Kasteel Tripel

Kasteel Tripel from the Brewery Van Hounsebrouck of Ingelmunster, Belgium is number four in the sextet of ales on tap at the Blue Nile for my third round of Belg-a-Rama, and provides a clear instance of why I'm putting my reviews here. I was writing the menu, looking at the notes I'd written on some of the beers already had, and found that Beer Website A had no review on this one from me. Also, some of the other top reviewers were missing entries on it. Made no sense, especially that I hadn't posted, since I'd had this one tap several times before and in the bottle many times. Poured myself a glass after work, and started a new review, but decided to also check Beer Website B, where I transfer the reviews that I initially post on A. And there it was a review from a 750 ml bottle in May of 2005. I looked at the start of my new review and saw that I was saying the same things, but was saying them better, lo, nearly 6 years ago. So, I copied from B over to A, and also pasted it here. And here it is, my thoughts from a giant bottle of Belgian tripel booziness, as I enjoy same from the tap...

"Clear, pale golden hued, with a twister of bubbles rising from the bottom, capped with a gorgeous, puffy, lacey layer of thick white froth.
Aroma is an angelic blend of citrus and spice, arousing and uplifting, floral, effervescent, with distinctive yeast aromatics, and a potent, but lovely blend of fruit (apricot, pear, lemon)...just what I love in a tripel!
Taste: Mmmmm! Tart, crisp, acidic, and brimming with flavor, in this case, as said before, a tasty mix of fruit and spice. Just a little sour, with a bracing grimace present at every sip, but releasing when the brew lays back, and the overall effect is utter relaxation and splendid refreshment.
11%? Who? What? The high abv isn’t so apparent, but it becomes clearer after the imbiber has admired the zing, the zap, the ping on the palate. Once that flavor profile impresses, you lay back and wallow in it, the thought finally occurs, "oh, yeah, it’s damned strong, too!" (becomes ever-clearer halfway into the 750ml bottle, too!)
Full bodied, with a wicked, spicy/citric finish. And hanging heavy on the boozy side, too...for those who like that sort of thing...
Me, I love this stuff! I admit it does feel a bit one-sided, maybe a touch unbalanced, and perhaps over-the-top, but I still don’t see the problem there. It’s bigness is not a detriment, it’s an attribute that makes this tasty brew a true champ among tripels.
If you want a real powerhouse, this here’s your dog! Kasteel Tripel definitely deserves wider recognition and madder props than it gets...try a bottle out on some friends and see what happens."