This will be the third and final Chimay beer. I have to say, this process has been an eye opener. The red label was
very good. The Blue was
outstanding. I have very high hopes for a tripel, as I am quite the fan of a hoppy beer, when it is made well.
Pour is a murky light brown with a red tint. Some might call it copper, but I'm not one of them, as I know what copper looks like, and this is too light and brown for it. It's too dark and brown for a gold, either. Maybe straw? But, a straw at the bottom of the haystack. The head winds up as a fairly thick almost quarter inch of a foam bed across the top. I think I'd like to get a fork and just eat it. The aroma is mostly hops with a bit of alcohol added for good measure. I don't smell any of the earthiness that I had with the other two.
A sip brings wheat, slight hops, and lemon. It's actually a very simple taste compared to its brothers and compared to its own smell. I'm actually quite taken aback by how simple it is. It's certainly not a bad taste, but it lacks the complexity that made the others so novel. Perhaps a big swig will bring out more in it.
Well, it is a little more complex with the big gulp, but it still doesn't have the character that I got with the other two. I expected more hops, and I expected a more defined character. This is well designed as a beer, but it really tastes like it was designed for knocking more of them back while praying away in the abbey. It's not the refined and imposing taste of the other two. It's more relatable, but that somehow makes it less special.
3.75/5