Pours a hazy, amber color. Sweet, delicious doughy yeast on the nose. Caramel malts, tasty spices such as pepper, coriander, a hint of cinnamon. A bit of banana and cloves here too. Sugared apricot for the fruity notes. It’s a Belgian, and even more it’s an abbey beer, they just always smell so good.

There is more balancing hop bitterness here than other Tripels, not citrusy, but a little bit grassy, funky and floral. Doughy yeast and moist, chewy bread flavors are unbelievably pleasant. Tripels and Quads can aim for a few different categories, some have those fruity esters, some aim for the sweet malt rum raisin flavors. Chimay White aims for a pleasant balance. There isn’t as much raisin, rum, dark fruit flavor here however, as the floral and mildly funky, wheaty malts balancing the sweetness and bitterness is more this beers thing. Gentle spices dance throughout the sip as well, mostly cloves. Mild funk adds a slightly savoriness to the beer. Toffee, caramel, and dried candy fruit rinds can also be tasted.

Pleasant and subtle finish that is dry in character, this beer is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Bittersweet on the palate as it dries.

Chimay White occupies a unique space in the Tripel category, but definitely deserves to be ranked higher. It’s not quite as malty and sweet as others, but still has pleasant chewy doughiness to it. It doesn’t have the deep molasses, rum, raisin character either, nor does it have tons of fruity esters. It’s very balanced and yet despite that still carries strong notes of its own character.

As for all Belgian Abbey tripels, it’s phenomenal. You really can’t ever go wrong with these brewers in this style!

​Review source: beeradvocate.com