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“A Belgian style Tripel experimental fusion beer where the candi sugar adjunct was replaced with unfermented Sauvignon Blanc grape juice from the 2014 Marlborough harvest. The end result is a beer where the typical Tripel banana and spice fermentation derived characters are complemented by vineous yet fruity and tropical notes.”

This special edition release also came with a rum barrel aged Quadrupel which we reviewed very recently. Unfortunately it was way off the mark for a quad so we’re really hoping this Tripel can restore back some faith. Corked and uncaged then served in to a beer tulip. The appearance offers a bright golden colour with good clarity. The short and compacted white head grew to about 1cm before collapsing on itself, leaving a thin film over the top. Some lacing is left to be seen, but it’s watery and sparse. The aroma is a little restrained for a Tripel, we are getting some delicate wafts of your typical Belgian yeasts – banana, clove, apple/pear and esters but they are slightly outweighed by the wine components – white grapes, stone fruits and lime. To be honest the two characteristics do work well together without any sort of clash. Decent aroma. In the mouth it feels light and oily with mild carbonation. Medium bodied. Very palatable, it seems to breeze down with hardly any grip. Following on from the aroma is, again, another decent display of balance between the sweet Belgian yeasts and the fruity NZ grapes. Initially, like the aroma, flavours of banana, pear, alcohol and muted spice are followed by grapes and stone fruits with a slight Sauvignon-like acidity. The subtle alcohol (9.3%) warmth seems to gel the two combinations together as it finishes light and dry with an emphasis on spice. We would have to give points here for daring to put a spin on a Belgian recipe that’s been brewed the same way for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Unlike the rum barrel quad they have got the balance right. Give me an original Belgian Tripel any day but this spin on a classic style has to be respected. Gutsy, but it’s come off and it is quite a nice beer.

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It’s always a good sign when you check out some stats on a beer and see more than a dozen medals ranging from bronze to gold over a decade have been awarded to it. That’s the case here and it comes as no surprise when we find out that Josh Scott (owner of Moa brewing) has local winemaking royalty in his blood, being the son of a very well known and respected Marlborough winemaker, Allan Scott. This passion for wine comes out in his beer as we take a good look at the bottle – corked and resembling a half bottle of champagne.

We proceed to pop the cork and pour into a wide rimmed tulip glass. We’re met with a hazy, honeyed amber appearance that’s capped off with a short white head which takes about a minute or two to peel away to a fine covering. Wet, streaky lacing is being omitted. Smells wonderful, enough to excite the most seasoned Belgian beer drinker. Big yeasty component here, we pick up lots of oriental spices (clove, star anise, nutmeg) banana, bubblegum, pepper and vanilla initially. A little muted honey sweetness, hints of pear/apple and citrus work nicely in the background. Great start, sticking very true to style and getting it right. Nice and creamy in the mouth with a healthy tickle from the 9.5% ABV. The carbonation is moderate with a beautifully weighted body. Certainly has some good grip on the tongue. Quite complex on the palate, upfront the taste buds are in a frenzy trying to isolate flavours of banana, clove, sweet malts, honey and slightly tart lemon. Incredibly, all these are carried forward through the mid as an evident warming of the mouth is brought on by the alcohol volume. The finish sees a tapering off of the alcohol and a substitution with a sharp and dry peppery spice that endures on the tongue. Damn fine brew here. We love how the brewer has kept true to style but put his little spin on it. Really good drop.

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A good American brewery this one, so it’s a safer bet for us as it is easy for non-Belgian brewers to flop when brewing Tripels. This one is brewed with real coriander so we’re interested to see how these guys shape up with this complicated style of brewing.

