Brouwerij 'T Ij Zatte

Origin: Netherlands

Type: Tripel 

Color: Dark blonde

Alcohol content: 8%

Recommended serving temperature: 10ºC/50ºF

Brewery: Brouwerij 'T Ij

Webpage: http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/category/beers/

I have decided to write today about a pleasant discovery of mine from a couple of weekends ago, the Zatte.

A couple of friends and I had just arrived in Amsterdam, where we had gone for a friend's bachelor party, and we were waiting for a few people in a bar which had several of nearby Brouwerij 'T Ij's beers.

I had heard good things about this brewery but had never really had a chance to try their beers. Naturally, given my penchant for this sort of beer I had to try their tripel, the Zatte.

The Zatte is hazy dark blonde tripel which develops a big head of white soapy foam.

Its smell is predominantly malty sweet and fruity, with a soft banana flavor that kind of reminds you of a weissbier, but with a little bit more umph behind it from the alcohol. This banana sweetness is followed by lemony citrus notes which give it a slight bitter ting, however much less prominent than the sweetness.

It is also accompanied, as is traditional in tripels, by a slight spiciness which tickles your nose and keeps the sweetness from being to overbearing.

The taste is equally pretty sweet, making this beer quite easy to drink.

In terms of fruitiness, nevertheless, I did not really get any banana here as I felt in the smell, but more orange or mandarine, equally refreshing and a good solution versus the added sweetness banana would have brought around.

The spiciness is also noticeable in the taste as it was in the smell, if not even more so, helped as it is by the way it blends in to the bready and grainy backdrop that kind of serves as a canvas to all the rest of the tastes this beer showcases and that I have just described.

Seeing the bold display of lyricism I have just abandoned myself to, it is probably best if I stop writing for today and leave this post at that with just two more thoughts. The first one, try this beer with some gamey meat dish with a slightly sweet sauce, such as, for example, honey glazed roasted turkey. The second one, just try this beer. I guarantee it's much better than my poetic skills.