Brouwerij Westmalle Tripel

**Aroma:** “Light spicy phenolic notes blend with rich fruity esters that lean toward tropical (banana and pineapple), but with some cherry, plum, and grape. Some dark sweet malt in the background grows more assertive as the beer breathes. ¡Tequila! Notes of pure tequila añejo on the nose, but there’s also some yeast fruitiness and caramel. Not much in the way of hops.” **Flavor:** “Sweet malt (caramel, toffee, and raisins) up front. Very fruity with notes of cherry mixed with a moderate alcohol note. Slight spicy hops note lingers into the aftertaste. Moderate carbonation creates a slight carbonic bite. More tequila in the flavor as well, plus black pepper and Szechuan peppercorn.” **Overall:** “A very likable beer, even though it falls beyond classic dubbel territory (if such can be said to exist). Pepper and spice complement the yeast fruitiness and marry well with the dark (but not too dark) malt backbone. ¡Ole!”

**Aroma:** “Very fruity ester, mostly ba- nana, but also white grapes. Herbal hops and hints of black pepper with moderate toasty malt and mild clove phenol. White Concord grapes and honey right away on the nose, and a bit of inspection yields subtle hints of Concord grapes and honey. Grape jelly.” **Flavor:** “More Concord grape jelly along with some grainy sweetness. Mild clove phenol along with some alcohol dryness. Spicy, herbal hops bitterness melds with the yeast expression and high cara- bonation to lead to a long, cleansing, balanced finish. The alcohol presence is very fruity.” **Overall:** “Interesting take on a tripel. The malt presence and carbonation level are what you’d expect, but the typical spicy fruitiness from the Belgian yeast is replaced with a unique grape-like profile. It’s surprising just how creamy this is on the tongue. It’s an almost nitro-like texture.”

**Aroma:** “A pleasant, light aroma that doesn’t overpower in any one area. Yeast aromatics are a touch more saison-like (some nice pepper and spice notes) than classically dubbel. Light spicy hops aroma complements yeast phenolics. As it starts to warm more esters (cherry or peach) start to come out and less spice.” **Flavor:** “A rounded malt foundation of toffee and raisins gives way to an unusual, but pleasantly different suit of fruit (bananas, cherries, plums) and spice (cloves). Some crisp hops bitterness to balance. Finishes dry.” **Overall:** “Spicy with a low malt complexity and a good balance of sweetness. Very drinkable. This could easily fly under the radar in a sea of competitors, but this pleasant little dubbel-esque saison quenches one’s thirst as readily as it quenches the need for something from the abbey. Perhaps this is what the monks drink when they mow the lawn?”