Served in a beer tulip. The appearance is as clear as day with really active carbonation. Dozens of separate streams rise up to the compact 1 finger head that quickly shrinks down and holds at a very fine covering on top. Lacing is average. Smells good, similar to a Chimay or a La Trappe with it’s firm presence of fruit esters, spicy yeast, pear, coriander, banana bread, clove and orange. Solid aroma. In the mouth it’s quite smooth with a creamy texture. Carbonation is moderate with medium-full body, lightly gripping the tongue on the way down. The flavour is where we get a little bit of the US thrown in as the characteristic Belgian yeasts offer up banana, pear and a peppery spice upfront. A firmer than usual hop bitterness cuts through and is accentuated by a slight alcohol warmth (7.8%) through the mid. A malty sweetness bridges the mid and delivers a fruity finish with a mild, spicy dryness on the rear palate. Good length. We have to give credit to the brewers here they have produced a respectable Tripel. Is it on the same level as a Chimay or a La Trappe? Almost. These guys should be very happy with their brew, we dare say it wouldn’t be easy taking on the Belgians at their own craft.

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“Leffe Tripel is an authentic blond abbey beer full of character that experiences a secondary fermentation in the bottle due to the presence of yeast. Its flavour is robust and refined”.

For almost 800 years Leffe has been brewing from the same recipe, I mean you don’t have to be a big fan of history but that is simply amazing. The beer we are about to consume is almost the same brew as one of the Monk brewers would have drank back in the mid 1200’s. Absolutely incredible thought. Served in a beer tulip the heavily clouded orange pour produced a 1 finger head before reducing to a halo around the edge of the glass. Mild lace. All those lovely Belgian, yeasty aromas are on show here as we revel in the abundance of banana, orange, pear, caramel, clove, brown sugar and alcohol. In the mouth it’s smooth with a creamy texture. The carbonation is quite mild and the body is full without being too heavy. Upfront the taste buds are treated to a short burst of banana, caramel and spice. Cutting through is a subtle alcohol warmth that settles through the mid-palate and provides a very sweet finish of caramelised sugar and candied pear. The 8.5% ABV is actually very well behaved, only really there offering support in the background of the aroma and flavour. Overall this was a pretty good Tripel from one of the better known Belgian Abbey breweries.

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“Duvel Tripel Hop is brewed with three hop varieties and each year the third hop is changed to provide its own unique taste and aroma. This keeps the final flavor profile surprisingly exciting for any true beer lover. For 2014 our brewers selected the aromatic hop MOSAIC from the USA.”

This is a limited edition release from the master brewery in Belgium. We’re excited about this marriage of Abbey and mega hops. This brew sits at 9.5% ABV and uses saaz, mosaic and styrian goldings hops. Pours a clear straw, champagne colour with a light, but foamy large head that dissipates slowly. Very floral this one..passion fruit, mango, lemon, Belgian yeast, and banana. The flavour backs up the aroma and has big, lively carbonation in the mouth. Alcohol is extremely well hidden here when swished around the mouth. The malt level is balanced here too. Mild spicy ness also. More passion fruit and banana/bubblegum in the finish. The Belgian yeast shows up on the back palate. Good bitterness. We feel this is a good beer because of the balance. Nice work.

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“A magical, mystical Monkey whose golden soul glows with the wisdom of the ages. This warming, flavored ale is rich in the spirited tradition of Belgian-inspired brewing. Our Golden Monkey is both playfully delightful and profoundly satisfying. Exotic spices from the East round out this global journey to joy. Get on board. This Monkey’s bound for glory!”

This is our first crack at this brewery deriving from Pennsylvania, USA. Served in a beer tulip the clear golden pour whipped up a 1 inch white head that slowly faded to a thin covering on top. OK lacing. We’re always unsure of non-Belgian Tripels but we’d have to say this one smells good. Other than the strange dusty aroma the estery, yeasty wafts of banana lollies, clove, booze, apricot, bubblegum, spice and pear drops stack up with some of the best Belgian Tripels on the market. In the mouth it feels oily with medium carbonation. Medium-full bodied. An assertive alcohol sting gets things underway while the taste buds revel in an array of initial flavours such as banana, raisin, sugar and stone fruits. The mid-palate dries up with a short burst of bitterness that finishes sweet and fruity with good duration on the tongue. The 9.5% ABV is actually well buried despite it’s noticeable presence upfront. All the way through this we couldn’t help but think how similar this was to Murray’s Grand Cru. These guys should be really happy with their brew, this Tripel is a very respectable attempt at a very complex form of brewing. We’ll be looking forward to their next offering.

