Wednesday 25 April 2007

Review: Chimay Tripel (White)

Chimay Tripel (White) from Bières de Chimay (Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont)
Rating: B+

Popped open and poured into a Duvel tulip to celebrate my last day as an undergraduate.

Appearance: Amber, almost orange in color. Big, rocky, white head with great retention. Some lacing. Fairly clear.

Smell: Belgian yeast (but not as intense as others...), spice, a certain "bite" to it that suggests bitterness. Some fruit.

Taste: More bitter than I was expecting, but perhaps simply because there's not a whole lot of flavor to compete with that here. Some yeast flavors (fruitiness) but not much. Very dry, reminiscent almost of Orval in that respect. Aftertaste somewhat astringent. You can just taste the alcohol, not surprised at the 8% but it's not overwhelming either. I do like the dryness, at least.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation perhaps a little on the high side. Light-medium body.

Drinkability: Disappointing after the rest of the Chimays, but I have high standards for this style and this one didn't fit my expectations - perhaps I'm not giving it a fair shake. In any case, nothing can disappoint me today: I'm done!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-25-2007 22:24:48


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