12 oz bottle from a recent trade.
OK, essentially this is a Quad. Right from the appearance, the ABV, through to the nose, the taste and the way it drinks.
Much darker that a standard tripel, the beer pours out a really dark orange. There is a very large amount of yeasty sediment in the viscous body. Head is small, but very sticky – both functions of the ABV.
Nose releases a slight sherry note which is reproduced to a greater extent in the taste. The body looks quite viscous. That’s not a surprise given the ABV, but at the same time it seems too much for the style. LOTS of sherry and alcohol in the taste. Light burn in the finish. Nose is great, but the tastes seems a little weak. It’s not a very good Tripel in my book, but at the same time it’s a pretty nice beer.
Lacks white pepper and spice notes almost completely and in that respect is not in style at all. ABV is a touch high for a Tripel too and the appearance is darker than one would expect. In a blind taste I would obviously see this a Belgian, but no way would peg it as a Tripel. You can make up your own mind if you think that is a good or bad thing, but either way I quite enjoyed the beer.