Steenbrugge Tripel - Brouwerij Palm NV

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appears a transparent gold with a fluffy white cap that quickly fades into a mild collar. Scattered bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of bananas, candy sugar, pils malt, touches of spice and dried apricots.
Taste if of the mentioned aromas with a fruity and floral blast pulling through.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, chewy, and sugary.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2011 18:57:50 | More by weeare138

larbush

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%

06-19-2013 02:04:53 | More by larbush

Kerrie

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

06-15-2013 23:56:21 | More by Kerrie

hayesjw

California

4/5  rDev +2.6%

06-14-2013 00:55:04 | More by hayesjw

Zaphog

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -16.7%

05-30-2013 15:35:08 | More by Zaphog

Alextricity

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Sampled at the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Appearance: Somewhat hazy yellow color with a huge head... spilled all over the place during the pour.

Smell: Well, it's a Tripel. Banana, crackery, a slight "Belgian" aroma.

Taste: Quite good. I haven't had TOO many Tripels, but this one's pretty good. The downfall with this one, I think, is that it's just too "warm." I've had Tripels with considerably higher ABVs that haven't felt so warming... this almost feels like 10% or higher. If it weren't for that significant warming, I'd give it a higher rating. As it is though, it's still a Tripel worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 17:55:57 | More by Alextricity

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

05-10-2013 16:13:41 | More by twenty5

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

11.2 oz. bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a very pale yellow. Two-and-a-half finger head of loose, fluffy eggshell white foam sets up like meringue and then slowly falls, leaving generous lace rings around the glass. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a light goldenrod in color and moderately opaque, with lots of effervescence rising from the bottom throughout the glass. Half way through the glass and there's still a fine covering of very tight bubbles solidly across the surface.

S - Honey, pears, bubblegum, lemongrass. A touch of white pepper sneaks into the nose. Light and pleasant, but easy to acquire. After warming, malts move forward along with a touch of light caramel.

T - A bit darker than the nose, but consistent with it. Apples, white raisins, and apricots with a dash of lemon. Light malts and yeast. In the middle, hints of banana and clove appear, reminiscent of solid German hefeweizen. Black pepper and a touch of cinnamon along with herbs that suggest thyme, caraway, and oregano mix together in the back end to provide a bitter balance to the fruits. ABV is very well-integrated and hidden, almost dangerously so.

M - Rather fizzy but easy to drink. Nice body - somewhat on the light side, almost delicate, but not at all watery thin. Components are well-integrated. Finish is fairly dry, rather short, and clean. Over the length of the glass, the spices, especially the pepper, start to accumulate and linger, and this becomes unpleasant.

O - I like the nose more than the taste, as I found the spices and herbs in the back end to be somewhat distracting from what I most enjoy about Tripels: their malts and fruits. If the taste would have been truer to its nose, this would be a winner. Towards the end of the glass, the pepper and cinnamon started to echo in the finish, like a ringing in the ears after a very loud concert. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, by all means, try this, because it's made from quality ingredients and quite tasty. Personally, however, I need to follow this with something that will turn off the spices that have accumulated and aren't going away on their own.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 08:30:25 | More by BuckeyeSlim

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I picked up a bottle of Palm's Steenbrugge Tripel last week for $2.79 at The Lager Mill. I was looking for some Tripel's that I haven't tried before and the price was right so I decided to give it a chance, so lets see how it goes. Best before 3/16/15. Poured from a 11.2oz brown bottle into a Belgian tulip.

A- The label looks nice, its got that old school and trapist like look to it, it looks classy. It poured a nice and hazy golden yellow color that took on some orange hues when held to the light with over four fingers worth of fluffy creamy white head that died down to a thin layer that stayed till the end and it left a tons of lacing behind. This is a very good looking beer, the color was good and the head and lacing were very good, I have no complaints at all.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness that had a candied sugar like aroma and was followed by a very earthy and grassy aroma that reminded me of straw and wet hay, with a real slight barn yard funk like aroma. There's also some lemon peel aromas with some yeasty esters coming through with a real slight bubblegum like aroma. On the finish there's some more earthy aromas and a pretty noticeable herbal aromas. The aroma is nice, but isn't very Tripel like, it remind me of Orval, or a funky saison that I once had, it's nice but it's pretty unusual for a Tripel.

