Beer of the Weekend #514: Chimay Tripel
Today’s brown bottle lunch is the last tripel candidate for my LV recommendation: Chimay Tripel, brewed by Bières de Chimay of Baileux (Chimay), Belgium.
Chimay Tripel is my first beer from Chimay. I really wish I would have tired Chimay Première or Chimay Grande Réserve for BotW #500. Oh, well. There are many nice, big, round numbers ahead.
Serving type: 330 ml bottle. A code is printed on the back label but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is cloudy gold. Three fingers of fluffy, dense, eggshell-colored head dissipates unevenly, leaving trails of lacing along the glass.
Smell: From an arm’s length away it smells quite vinous. Up close and personal, though, it is very spicy. Lots of Belgian yeast spice and a bit of Brett funk. There is also a little clove spice as well. Underneath are apple, banana, grape, floral hops, and toasted pale malts.
Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth, velvety, and on the dry side. The spice and funk are thankfully not as prominent in the flavor. Apple, grapes, banana, clove, a little caramel, floral hops, and touches of lemon and alcohol. Overall, it is a very tasty and complex blend.
Drinkability: Good stuff. I am not a big fan of super spicy and funky Belgians, so I was very satisfied with how the flavor turned out.
Fun facts about Chimay Tripel:
-Style: Tripel!
-Price: Another arm and a leg — $5.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: According to the beer’s webpage, “This traditional Belgian beer is best savoured fresh at a temperature of from 6 to 8°C.” That is 42.8–46.4ºF for those of us who have defied metrication.
-Alcohol content: 8 percent ABV.
-Regarding shelf life, the beer’s webpage suggests “To be enjoyed ‘young’.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Chimay Tripel is my first beer from Chimay. I really wish I would have tired Chimay Première or Chimay Grande Réserve for BotW #500. Oh, well. There are many nice, big, round numbers ahead.
Serving type: 330 ml bottle. A code is printed on the back label but there is no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is cloudy gold. Three fingers of fluffy, dense, eggshell-colored head dissipates unevenly, leaving trails of lacing along the glass.
Smell: From an arm’s length away it smells quite vinous. Up close and personal, though, it is very spicy. Lots of Belgian yeast spice and a bit of Brett funk. There is also a little clove spice as well. Underneath are apple, banana, grape, floral hops, and toasted pale malts.
Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth, velvety, and on the dry side. The spice and funk are thankfully not as prominent in the flavor. Apple, grapes, banana, clove, a little caramel, floral hops, and touches of lemon and alcohol. Overall, it is a very tasty and complex blend.
Drinkability: Good stuff. I am not a big fan of super spicy and funky Belgians, so I was very satisfied with how the flavor turned out.
Fun facts about Chimay Tripel:
-Style: Tripel!
-Price: Another arm and a leg — $5.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: According to the beer’s webpage, “This traditional Belgian beer is best savoured fresh at a temperature of from 6 to 8°C.” That is 42.8–46.4ºF for those of us who have defied metrication.
-Alcohol content: 8 percent ABV.
-Regarding shelf life, the beer’s webpage suggests “To be enjoyed ‘young’.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
