Leffe Makes More Than Just a Blond Ale!

Leffe Triple
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: Unknown; Could be Higher

The second to last beer I had in Aruba was a surprise. In the states, I had only seen Leffe Blond, a budget Belgian summertime ale that doesn’t try to do too much (but accomplishes what it attempts to do very well). Here was a triple, the biggest Belgian style there is, and it was brewed by Leffe. I had to try it.

There were some very interesting notes up front. The color was a cloudy yellow and there were lots of cloves on the nose. To taste, it was very spicy, sweet and sour, and had cloves hitting hard from the beginning. This gave way to a sloppy, alcohol finish that I did not like, but I would not say that it destroyed the beer either. Overall, this was too sweet for me upfront. Luckily, I had another surprise waiting for me…

Leffe Brune Dubbel
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: Unknown; Relatively High

That’s right! My last beer in Aruba was a Leffe Dubbel, which thankfully was worlds apart from the Triple. The nose was full of yeast and spice. It also smelled a little sour, but this did not carry over to the actual taste. Softness dominated this beer, which was low-key in the creative flavor department, letting the malts speak for themselves. There were a lot of rich, earthy undertones that led the charge to a finish of cardamine and (a few) cloves. I was very happy with this performance. I later found out that this is available in the United States while the Triple is not… works for me!

Drink well,
Mr. Sober