T- The taste seems to be a lot different from the aroma and much truer to style, it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness that had a slight candied sugar like taste to it and was followed by a good amount of malts that impart some bready and sweet malt flavors followed by some earthy and slightly herbal flavors. Up next comes a nice medium banana flavor with some yeasty esters and a really slight amount of bubblegum. On the finish there's a slight lemon and herbal flavor, with a lower amount of bitterness and it had a sweet and yeasty aftertaste. This was a good tasting Tripel, it was fairly true to the style even with the absence of hops, the light herbal flavors worked well in this beer and the alcohol was hidden nicely.

M- Fairly smooth, a little dry, medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel was nice, but it didn't have that slightly fizzy carbonation that a lot of Tripels seem to have.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and a good example of the style, it didn't feel like that when I got to the aroma of this beer, but everything else seemed pretty in line for the style. This beer had good drinkability, it was fairly smooth, not filling, the alcohol was hidden well and the flavors did a good job at holding my attention, I think one bottle would be the right amount for me, the flavors might start to wear on me if I drink another one in a row. What I liked the most about this beer was the flavor and the appearance, they were both pretty good and were the highlights of this beer. What I liked the least about this beer was the aroma, it wasn't bad, but it seemed a little out of place and it wasn't true to style. I would buy this beer again when looking for a nice and affordable Tripel, it was priced really well and I would recommend anybody that likes Tripels give this beer a try. All in all, i was happy with this beer, I got a little worried when I saw that this was a gruit and had no hops, and I got even more worried when I smelled it, but when I got to the taste it came together nicely and it had most of the flavors that I expected. Good job Palm, you guys can be hit or miss for me but this one was pretty solid and it has sparked an interest to try some of the other Steenbrugge bee. It's not a favorite Tripel but it's far from my least favorite.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 03:53:09 | More by StoutHunter

JMS1512

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +9%

04-13-2013 14:06:40 | More by JMS1512

shehateme

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

04-13-2013 00:39:43 | More by shehateme

Kevin89065

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +21.8%

04-06-2013 20:35:23 | More by Kevin89065

HabiMendes

Rhode Island

3.84/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This clear, golden Tripel has an extremely fruity aroma, with tones of orange, apple, and banana, with background floral tones. I thought that the banana smell dominated all the others, showing itself as excessive. The hops are not present in the aroma, but the alcohol is. The fruitness is also apparent in the taste, and the hops could be more evident to harmonize better with the fruitness. The aftertaste, displaying European hops, is too short. Unbalanced Tripel, that goes reasonably with style (see grades), but not impressive.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 03:32:03 | More by HabiMendes

jkermitj

Mississippi

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

04-02-2013 23:49:17 | More by jkermitj

bacasnax

Florida

4/5  rDev +2.6%

03-31-2013 23:13:03 | More by bacasnax

mikepcarney

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +9%

03-31-2013 15:02:18 | More by mikepcarney

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance is honey amber. A tall head that pours quite dense and loosens as it fades leaving a good amount of lace.
Aroma I feel is the weak point because though there is a nice nose it isn't very pronounced.
Malts, spices yeast and a bit of hops come through but barely.
Drinks thin over the palate with effervescent giddiness. Flavored with malts, yeast and some spicy hops. Finishes dry and semi-bitter.
A good tripel and excels nicely.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 11:35:26 | More by micromaniac129

Shatter

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.6%

03-24-2013 00:20:05 | More by Shatter

blmar311

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +9%

03-17-2013 21:28:24 | More by blmar311

Chrysostom

Ohio

4.24/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

I just had a $15 of Koningshoeven Quadupel Oak Aged before this - or, more like half of one - which was severely disappointing, bordering on undrinkable, and a Chimay "Special 2012" Blue Label before that. I'm still mostly sober, and this review is live - not from notes of any sort, but puzzled out as I drink the potable in question.

This is my first ever bottle of this beer. It goes without saying my ratings are subject to revision upon additional bottles being consumed. I've been disappointed with new beers recently.

(As with all my reviews, contra some sites and some guidelines, I review according to style, ala BJCP, modified by personal preferences [contra BJCP], not according solely to personal taste.)

Without my normal, customary little introductory anecdote/story, without further ado, a review:

Presentation: 750mL bottle, corked and caged and wrapped in foil like champagne, poured in to a Chimay goblet/chalice. Served chilled, around 40-45ºF, warming as I write the review and sip. Bought around July through August of last year. $8.99 for a 750mL bottle. Thank you to Blacklick Wine and Spirits in Columbus, Ohio.

A: Bright golden colour, very clear for the style with the slightest haze (the yeast has settled nicely in to the bottom after I've aged this for nearly a year), with an absolutely ridiculously massive, fluffy head indicative of extreme carbonation, even on a gentle pour. The slightest bit of vigour on the pour giveth a head which be larger than the liquid beer. It looks like a Champagne the colour of apple juice, and, frankly, delicious. Lacing is non-existent even on a massive, three-finger head. Some white lees present in the transparent beer on the last pour.

