, there are demons flying around in this beer. The aggressive bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass are propelling multiple chunks of detritus around. There is one particularly large hunk that is lazily floating around and subtly thinking to itself 'HA! I will be inside you soon".

S-Belgian inspired fruitiness. Spicy and yeasty. Apples and pears are the noticeable fruits (the usual for me whenever I drink this specific style, or styles like it). A bit musty too. Alcohol is noticeable enough.

T-Pale fruits that most remind me of bananas, pears, and apples. Drying alcohol. Yeast flavor really hangs around. Kind of a rough flavor. Sweetens out as is warms. Makes me cringe a bit after a few sips.

M-Heavier feel. A lot of carbonation. Lasting aftertaste.

O/D-Noticing beer by beer that this is not a highly preferred style for my palate. This one isn't for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 03:47:33 | More by VelvetExtract

Brabander

Netherlands

2.88/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

What is the matter with this beer? Do i have a wrong bottle? On the bottle it says 'blonde tripel'and best before november 2011.

Poured this beer in my Struise glass. Thick five finger head with a very disappointing fluid, stuff floating around in this beer.

Almost no smell at all and the taste is normal, certainly not above normal. The only posite thing i can say about this beer is that the alcohol is well hidden.

Case closed...

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 21:24:40 | More by Brabander

SmokinSmyth

Belgium

3.05/5  rDev -15%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Like other reviewers, the matter of sediment and general "stuff" when pouring had me double check the date on the bottle, which was May 2012, so not the problem.

Very fruity smell along with yeast, which was pleasant.

Taste is average, although probably on the slightly better side for a 9.5% abv.

Felt average in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 19:00:51 | More by SmokinSmyth

womencantsail

California

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: The pour is a cloudy pale color with a very large, rocky white head.

S: Smells more like a crappy lager than a tripel. Mostly smells of corn and sweet sugar. There's some sweet apples, maybe a bit of pear. A hint of yeast and more sugar.

T: Fairly sweet, but not as bad as I feared from the aroma. A bit of straw, overly ripe, almost rotten. A bit of straw, maybe some grass. There is a pale malt flavor, maybe a little bit boozy.

M: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.

O: Far too sweet, a bit boozy, not my thing.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 02:27:57 | More by womencantsail

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A golden beer with a massive white head, forming a nice lace. Lots of carbonation.

Smell is a bit musty, a light malty taste with a hoppy aroma, which is a tad raw and a bit grassy and herbal. Some hints of solventy alcohol.

Taste is pretty sharp and solventy. Bitterness is quite high. At least the bitterness taste high, and this has probably a lot to do with the very thin mouthfeel, caused by an abundant use of sugar.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 21:14:59 | More by Absumaster

GRG1313

California

3.48/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've not just sat down and tasted and posted reviews for awhile so, I'm having a Sunday tasting for myself.

Best before date on the bottle of March 2013.

This one is hard to judge as it's well
made on an objective standard but not really my thing; basically to "sweet" and perhaps a bit out of balance for me.

Hazy light gold with a thick pure white foamy thick head.

Huge fruit esters in the nose; big cooked carmeled banana nose.

Mouthfeel is medium full bodied with a light creamy character. Perhaps a bit out of balance in that there is huge sugar-sweet cooked stone fruit in the front that goes to a sweet honey middle and a sweet honey finish, all with an underlying light unassertive bitter hop.

Finish gets to a honeyed pine bitter but still retains that "estered/honey/sweet" character.

All in all not bad but not my style. Just all around too honeyed/thick sweet for me. I can see where many would like this and there are many old ales that have this big sweet assertive ester character - seems to hide some of the higher alcohol.

I have judged on as much of an objective standard as I can for this one and not on my personal likes.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 20:36:03 | More by GRG1313

popery

California

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Decent tripel. This beer is a light yellowish orange with a foamy white head. Good lacing. The aroma is Belgian yeast, light malt and an unfortunate solvent note. The flavor is rather sweet and sorta simple. It's just a lot of light malt and not enough earthy depth from the yeast. There's some booze in there, too. It's not a bad beer at all but just above average for a tripel. Mouthfeel is effervescent. It's always nice to try a new Belgian.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 07:06:51 | More by popery

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is an even brew, but it doesn't really follow a smooth tone. A bit of a burn with a boozy tone. Quite a bit of yeast on there. Overall, it seems too "bright." It's a drinkable beer and not too bad, but it doesn't really fit to style that well.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 05:24:26 | More by RblWthACoz

HardTarget

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle Inspection: 9.5% abv., December ’08 (sampled December 07).

Aroma: Floral hops on a light malt base.

Appearance: Three finger head on a golden glass with considerable protein chunkiness 

Flavor: Floral hops take the lead, light tripel taste with a little honeydew melon and other light fruits.

