“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.