Gouyasse Triple (Goliath)

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

It pours a dark golden-blonde with a fairly thick white head which rises as a mound in the middle - spotty lacing. A fragrant aroma of sweet malts, oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits, peaches and apricots, bread and yeast, light banana, and sugary spiciness. The mouthfeel is smooth and rich. Flavors of sweet malts, light hops, oranges and lemon, banana, apricot, bread and yeast, and spices. Mmmm!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This poured a golden color with a white head. The aroma is lemons and spices mainly. The flavor is full of lemons, vanilla, some herbs and spices. Some alcohol burn in the finish. Tripels aren’t my favorite usually but this has a little more character.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Deep golden color with rich head and excellent lacing throughout. Mouthfeel is medium and among the very best. Citrus flavors abound, but not overwhelmingly so. Slightly spicy finish - rather smoother than I had anticipated.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

There is much going on here. The white head is phat and rocky, with a solid leave of lacing around the glass rim. The fluid is a nice light coppery bronze to semi-dark golden color, with the carbonation seen rising to the top. The nose picks up very strong bold aromas of citrus (lemon?) and spice, but lots of floral/perfumey yeast is very much present. Hefty over the top spice flavors (coriander, caraway, & peppery overtones) are what this giant of a Belgian brew is all about, with a slight hop tinge at the end. I would have some H2O or some munchies on stand by with this one, as it packs a powerful wallop. Very similar to Orval Trappist Ale. Whew, those extra fermented Belgians are huge!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

A hazy dark blonde beer with a medium white foam collar on top. Has a yeasty and spicy aroma. Feels quite neutral and has a spicy bitter flavour. The aftrertaste is bitter as well.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottled. Golden colour with mediumsized white creamy head, lacing. Aroma is fruity, slightly yeasty, grassy and mildly earhty. Also some mild notes of sweet alcoholic notes. Flavour is fruits, earth, some grassyness as well as herbs and mild spices. The alcohol doesn't show that much in the flavour, but does give a very big warming feel when going down the throat.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Bottle: Poured a golden color ale with a huge pure white foamy head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of light sweet malt is slightly weaker then expected. Taste is a mix between some typical Belgian malt with some candi sugar and some very light spices. Above average body with some great carbonation and no alcohol was discernable. I thought this was slightly weak in general and would have appreciated a spicier character.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

hazy dark orange colour with some impurities within; little foam and a nice lacing; aroma of yeast, apricot and tangerines; full-bodied, a strong tartness comes very soon followed by a robust bitterness; long and very dry bitter finish with more fruity notes - a beautiful tripel

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours with a clear, golden body topped by a thick, white head with some lacing. It’s slightly sweet and floral with slight yeasty notes and a little grassiness. Light, crisp and smooth.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

This Christmas, I was more-or-less volunteered by my wife to provide her dad (my father-in-law, duh) a mixed case of 12oz beers that he would like. He digs American Pale Ales, so that's not too hard, is it? Well, only in that many places in San Diego don't dig it when you break up a six-pack. But Holiday Wine Cellars sells 12oz singles, so I made the quick trip north to Escondido. While grabbing a bunch of rather routine APAs, some Belgian beers caught my eye too -- including this one, which I had never seen before.

Although the label doesn't scream "traditional Belgian!" to me (it looks almost as if the giant on the label has a mother-f*cker of a headache, to be honest!), and the beer itself doesn't look very much like a Tripel (e.g. where's the huge mound of foam?)...., it does have some very traditional Tripel-ish aspects to the flavor profile. Malty sweet in the front, with some nice clean elements in the middle, and a satisfyingly dry backend and finish. Very covert with the 9%ABV alcohol, it seems to me.

At $3.29 for a 33cL, this isn't the cheapest/most cost-efficient Tripel you're going to run across. But for what it's worth, this had quite a bit of bang for the buck. I'd prefer to get this again from a full-on 750mL, in order to really see what this beer has to offer over the long(er) haul. But for now? This 330mL has me reasonably impressed. I dig it.

Music: Greg Howe's self-titled debit album.
//TB