La Guillotine Tripel

La Guillotine tripel is a strong Belgian ale, brewed to the quality synonymous with Belgian breweries. This beer comes to us via the Belgian Huyghe Brewery, well known for their Delirium beers. This has been produced using Saaz, Brewers Gold and Amarillo hops, resulting in a full-bodied ale with plenty of yummy bitterness throughout (masterofmalt.com).

Since 2010, La Guillotine has earned Brouwerij Huyghe more than a dozen awards. Most recently it took the bronze medal at both the 2016 Brussels Beer Challenge and the 2016 The International Beer Challenge, in London. It also won the silver award at the 2016 International beer challenge, in Germany. And in 2013, La Guillotine took the Gold Award at the World Beer Awards (BeerAwareness.com).

We got our hand on this blonde thanks to the Belgian Beer Shop. For best price guarantee check our price comparison page.

About La Guillotine Tripel (brouwerijhuyghe.be)

Colour: Blonde
Alcohol by volume: 8.5%
Taste: A complex smell, with a citrus aroma, followed by hop aromas. Initially rather sweet, because of the alcohol. The intense taste and roundness mask the presence of high bitterness.
Hops: Saaz, Brewers Gold and Amarillo

Professional review (BeerAwareness.com)

We poured it into a Goblet and the first thing we noticed was how clear and free from chunks it was. Then we were welcomed by orangey citrus and Belgian Candi Sugar aromas that exhaled from its two-inch-tall head. Lovely.

That head was loosely beaded and fluffy; and it lasted for more than six minutes. Fed by a strong geyser-like stream of effervescence, it eventually settled to an eighth-inch thick film of foam. Denser in the middle – due to that geyser – a mound of tightly beaded foam sat surrounded by large and mid-sized bubbles.

While its head settled, we spent some time with the beer’s aromas and could also detect light, berry scents and hints of earthiness and spice.

Below, a brilliantly clear, golden blonde – on the cusp of amber – beer slept. Effervescent dreams feeding its desire to be well-known.

Anxiously, we took a sip and it woke up our taste buds. It starts sweet and tickles the tip of the tongue with orange and candi sugar. But soon, it dries a little and presents flavors of cracker and tart, green apples. On the finish, spice asserts itself. Not quite peppery, and hinting at corriander.

What’s interesting about this beer is that it’s actually quite bitter. But its start is so sweet that it is really well-balanced, like an Imperial, or Double, IPA.

This is one complex beer. But being Belgian, we weren’t surprised. And being from Brouwerij Huyghe, combined with our initial eperience, we had high expectations. They were met.

If you like La Fin Du Monde, Delirium Tremens, Duvel or Piraat, then you’re going to like La Guillotine. But it’s a little hard to find, so when you spot it, grab some. We think it’s worth it.

About Brasserie d’Achouffe

The brewery acquired the present name in 1938. While the company initially brewed a regular pilsner, it soon began brewing the kinds of beers now typically known as Belgian. These include a series of beers under the Delirium brand, with pink elephants on the label. The best known of these is Delirium Tremens, a blonde, Belgian ale. including:

• Delirium Nocturnum – 8.5% alcohol
• Delirium Noël – a winter seasonal offering, 10.0% alcohol
• Delirium Tremens – 8.5% alcohol