The beer pours with a deep gold hue that's slightly paler than the Blonde. It's topped by a dense bone-white cap. Head retention is decent, but not spectacular. A nice amount of lace is left behind.
I'm amazed at the clarity I got with this beer. There's much less haze than in my previous Tripel. In the picture, you can even see the Chimay logo on the backside of the glass I poured it in.
Pale fruits and fresh cut flowers greet the nose. Pear and green grape are the most prominent aromas. There's a very light coriander spice note. Letting the nose linger lets the floral aromas come out. There's no alcohol heat to be found.
In the mouth, the beer is dry and deceptively light. Carbonation is soft and perhaps a touch low for the style. The pale fruits from the nose are bolstered by bready grains. The beer's bitterness comes on quick with a spicy, yet flowery bite. Although Magnum hops provide most of the bitterness, it's the Styrian Golding hops that really come through to add a fresh cut flower complexity to the overall flavor. Despite the considerable strength, there are no alcohol flavors and only a touch of warmth going down. The floral bitterness lingers through the dry finish.
So, the main story here is that I've created a strong, yet eerily light beer. The Candi Sugar provided strength and lightness, plus additional sweet pale fruit flavors and aromas not found in the previous beer. It's the floral hops that really define this Tripel; however, even though the bitterness isn't all that great. Next up is the Quad. We'll find out about it tomorrow.
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