Mouthfeel: Medium light body.

Overall Impression: Nice beer, lacking some of the more Belgian notes of a Tripel, I’m guessing yeast selection has something to do with it. Shame it was chunky, I poured it through a coffee filter and that helped.

Another big thank you to Bierschenker!

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2007 04:10:39 | More by HardTarget

flagmantho

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 750mL bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: rich golden hue with an absolutely crystal-clear body. Head is two fingers of frothy ecru foam which seems to be dissipating somewhat rapidly.

Smell: very mild malt component is covered up by a big blend of pear and green apple. Usually I like this combination, but in this case it's a little on the thin and cloying side.

Taste: very similar to the aroma. A mild malt character is married to a candy-sweet pear and green apple flavor. It's not bad, per se, but it feels a little, I don't know, childish for a tripel.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a great level of carbonation. The creaminess is huge but somewhat ephemeral -- it disappears quickly on the tongue. Still, quite nice.

Overall: this is a pretty simple tripel, but it's not necessarily a bad one. It's just a bit sweet and candy-like to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 03:52:50 | More by flagmantho

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From a 330ml bottle with a lable that has a best before date of “e-J”

Pours a hazy straw yellow/orange with a small slightly off white head. Smells of booze, bread dough, and Belgian yeast. First sip is thick and hearty with a clean taste. Pears, pineapple, bread dough lead the way. More like a pale ale than a Belgian Triple. Mouthfeel is quite good as the carbonation is spot on. I love this brewery but will focus on their Krieks and Geuze as that is what they excel at. Not bad but not outstanding like the beers I mentioned.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 03:59:38 | More by ATLbeerDog

benclimbs

California

3.58/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

bought this after LOVING their big kriek that they make.
the look of this beer would be wonderful, except there is WAY too much thick yeast sediment floating around in the glass -impossible to see one square millimeter without sediment funk in it.

smell is good - a little boozey, but its balanced with lots of esters, and ripe apricot/banana/tropical fruit character and some cardamom/spice.

taste is somewhat nice - a good tripel i suppose, not sweet, fairly dry and bordering on tart at the finish...but its just very underwhelming,

overall, it has a good mouthfeel and is an excellent drinking beer...but for a bottle fermented belgian tripel, not worthy of a 4.0 rating, probably wouldn't buy it again for the price.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 00:34:54 | More by benclimbs

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by drabmuh. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pour brings forward a golden-hued beer with bit of haze. REally nice white head with a bit of lacing as it goes down. The nose offers some mild spiciness along with some slight pear and other light fruits. Maybe some white pepper in the background. Seems more like a tripel or a Belgian pale given the mild spice and the hops that come into play with the flavor, which presents spice, mild fruit, and a nice dry and bitter finish. Medium body with good carbonation. Drinks pretty well. Not a bad effort.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 03:18:14 | More by Thorpe429

drabmuh

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Bruery tulip. Beer is yellow and mostly clear, heavily carbonated, nice white head, small and medium bubbles, lots of lacing, nice looking beer.

Aroma is mildly pilsen sweet with some breadiness, mild yeast character.

Light in body, carbonated on the palate, beer leads off with some sweetness and has some mild yeast esters in the midpalate, the finish is a little dry but pleasant. no bitterness to speak of, easy drinking little Belgian ale. I'd have it again but it's nothing too special.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 04:35:08 | More by drabmuh

Parrotshake

Australia

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got a couple of bottles of this recently and both have been gushers, but I kind of forgot just now and some of this is on the kitchen floor. Dang. Pours a slightly-burnt orange with a huge but compact white head, which stays the distance. Tons of lacing too.

A very prominent nose of stone fruits - nectarine, apricot. Kind of a strange musty, yeasty note underneath it, but quite appealing.

Taste mirrors the nose at first, with big fruity esters to the fore. This quickly fades and unfortunately, there's not much else going on. A bit of pepper & spice, hits the tongue sweet but finishes dryish and lightly bitter with a not-overly-obtrusive alcohol note.

Well carbonated, but something's a bit off. A little sticky, a little abrasive and not all that refreshing. Good tripel/BSPA (depending who you ask - the label clearly says 'tripel') all told, but not anything to go nuts about. Also, it was brewed to raise funds for Oud Beersel's lambic operations, so you should probably get some anyway on account of the worthy cause. It's pretty enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 09:47:57 | More by Parrotshake

Okierat

Oklahoma

3.68/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer pours with large creamy white head lacing the glass. Deep straw to golden color with slight haze. Aromas of apple/pear with a light spicy character. Light malt aromas no hops noted. Flavor is similar to the aroma, apple/pear esters with some spice character enhanced by a slight alcohol warmth. Beer starts out with a malty sweet character and ends on a slight dry note with some alcohol notes in the finish. Effervescent from carbonation with a light creamy mouth feel. Very nice beer, thank you Freddie @ BierGarten.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 01:37:48 | More by Okierat

voteforgoat

California

3.73/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the tripel that lambic-blenders Oud Berseel are brewing as a more regular beer. I believe Drie Founteinen was brewing it for them at one point. Best before Oct 2013.

