6.5

--- Beer merged from original tick of Crabbelaer Hommage ?? III on 19 Oct 2016 at 16:08 - Score: 6. Original review text: Imported from untappd on 02-05-2020

6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Bottle @ home. Almost clear amber color, floating yeast residu, full sized off-white head. Smell and taste malts, herbs, spices, a bit sweet and a bit herbal / spicy bitter. Hmm ok. Odd spicy tripel. Not really my thing.

8.6

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Pour comprendre cette bière, il nous faut repartir du Gruut, mélange d'épices intégrés historiquement dans les bières au moyen âge. Et cette Crabbelaer qui présente une bonne présence épicée en est quelque peu un hommage, tout autant qu'elle est un hommage aux 3 clochers de Gand. Il est certain par contre que cette Crabbelaer peut en désorienter certains, et sans l'aborder de la sorte, il manque un axe de compréhension fondamental à cette bière qui est une bonne bière du style. Je ne la mettrai pas en référence toutefois, avec une structure perfectible tout de même et des arômes qui auraient pu être plus ciselés. En verre, nous sommes sur un ambré orangé voilé et une très fine mousse nappant la surface. Le nez est sur le malt, avec miel, caramel, orange avec une touche d'épices. L'attaque présente cependant une bonne amertume sur des arômes fruités de banane, pêche, orange, alliés à du pain et ce bouquet d'épices qui suivra toute la dégustation. En deuxième bouche, nos épices montent en intensité d'ailleurs (avec une coriandre qui se détache légèrement). L'arrière bouche est quant à elle davantage amère mais toujours avec cette présence épicée. Le final, sur une longueur appréciable continuera sur cette lancée, pour des arômes qui restent homogènes sur l'ensemble de la dégustation. L’alcool, à 8,2 % se ressent très peu et aurait pu être légèrement plus poussé. Le sucre par contre est un brin trop poussé. Cette Crabbelaer aurait mérité de gagner un peu en précision et finesse.

6.1

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Light brown colour with thin head and a lot of residue. Aroma and flavour have a lot of fruity sugars, bubblegum and yeast. Aftertaste does deliver some bitterness. Not a classic Tripel.

7.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

F: medium size, bit tanned, average retention. C: brown, hazy, opaque. A: malty, bit chocolate, caramel, toffee, bit gingerbread, yeasty, bit banana. T: malty, chocolate, spicy, caramel, bit nutty, mineral, bit sticky, bit fruity, hint of dough, good balanced and tasty, medium to full body, medium carbonation, good, enjoyed, 33cl bottle from Bierwinkel De Hopduvel in Gent.

7.2

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Bottle from Dranken Geers, Oostakker, Nr Gent, Belgie consumed at home Tuesday 6th December 2016 Pours hazy amber, it’s hazy with a white sticky head. It’s soft in the mouth, it’s fruity, it’s peppery, caramel. A little watery chocolate, it’s good, really enjoying this. A7 A4 T7 P4 Ov14 3.6

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7

Bottle from the Proxy Delhaize at the Kouter in Gent, consumed at Ster’s place. New tripel version of Crabbelaer, a four grains beer (barley, wheat, oats and rye) with thick and frothy, moussy, thickly ’membranously’ lacing, dense, foamy, off-white head and hazy, deep bronze-tinged amber colour with fierce sparkling; notably darker than average for a tripel. Aroma of coriander seed, banana, soapy lavender, persimmon, old apple cake, cooked carrot, star aniseed, soggy brown bread, orange peel, horseradish, mustard seed, bath foam, gingerbread. Estery onset, lots of pear and apricot with a hint of banana, sweetish with light berry-like sourishness for balance, spritzy carbo, bready middle with caramelly malt sweetness as well as a soft velvety oat presence, soapy wheat and ’deep’ spicy rye all recognizable, building a pleasant full sweetish structure underneath the fruity esters. Aromatic sweet spiciness returns retronasally, aniseed- and coriander-like, though the label does not explicitly mention the use of spices; soapy and rooty flavors along with a softly peppery and floral hop bitterness and some warming, brandy-like alcohol; caramelly malt sweetness lasts in the end. Not your average standard tripel, Belgian through and through in its spiciness, yeastiness and malt sweetness, but the four grains have been cleverly used here, working well together while at the same time keeping their respective identities; the spiciness could have been tuned down a bit for me, but admittedly this also lightens things up a bit. Not a bad effort, better than the regular Crabbelaer as far as I’m concerned.

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Pours dark, unclear amber. Small white head. Smell is bit spiced, rather sweet. Taste is rather bitter, and spiced. Not overly spice-bomb, like some other beers i’ve had, but clearly very spiced nevertheless. OK mf and OK to high carbo. Pushing the edge between balanced and overkill on the spice side, but i’m still in the OK zone here.

6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Imported from my RateBeer account as Crabbelaer Hommage à III (by Brouwerij De 6 Helmen):
Aroma: 6/10, Appearance: 3/5, Taste: 6/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 12/20, MyTotalScore: 3/5

5/IV/16 - 33cl bottle @ home - BB: III/2018 (2016-315) Thanks to Erwin for the bottle!

Little cloudy dark orange to amber beer, creamy white head, little stable, adhesive, some lacing in the glass. Aroma: bit oxidized, dried fruits, raisins, cloves, lots of cloves, some caramel malts, banana, spicy touch, bit medicinal. MF: lively carbon, medium body. Taste: lots of banana, overripe banana, some coriander, little bitter, cloves. Aftertaste: yeasty, lots of banana, pretty bitter hops, more cloves, malty finish. Not crazy about the very spicy notes in the beer. It's so strong, that I'm not sure if they come from the yeast or the actual use of spices.