S: Some barnyard funk and wet dog right off the bat, strongly reminiscent of Orval, with pretty strong undercurrents of bread and yeast, surprising for such a clear beer. There is absolutely, and I repeat absolutely, no alcohol character whatsoever present in the nose, which is surprising, again, for an 8.7% beer, especially served strongly chilled, bordering on cold. Some earthy hop, but little malt, is present in the nose.

T: This surprises me with how good it is. Light spicy flavours, reminiscent, again, of Orval: veritably savouring of Orval. Strong funk, again, like Orval. The spice is similar to that present in a Rochecfort, although here much attenuated. Huge amounts of bread and toast, yet again surprising me, for the fifth time (?) in this review, due to the clarity of the beer. Has notes of the ill-defined "Saison" style, just as Orval has.

Citrus on the front of the palate, an extremely dry, toasty (as in toasted bread or croutons) back-palate, which is quite refreshing. As is standard with Belgians, neither malt nor hops are the dominant flavour (even if the dominant ingredients), but the malt on this is by far predominant over the hops - although the hops are not meek, and make their presence known. Hoppier than most Tripels.

Mild floral (lilac and lavender) notes throughout. There is no alcohol whatsoever noticeable on the palate. This may be the least alcoholic-tasting high-ABV beer I've ever had. Moderately complex. Not as complex as a St Bernardus, or an Orval, but still pretty complex. I think I've teased out the main threads of taste, but not nearly all of them.

M: High carbonation. Astringent, yet dry and smooth. Clean. Champagne-like. The mouthfeel is the highlight of this surprisingly-good beer. Somewhere between 4.75 and 5 on the mouthfeel. It blends well with everything else.

D: Moderate. Complex, yet refreshing, yet again still high in alcohol. One could drink too many of these without becoming (too) tired of the taste, but it would be inadvisable. Not compulsively drinkable like a Chimay or St Bernardus, but quite above-average drinkability for a brew of comparable complexity and flavour.

O: This is a good, close to great, beer. As you have observed, the words "reminiscent of Orval" and "surprised" run throughout my review. For what it is (and, of course, it is what it is), Orval and surprise are my general take-away from this.

It hits the "Tripel" style on the head, with the addition of funky characteristics such as are present in Orval and some other Trappists. There seems to be a bit of a funky Saison-like character to this beer, as well. It's not as clean as the Tripel offerings from St Bernardus, Chimay, or Westmalle; all of the aforementioned are complex, but none have the Orval-like funk of this beer. It far exceeded my expectations. 90/100 for the style.

One and three-quarters thumbs up (I'm a bit more reserved than Siskel and Ebert), with a definite and enthusiastic "buy" recommendation from me, especially for $8.99/750mL. This beer could be sold for the standard "Trappist price" of $11.99/750mL and gather no untoward gazes. It's worth a try, especially if you like this style, Saison, or Orval.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 11:19:14 | More by Chrysostom

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Gastama hostel bar in Lille.

Pours clear gold with a soapy long lasting white head that laces the glass. Unending stream of bubbles float through the glass.

Smells nutty, yeasty, and fruity with pear, apple, and other general fruitiness.

Heavy malt flavors on this yet some herbal and slightly bitter hoppiness is there as well. The fruity flavors are there with some peppery spice.

Smooth and wonderful mouthfeel.

The hop level seems to separate it a tad from other tripels out there. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 04:37:26 | More by MattSweatshirt

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A golden beauty in the glass with pristine clarity. Unexpectedly clean looking. Foam collar ranges only a few millimeters.

Spicy, bready, and apple-y. Sting of booze, some quince, and a limoncello hint. Not off-the-chain as far as complexity.

Bready and spicy with more influence of apple, pear, and white grape. Toned-down booze. Yeast is a little peppery with notes of clove and banana. Tasty.

Super-velvety and languid. Not ruffled with carbonation, like some tripels. A little heavy-sitting. A satisfying afternoon beer, in feel.

Good beer. A tripel of the intermediate level. Doesn't reach too far, but the execution is here.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2013 07:18:29 | More by thecheapies

Juice-O

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +9%

02-20-2013 02:51:35 | More by Juice-O

LaurensDeJong

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +21.8%

02-08-2013 02:20:53 | More by LaurensDeJong

chakadrum

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

02-06-2013 03:48:33 | More by chakadrum