A: Foamy head, blonde to light orange, slightly opaque, plenty of yeast in suspension. Well carbonated.

T: Bready malt and yeast upfront, then a light, lingering bitterness. IMPROVES and opens up as it warms. phenols, pear, a little bit of butterscotch.

S: mild smell, slight alcohol in the nose

M: well carbonated.

O: Fine beer. Would not pay the $4 I paid for this beer on a regular basis. That's not much, but trying to keep my beer budget to a minimum! If I was in Belgium, I would be happy to drink this regularly. Just read the label: 9.5 %. Wow! Well-masked, which I feel is a hallmark of good belgian brewing. I thought it was perhaps around 6.5 or 7.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 23:26:40 | More by voteforgoat

Blindpigbiz

California

3.79/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Style/abv: triple/9.5%

Smell: sweet citrus and spices

Taste: dark chocolate with a mild malty taste alongside herbs, spices, cane sugar, and clementines

All in all, this beer was an interesting take on triples due to the maltiness that it possessed. I didn't eat anything with this beer unlike the others I've reviewed, but I encourage someone to try this beer with carne asada--hopefully that works out for you

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 08:55:42 | More by Blindpigbiz

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours effervescent, golden with 3+ fingers of pearl colored head. Crazy head retention, slight hazing as the bottle is drained, superior lacing as well

S: Pears, breadyness, fusel alcohol notes

T: Pineapples, lemony hops, honey notes & a touch of pear brandy up front, Apple skins, tangy pineapple, dryness & a touch of passion fruit as this warms, Finishes with a touch of boozey pineapple, a slight doughyness & dry notes

MF: Medium bodied, lively carbonation, some coarseness to this

A pretty good Tripel, but had a few rough edges. Drinkable enough

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 03:36:19 | More by russpowell

nickfl

Florida

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with one finger of loose, white foam on top of a clear, golden body. The head settles slowly and leaves decent lace.

S - Spicy yeast notes of pear and red apple with a bit of licorice and black pepper. Sweet, pilsner malt in the background with some earthy hops.

T - Rich, thick malt washes over the tongue first with some pear and clove notes. The clove intensifies in the middle with a little more pineapple. The yeast becomes more peppery in the finish with an intense clove character that lingers. Moderate grassy hop flavors help to balance out the strong yeast flavor.

M - Moderately thick body, high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - A nice triple, the aroma is excellent though the flavor isn't as well balanced. The clove character is huge and dominates the beer in the finish. This clove flavor combines with the malt and becomes a bit cloying towards the end of the glass. The mouthfeel is really spot on. It is thick and creamy despite the beer's overall dry finish and this rich body goes perfectly with the rich malt character. Very enjoyable overall, and well worth trying though I don't feel like I need to stock my cellar with it.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 06:29:44 | More by nickfl

4000qtrap

Missouri

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Source/Serving: 11.2 oz. bottle, expires June 2013.

S: Lime oil, pear, saddle leather that resolves to clove as it warms, toast, a well rounded spiciness that comes from yeast and the alcohol. Definite alcohol but well integrated. Good intensity.

T: Quite malty for a trippel with nice toasty bread and yeast character up front with plenty of bitterness that overwhelms the sweetness from the start. Light pear. Loads of herbal hops with a medium-high bodied, slightly oily character and medium-high carbonation. Middle has lots of clove and other spices. Finish is dry and round and surprisingly sticky with lingering herbal hops that have a musty, iron-like, clove imbued tinge and a hint of the well hidden alcohol.

Notes: Not your father's trippel. My suspicion is that this trippel doesn't have too much sugar adjunct with its heavy maltiness, medium high body, and almost sticky finish. Interesting. Also, I definitely get a slight barnyard character to this but maybe it’s the combination of musty, earthy, and clove that is tricking me.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 04:53:14 | More by 4000qtrap

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Oddly, unlike the photo in the review my own sample came with the label upside down. I wonder if the US received a shipment of "oops" bottles?

Poured a massive custard head with a very long lifespan. The body is a slightly hazed golden yellow color. It smells mildly of malt and grass and in that respect didn't strike me as a tripel. Taste has belgian candi sugar, malt, even a touch of sour to it, but no dried or tropical fruits. Medium finish.

Good beer, but not quite a typical tripel to me.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 11:04:07 | More by MoreThanWine