New Belgium Trippel Belgian Style Ale
By John & Dad on January 17, 2008 @ 7 PM (No Comments)
The New Belgium Brewing Trippel Belgian Style Ale is another in a series of phone reviews between Father and Son Beer Love, M.D. This one logs in at 7.8% ABV, which is a little bit light on the alcohol side compared to traditional triples, which usually clock in at 9% plus.
We tried it out in a snifter glass, as was recommended. The initial pour yielded an average size (1″) frothy white head that had some pretty good lacing as it dissipated quickly in the glass. The carbonation is quite lively and the body is a sparkling clear. The color is a bit unlike any other beer we’ve seen (surprising after 60+ reviews) – it ran the gamut between gold, amber and a light orange, with characteristics of each.
This is perhaps one of the best smelling beers we’ve done – it’s a candy-like, intoxicating smell that makes you wear out your sniffer trying to get continual whiffs. The aroma is fairly complex – predominantly citrus with a skew towards orange, plus biscuity malt, honey, floral, herbs, banana, peach and some spices.
The initial taste is moderately sweet and slighty acidic and mimics most of what we picked up in the aroma, but the peach smell is replaced with a note of pear. We also picked up some pepper, nutmeg and some apple – specifically granny smith apple, providing a nice slight tartness. We also detected notes of alcohol in the flavor.
The finish is average in duration and light to moderate in flavor with a hoppy edge, but it’s hops done right. It’s really got a good balance between hops and malts, though it skews ever-so-slightly towards the hops. The mouthfeel is a bit dry, but it’s a good mouthfeel and works really well for the beer. It laces incredibly well on the glass, one of the best we’ve seen. As for food, it might work well with light pastas with creamy sauces and chicken or fish that’s baked or broiled, but not fried. It’s definitely a light triple, but it really works. It’s got good repeatability, is very drinkable, is rather memorable and has a bit of a wow factor to it. Dad picked it up for $7.49 for the six pack and at that price it’s an absolute steal. As such we’re rating this one a best buy and you simply must get the six pack if you can find it.