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“Tripel Karmeliet is still brewed to an authentic beer recipe from 1679 originating in the former Carmelite monastery in Dendermonde. Written over three hundred years ago, this recipe describes the use of three kinds of grain, wheat, oats and barley. The name Tripel Karmeliet thus refers to both it’s origin and in it’s in-bottle re-fermentation. From many trial brews of mulit-grain tripels carried out at our brewery in the 90’s, it appears that the particular historic combination of three kinds of grain still remains the ideal blend.”

This Tripel would have to be one of the most popular, although it’s not a Trappist, the recipe dates back to well over 300 years ago. Just mind blowing. Served in a beer tulip the translucent, almost milky straw-yellow pour produces a 1/2 inch white head before collapsing to absolutely nothing at all. No lacing which is to be expected. A decent twirl of the glass yields a mixed array of aromas including banana, champagne, clove, lemon, coriander, booze, white grapes, bubblegum and pear drops. Aromas like these are exactly why we love Abbey beers, they are so complex. The mouth feel is frothy with high carbonation. Medium-full body. The palate is amazing, with repetitive flavours of lemonade, bubblegum, banana, clove and booze that intermittently come in and out from the fore-flavour through to the champagne finish. The 8.4% ABV is so well hidden in flavour. How do they do it? How does a clear golden amber liquid offer so many aromas and flavours? We have so much respect for the history and the original brewing techniques used in these beers. So humbling.

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“The La Trappe name comes from that of the French abbey of ‘Notre-Dame de la Grande Trappe’ in the Normandy village of Soligny-la-Trappe, also known as ‘La Trappe’. This is where the order of Trappist monks originated. As far  back as 1140, Benedictine monks ran a chapel here, which later became the Cistercian ‘La Trappe’ monastery”.

We were actually quite surprised when we realised we hadn’t done a review on this bad boy. No need for any introductions here, all we need to know is that this is an authentic Trappist beverage. Served in a beer tulip the hazy amber orange pour produced a fizzy 1 finger white head that slowly collapsed to a halo around the edge of the glass. Off the nose we could pick up the dominant Belgian yeast characteristic of banana bread/lollies. Flowing underneath is an array of complex and floral aromas consisting of pear, apple, spice, booze, pepper, herbs and pot pourri. In the mouth it’s quite creamy with medium-high carbonation. Full bodied. Similar to the aroma the palate opens up with a dominant flavour of banana, coupling with a subtle alcohol burn (8% ABV). Peppery spice, fruit esters and toffee form in the mid-palate and are in turn complimented by a soft herbal finish with good length. Over the many years and many more Belgian ales we’d have to say that there are better options on the shelves. We felt the yeast elements was grossly over-represented here and could have done with more balance. Still, a highly palatable tripel.

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Picked this up from a tiny little independent bottle shop in Berry, South Coast NSW. Quite a strange name ‘De Dochter van de Korenaar’ translated to English means ‘the daughter of the ear of corn’. “From old records it appears that Emperor Charles V around 1550 preferred the “juice of the daughter of the Ear of Corn ‘better than the” blood of grapes. “In other words, Charles preferred beer over wine”.

