La Trappe Attack

Finally, we have got around to putting up notes on these beers. So here are our notes tasting the range of beers from La Trappe Brewery.

Blonde (6.5%)

Nice honeycomb colour, head dissipates due to the alcohol rising up to the surface. There is a thin texture of the beer. Very yeasty with a faint hint of a sweetness/bubble gum on first smell. Through the taste you get a hint of the bubble gum sweetness as it moves back towards the back of the mouth which brings out the sense of the alcohol and the light carbonated sensation which lingers in the mouth, re-hashing the flavours of the beer. This flavour of the carbonation is used in a similar way to the way that hops is generally used; as a finishing agent. This beer is better enjoyed at around 6-8 degrees C to let the full flavour and aroma of the beer to come out.

Dubbel (7%)

Reddy brown in colour, like a dark caramel. Slight raisin smell which really comes alive in your mouth. The body of the malt helps to blend all the flavours together when compared to the blonde we tried just before. Comparatives easy between this and the blonde as the structure seems to be very similar apart from the darker malt in the dubbel.

Tripel (8%)

Slightly darker in colour than the blonde and shares a strong yeasty aroma. The body/texture of the beer is much fuller than the blonde but the most noticeable difference is in the sense of alcohol across the pallet. There is a blending of the carbonation ‘zing’ with the alcohol ‘sting’ which is well executed. To be honest, quite disappointed with this after having tasted good examples of tripels (karamelite, leffe. Etc). can tell there is some complexity in the beer but does not come through well in taste. Maybe could have been left to warm longer to get more flavour.

Quadrupel (10%)

Slightly darker than the tripel. But not as dark as the dubbel. Alcohol overwhelming in taste and smell. Head is very fine showing more of the alcohol seperation from the rest of the beer. Still, very smooth in texture, though maltiness is not able to overcome the taste of alcohol in this one. As it warms, the alcohol and malt flavours create a caramel taste, so it is well worth letting sit and get to room temperature, if just to let your body deal with the alcohol you get from it. Luckily we have an annoying game of Mario to keep us occupied while we let the beer warm. maybe it is annoying because the beers we have had are lessening our hand-eye co-ordination.

Well, overall, the dark malt of the Dubbel has been our pick, but the texture of the Quad was also very good. Worth the $15 for the pack.

-Stass and Beef