I picked up a bottle at the recommendation of a WF guy who "loves malty, fruity things", tripels among them. Right on popping the cork, a spicy, tart aroma emerged, an auspicious start. A slightly reddish golden pour, topped by a fine, creamy head, which is a little low for the style. Despite that, it is persistent as a moss. The palate impression is rather phenolic, slightly tart, slightly bitter. Surprisingly, not as sweet and malty as I might have thought, given the source of the recommendation. I also have to say the carbonation level is rather low. What is up with that lately?
Actually, taking the last sip from this glass, it's almost completely flat, which sucks. However, I did pick up a perfume-y flower petal note as well. Also, a slight inhale on a sip yields some characteristic banana notes.
Pouring to finish off, the sediment is kicked up pretty early. It is not caked down. Slightly annoying, but maybe a candidate for harvesting? I might pick up some of the other Straffe Hendrik line, but I will rinse and save this bottle because I like the label (not paper, printed!). The others utilize the same moon image, presumably signifying the Halve Maan Brewery, but change the color of the label, much like Chimay. I enjoy tripels too much to think they need a pairing so nothing really comes to mind for this one. A gander at the label also indicates that this is a "Brugean tripel", with 6 malts and Saaz and Stryian Golding. Apparently, this is a local specialty of the Bruges area, using darker malts than normal, hence, perhaps, the reddish color. Neat.
- Appearance: Reddish golden. Rather thin, creamy head; low retention.
- Smell: Rather tart, a bit pear-like.
- Taste: Banana, tart, flower petal perfume. Not as malty as I might think.
- Mouthfeel: Carbonation is fine albeit a bit low. Slightly drying on the finish, which is nice.
- Drinkability and Overall: 9%ABV clearly disqualifies it from sessioning, but it's a unique tripel variation worth trying.
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