Served in a tulip glass the heavily clouded amber/orange pour produced a tight 1 finger head that maintains for a minute or so but gradually collapses to a halo around the edge of the glass. Minimal lacing. The aroma is choc full of sticky malts, caramel and honey. Underneath this though is where all the Belgian magic is happening. Subtle yet rich notes of spicy Belgian yeast, banana, brown sugar, candied pear, apricot, grain and nougat are the reasons we keep coming back to strong Belgian ales. Simply delightful. In the mouth it feels slightly frothy and well-rounded with mild-medium carbonation. Medium-full bodied texture. Upfront a maturing and flavoursome splash of sweet fruit esters, toffee and white pepper fills up the mouth. A slight alcohol warmth (8.5% ABV) develops and moves forward onto a chewy finish of lingering caramel, brown sugar and grains. For such a rare and unheard of brewery this tripel has definitely won our appreciation. Boozy, rich, sweet and spicy. So Belgian. So good.

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“Watou Tripel is a traditional abbey ale brewed in the classic “Triple” style of Belgium’s Trappist Monks. This golden pale ale is mellow-sweet with lightly perfumed aromas and some spicy yeast notes. Rich and fruity with a soft mouth feel. (7,0% ABV)”

Served in a tulip glass the slightly hazy golden- orange pour produces a fluffy 1 finger white head that retains well but laces minimally. Plenty of suspended sediment, so watch your pour if you don’t like your floaties. The aroma offers everything you would hope to expect from a big yeasty Belgian tripel – banana, bubblegum, clove, dried fruits, herbs, apricot, booze and champagne all combine together so well it’s like a match made in heaven. An absolute delight to take in. The mouth feel has a slightly frothy texture with medium carbonation. Quite light on. Upfront we get sweet malts and hints of banana with a slight alcohol warmth on the tongue. Sweet malts and spice develop through the mid-palate while a subtle touch of peppery spice along with dried fruits and honeyed malts finish off an impressive tripel. The 7.5% ABV is actually quite low for a tripel but is used with precision in taste and aroma. You can’t really ask for too much more from this type of beer. Executed perfectly.

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“The Bocq brewery founded in 1858 by Martin Belot, is currently one of the few Belgian breweries still 100% family. Located in the heart of the wonderful tourist region that is the Condroz, this dynamic company has remained true to traditional manufacturing of high fermentation beers with bottle fermentation processes. Today, the sixth generation presides over the Bocq brewery that looks to the future with confidence.”

Releases such as Blanche De Namur, La Gauoise and St. Benoit are synonymous with quality beer and they are all the brainchild of Du Bocq. Served in a beer tulip. The clear golden pour generates a thick fizzy white head but unfortunately it diminishes quickly with average lacing. The aroma is offering everything you would expect for a Belgian tripel. Smatterings of Belgian yeast (banana, pear and spice). Hints of fresh herbs, stone fruits and sour dough are also detected. Lovely. Medium-high carbonation and medium body. Surprisingly light mouth feel. The palate delivers plenty of fruity characters (stone fruit, pear and apple) spice, some earthy notes and zesty orange peel leading to more sweetness in the finish. The 7.3% ABV is really well hidden. It’s good, but it just doesn’t have that pizzazz that an authentic Trappist tripel would. Not bad but not great.

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“Originally brewed by Carl in 2001 when, back in the day, punters weren’t quite ready for the sensory onslaught.. after biding its time, this Belgian style strong golden ale now has a beloved place in the market!”

Here here. Served in a beer tulip. Our slightly aggressive pour aroused a big, puffy 2 finger crown that maintains well. Excellent head retention that allows for dense lacing to cling to the glass. The bright amber appearance offers an attractive bronze glow that presents a slight haziness with active bubbles. Good looking beer. The aroma is a little disappointing initially as it struggles to offer any more than pilsner-like aromas of grain, bready malts and herbs. With a bit of time and adjustment to the room temperature we start to detect more funky aromas like clove, banana bread, tangy orange, buttered popcorn, dust, honeyed nuts and apricot. Woah! This really comes alive with warmth. In the mouth it’s velvety smooth with a creamy texture. Carbonation is mild with medium-full body. The flavour profile kicks off with with chewy stone fruits and banana bread over sweet honeyed malts. Subtle spice carries these forward through the mid as a very faint alcohol warmth develops late delivering quite a surprisingly smooth and fruity finish with really good duration on the tongue. The ABV (8.5%) masks itself exceptionally well as this beer just gets better and better. Well, a couple of minor hiccups at the start mean little when it wraps up nicely, and that’s what it’s done. Not quite on Belgian levels here but it’s a pretty fine attempt. Good drop.

