750 mL corked bottle
7.5 percent ABV
Sampled: Dec. 22, 2008
St. Bernardus produces several fine ales in this range, and only Watou Tripel has eluded me to this point.
Upon first whiff, I wish I’d found it sooner. The ice cream quickly condenses into a thick guarding layer, never obstructing all the aromas escaping from the body. The rich nose comes replete with perfume notes, biscuit traces, coriander and other spices. St. Bernardus effectively embellishes the traditional nose of a tripel.
With a crispy body and bearable alcohol content for a tripel, it’s a dry affair, with a lace that virtually tattoos the glass. The finish is exquisite – it not bone dry, but dry due to the grains in the malt.
In the body, the citrus becomes more muted than other tripels – it pushes a mix of orange apricot and peach in light doses, with some lemon zest pairing nicely with the dry theme.
At times, this feels closer to a Saison than a tripel; but nature, the two styles are relatively close. Watou Tripel nudges away from it with the biscuit and graininess – they’re of different strains than the Saison grains.
Built on a gentle effervescence, Watou Tripel is a pleasant diversion from the main St. Bernardus line. It’s a fine tribute to the brewery’s hometown in
When set against St. Bernardus Tripel, I lean slightly toward this one. The complexity at the alcohol content is a rare combination.
Rating: 8/10
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