Trappist Achel 8° Blond - Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse

magictacosinus

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into chalice from an 11.2oz bottle. Freshness date is "29/08/13," but I purchased this in France around early December.

Pours a delightful golden, pale yellow color that's clear and barely filtered looking, even with the inclusion of yeast. There's a generous head that lasts the entire time in which the beer was consumed, which is fantastic considering there's barely any carbonation, as well as a relatively high ABV. Inviting as a top Trappist product should be.

Scents are fruity and herby all around, but there's a huge backdrop of sweetness no doubt produced by the alcohol quantity. Chardonnay grapes seem to permeate, as well as banana, pineapple, and lots of other tropical fruit. There's no malty whiff to speak of, which is fine by me, and it definitely is aromatic enough to hold up well.

The initial flavor is anything but alcoholic, but instead quite yeasty and sugary. The tropical fruit flavor continues, but definitely seems to reach levels I haven't encountered before in any Trappist product - or hell, tripel for that matter - which includes mango, passion fruit, and definite notes of banana. Hops persist and spice up the beer, but only so much. There's a bit of an alcoholic burn at the back, but it's warming and toasty overall. There's substantial carbonation jets with every sip, and it's thick and syrupy no matter how it warms up. The proof is in the never-ending head!

A great tripel, and while I wouldn't rate it higher than Westmalle's, it's still one that I enjoyably return to again. I love the fruitiness, but the excessive sugary taste over a more bitter option might make it considerably less enjoyable over time. Still a good starter for people wanting to try nice Belgian beers!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 07:39:43 | More by magictacosinus

pkenkman

Estonia

4/5  rDev -1%

06-16-2013 14:30:33 | More by pkenkman

ystazi

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

06-13-2013 20:59:55 | More by ystazi

thehappybelgian

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

06-08-2013 04:21:57 | More by thehappybelgian

Blindpigbiz

California

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Smell: subtle lemon notes with pears and herbs hit the nose within a few sniffs

Taste: the beer is the definition of bright and citrusy. With intense sweet lemons and limes alongside blood oranges, this beer is a citrus beast; cloves, subtle peppers, white oak, and effervescence also gives this beer a nice body, texture, and taste; even extremely subtle hints of very good vodka are in the background

Pairs well with: margarita pizza, traditional Caesar salad, and Alfredo pasta

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 22:36:04 | More by Blindpigbiz

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

05-27-2013 19:56:40 | More by Kmat10

bmwats

Louisiana

4.11/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33 cl bottle into a Westy chalice.

A: Hazy golden hue. Pours about a 2 finger, frothy, white head. Some effervescence clings to the sides of the glass. Craters slowly and unevenly leaving little peaks and valleys, and plenty of dry sticky residue behind as it does. Never fully dissipates. Thick, persistent lacing.

S: Hay, wheat, and lots o' yeast.

T: Yeast and hay with a touch of lemon zest and grapefruit.

M: Crisp and hearty. Yeasty aftertaste lingers throughout. A bit of a coppery finish.

D: Sip and love.

Atmosphere is really good. Hazy and golden, with a substantial head, and lots of thick lacing. Nose is yeasty and hearty. Grainy flavor, very yeasty, accentuated with a citrus tones. Overall, this is a great quaff.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 06:01:02 | More by bmwats

Rohkey

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

05-25-2013 00:41:14 | More by Rohkey

RaphaelSC

Brazil

4.39/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a golden yellow with a thick white head.

S: Fruity and sweet, with some cinnamon and spices.

T: Follows the smell with a fruity and spice flavour, has a good carbonation and hides the alcohol well.

M: The carbonation don't interfere in the aftertaste that is rich and complex with a mix of fruity and moderate bitterness.