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“Oak is a cosmic storehouse of wisdom embodied within its towering strength. The oak tree endures what others cannot. Each batch is brewed with fresh ‘tripel’ yeast borrowed from a secret location in Flanders. The beer has a complex flavour combining resinous bite from the American hops, spicy esters from the belgium yeast and fruit and cinnomon twists from the belgium fruits and spices. All finished with supreme British malt and candy sugar…”

This is our first crack at this breweries range. Served in a beer tulip it’s pouring a slightly hazy orange, forming a compacted white head that holds stubbornly, eventually shrinking down to a light covering over the top. We’re getting lots of spice (cinnamon, clove, pepper) off the nose which is being backed up by fruity hints of pear and citrus. Undertones of sour dough, oak and subtle alcohol also come through. Good depth. A delicate hop bitterness paves way to a mix of complex flavours including sour fruit esters, orange citrus, Belgian yeast and grainy pale malts. A restrained alcohol warmth (8.5%) in the finish also adds to the body of this beer. The only down side, though, is a very subtle soapy texture and flavour on the palate. Other than that it’s a decent quaffer. This is an impressive representation of an Abbey tripel from this Welsh brewery. Not bad at all.

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“A tripel is light, strong with big, dense and creamy head. It´s balanced with a sweet finish. We at Nøgne Ø like to do things our own way. “How to make a signature flavor in a tripel?”, we asked ourselves at one point. We concluded that peat smoked malt of Scottish origin was the answer. Subtle yet present. Enjoy with cheeses, seafood or poultry. Recommended serving temperature 6°C/43°F.”

We have a huge respect for this Norwegian craft brewery and rarely do they disappoint. We served in a beer tulip. Pouring a light copper orange with golden hues, it’s boasting a champagne-like fizziness with a tonne of active bubbles rising up to the short white cap. Not a great show of head retention, reducing to a collar with minimal lacing. Belgian yeasty notes (banana, pear, spice) dough, stone fruits and subtle undertone of peat make up this classy aroma. Medium to high carbonation. Frothy mouth feel with light-medium weight on the tongue. Slightly hoppy, with fruity/spritzy hints of champagne, spice, honey, a hint of peat/smoke and citrus. Flavour leaves a sweet and sugary jaffa-like taste on the back palate. Considering the intricate flavours, the presence of smoke and high alcohol percentage (9%) it makes for a very enjoyable sipping beer. Quite a strange tripel this one, although we liked the addition of the Scottish smoked malt against the Belgian yeasts. Not bad at all.

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We actually brought this bottle back to Australia with us after a snowboarding trip to Big White, Canada. Bought in a six pack, we consumed four of them and saved two so we could review them when we got home.

Served in to beer tulips. It pours a hazy, deep orange/gold that knocks up a dense 1 finger head that takes it’s time to reduce down to a firm covering over the top. Laced well. On the nose we’re getting earthy malts, yeasty fruits (banana, pear/apple) spice, bread, herbs and caramel. Nice, traditional-style tripel aroma. In the mouth it’s creamy with decent weight, coating the mouth well. The carbonation levels are moderate with medium body. The flavour profile offers a beautiful fusion of sweet and tropical fruits, spice, banana bread and some grassy/earthy notes to finish. A delicious caramelized sweetness, almost like brown sugar and dates creeps in as we imbibe. At 7.7% ABV the alcohol content is worked in to the flavour really well, never overpowering. We’re quite surprised how well this traveled, drinking exactly how we remembered it in Canada. Quite hard to find though, we haven’t been able to find this anywhere in Australia so you’re trying to find it you may need to order online at slow beer or the international beer shop. Brilliant French-Canadian tripel here. Up there with some of the best.

