Michael: To complete the Chimay trifecta, only the Tripel (or Chimay White) remained. It had its work cut out for it, as my sampling came immediately after its redder brother, Chimay Premiere, the only A+ beer I’ve reviewed to date. While the White is a tripel by style, it was atypical of many of that breed that I’ve had. It was better balanced than many, not the overly sweet, mouth-coating type that I’ve had several times.
It poured a very solid, deep bronzy orange. It was opaque and seemed proud, as though it knew it were a Chimay. There was a huge, billowy offwhite head, that dwindled to a vellum-like layer of retention. It scattered lace as it went, dressing up the already fancy silver rimmed glass. There was bread at first smell, with a rich malty quality and a scattering of citrus. It was very smooth, with a lingering pleasantly sweet finish. It coated, in tripel fashion, but did so with poise, not at all overly done. There was a long, bitter finish encased in a shell of alcohol, that warmed the throat.
While a great beer, it was matched to its brothers, and thus had much to live up to. While I can’t put it between an A and and A+, its place in my book is directly between the Blue and the Red. A close runner up and an amazingly well-crafted beer. Grade: A
Tom: Light pale-honey colored liquid with a head that is identical to its counterparts. The aroma is much more hoppy and floral with a nice sharp pungent yeast/hop medley. It is not boozy, but rather bready and shockingly easy sipping for a tripel. There is however, a somewhat musty quality that seems to diminish the abv’s effects on both the aroma and taste (most likely due to yeast). Three quarters of the way done and the abv started to become noticeable at the finish while the mouthfeel remained very light. Candy notes with minor toffee highlights where the most tangible tastes. In addition, I did pick up slight hints of honey and a bready, hoppy pale ale thing going on. The yeast adds flavors of apples, pears, and chamomile. This silky, creamy, light-bodied tripel offers a great starting point if you are looking to expand your palate in this style. Grade: B+