O: Achel 8 is a Trappist Trippel of high class, very smooth and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 16:03:38 | More by RaphaelSC

HollyHops

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

05-22-2013 04:50:30 | More by HollyHops

hotsudge

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

05-15-2013 01:14:20 | More by hotsudge

JackOfAll

United Kingdom (Wales)

4/5  rDev -1%

05-12-2013 08:46:51 | More by JackOfAll

SStein

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

05-09-2013 09:48:46 | More by SStein

TallSaint

New York

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

05-07-2013 23:35:08 | More by TallSaint

Noyt

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

05-04-2013 00:31:31 | More by Noyt

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.31/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Nearly clear gold with a creamy white head that remains dense throughout the session. Excellent balance between fruity esters, hop spice, and a slightly rustic but crisp malt. Faint banana, coriander, nutmeg, pear, black pepper, with a slightly chalky bitterness. Dry and airy in the mouth. Goes down way too easy. An excellent Trappist ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:30:45 | More by bump8628

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1%

04-26-2013 23:33:25 | More by randylangford

alex_hart

Oklahoma

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: a translucent orangey yellow with a half finger snow, white head that quickly dissipates to a thin layer. Extremely high carbonation visible.

Smell: Pretty simple. Belgian yeast, a bit of sweetness, and a slight wheatiness.

Taste: Much of the same. Pretty simple in flavor, but it is successful in its subtleties.

Mouthfeel: Great carbonation upon the tongue with little to no residue left in the mouth upon the swallow.

Overall: This is a good tripel, not great, but good. Not sure it is worth the $5 per 12oz price tag, but if you have the extra cash, go for it.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 03:15:39 | More by alex_hart

ZethOfTheNorth

Louisiana

3.48/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, $4.

This was matched against Chimay White in the first round of my all-triple bracket.

A: Opaque gold, a shade lighter than the Chimay. Extremely clumpy, cloudlike head and a swirling sediment cloud just below it. No visible carbonation, but it's a storm in there.

S: Sweet bread, honey, red bean paste, and an unappealing plastic flavor.

T: Initial prominent sweet bun taste, unpleasant to this reviewer. It spreads out and improves somewhat, but remains problematically sweet even through the multiple layers. A tick of booze at the end.

M: Nice and full, appropriate carbonation.

O: A disappointment for a Trappist tripel and the resounding loser to Chimay White, which I scored 4.23. The unappealing plasticky sweetness is the memorable feature, and that's a drag,

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 16:02:54 | More by ZethOfTheNorth

JeffTheJuice

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1%

04-17-2013 16:08:07 | More by JeffTheJuice

jroberts8811

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

04-14-2013 00:45:49 | More by jroberts8811

Parrotshake

Australia

2.68/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Aside from Westvleteren I thought I'd tried at least one beer from every Trappist brewery until I saw this in the store this evening and realised I've never had an Achel beer either. Off we go, then.

Pours a clear... golden colour. Cripes. For some reason I thought I'd bought the Brune. Huge marshmallowy head and lots of little bubbles, looks good at any rate. Smells nice too. Candi sugar, underripe peach, sweet spices, something a bit vinuous.

Taste is a bit of a shock at first. Boy this is sweet. Hard candy, cantaloupe, wet grain and entirely too little spice. A bit of bready pale malt presence but not enough to stop it from being super cloying. Not really noticing the alcohol but in this case it might have given it a bit of sharpness that it seems to want for. Nice finish of medicinal herbs takes your mind off the sweetness until the next sip, which is admirable.

Mouthfeel is a bit sluggish, could use a bit more carbonation, but not bad for the style. Overall a bit of a sweet mess. I wouldn't know what to do with another bottle of this. The kind of thing that that gives Tripels a bad name.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 16:45:52 | More by Parrotshake

cbnz

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

04-11-2013 00:46:40 | More by cbnz

matthewweippert

Virginia

4/5  rDev -1%

04-08-2013 14:50:41 | More by matthewweippert

Ciocanelu

Romania

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

04-07-2013 11:35:14 | More by Ciocanelu