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There are only a select few of Australian breweries that can truly lay claim to a Begian Tripel that stacks up against the Abbey Monks of Belgium. We can only say that before drinking this beer because we have had the delight of drinking this Tripel a couple of times already, and it is exceptional.

We served this liquid beauty in a beer tulip. Our aggressive pour aroused an off-white 2 finger crown that slowly reduced to a firm layer on top. Good head retention that allows for some healthy lace trails. Nice cloudy orange appearance. Very attractive beer. The nose is offering up those big sweet, sugary overtones with plenty to back it up. We detect apricot, banana, clove, peach, pear, alcohol, rose water and a touch of pepper. Quite complex with a hell of a lot going on. Nice and smooth in the mouth with a light, creamy texture. Moderately carbonated with medium body. Nothing overly aggressive. The first few sips yield flavours of sweet stone fruits, spice and an evident warmth from the ABV (9.5%). The warmth from the alcohol gradually turns into a light sting through the mid while some residual sugars emerge late. The finish is sweet and sugary with some good length being displayed. Reflecting on the beer we are inclined to say that this is arguably the best Australian-brewed Tripel on the market. True to it’s style and an impressive resemblance to any decent Belgian brewed Tripel. Excellent drop.

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We absolutely love the Chimay series, the fact that it’s a Trappist definitely makes it unique and much more appealing.

Served in a beer tulip the hazy amber-orange appearance reminds us of a good looking IPA. Capping it off is a white 2 finger head that eventually settles to a light dusting that omits plenty of healthy lacing down the glass. The aroma is actually quite subdued for a Belgian Tripel with it’s champagne-like spritziness coming up the strongest while the milder hints of banana, clove, lemon, esters and alcohol are backing it up. Pretty standard aroma for a Tripel but no one can argue that the Belgians do it the best. In the mouth it’s slightly dry with a frothy texture. Lively carbonation with medium-full body. Upfront the firm citric lemon and slight tart sourness has a mild hay flavour to ease the intensity. Some light alcohol warming through the mid delivers a refreshing citrusy finish which displays good duration on the tongue. 8% ABV is evident in aroma and flavour but what would a Belgian ale be without a little booze burn? Solid Tripel, but to be honest, not as good as the blue label or even the red. Still, a nice ale.

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“Murray’s Grand Cru is a hybrid of the Belgian Trippel and Golden Strong Ale styles. Made with authentic Belgian yeast , this highly awarded beer pours a pale straw colour with a fluffy white head. Hints of banana and bubblegum, backed with the dry-hopped spiciness of Pacifica hops dominate the aroma and flavour. This is balanced by silky malt flavours, finishing with a mellow bitterness. Murray’s Grand Cru is a sophisticated, ‘out-there’ beer – our interpretation of two classic beer styles from one of the world’s greatest brewing nations,Belgium. Savour this world-class beer on its own, or pair with wild game or strong oily fish such as salmon. Also wonderful with strong cheese.”

Where do we start? This completely hand crafted Belgian Tripel is as good as Australian brewing gets. That good it cemented a spot in our top 5 for 2013. Served in a beer tulip the cloudy straw-gold pour struggles to produce much head as it fizzes away to a rim of foam around the edge of the glass. Laced reasonably well. A brilliant aroma offering up a subtle orange tang, sour fruit esters, clove, banana, champagne, lemon, bubblegum and honey. The mouth feel is quite creamy with mild-medium carbonation. Medium-full body. On the palate it’s quite zesty, banana couples up with tangy orange with subtle wheaty characters upon entry. Clove and other spices appear in the mid-palate as the fruity finish uncovers a little warming booze in the tail. At 8.8% ABV it is quite sessional which is surprising considering the strength. It’s even better on tap at the brewery in Bobs farm (Port Stephens, NSW) trust us, if you love this beer you will love the brewery even more. Look it up on the net and go check it out.