West Mall Tripel
Five Seasons Prado

 

 

10.2 abv listed on menu. Served in a tulip glass...hazy applejuice yellow-orange. Smallish near white head, which disappeared after a sip. Grassy, fruity aroma with spiciness.
Spice on the front end...lemon zest and flowery spice hop. Sweet citrus flavors going on...tangelos perhaps. Alcohol felt in the mouthfeel and on the finish.

Pours a rich, nearly opaque dark honey golden with a thick, yellowish off-white head. Strong aroma is sweet and malty and has hints of honey, caramel and banana. Mouth-filling flavor is very smooth with a fruity overtone, hoppy undertone, and hints of caramel plus some sweetness and hop bitterness. Texture and finish are smooth and very satisfying.

A cloudy gold that almost seemed to glow. (Maybe I that previous beer was stronger than I thought?). If it were not for its thin, quickly dissipating head I don't think the appearance of a tripel gets much better. It smells of apricots, pears, and candi sugar. And makes my mouth water. The taste is sweet and fruity, peaches mostly. The finish is just dry enough to make a really nice balance against the sweet up front. The mouthfeel is all silk. Unbelievably smooth and again, just perfect for this style which is light enough to be enjoyed by the pilsner-only crowd but substantial enough for the Belgian lover. The drinkability? Just plain dangerous. No alcohol burn, as some of these in this range can definitely have. Absolutely delightful. I'd say the best beer I've ever had from a brew pub.

Served from a 1L bottle. This style has been retired by 5 seasons but there was still some available in 1L bottles. This was from 2004 according to the label so it has been cellared about 2 years.

The appearance was a golden color that was cloudy. The head was a one finger thick white head with large bubbles. The smell was a little weak at first but had some floral tones that came thru after swirling the glass a bit. The taste was just like what was listed on the beer menu at 5 Season's, "like a loaf of bread in a bottle". A sweet yeasty taste that easily balanced out the alcohol. Finished with more of an alcohol taste.

The mouthfeel was like a creamy texture that was cut some by a little bit of alcohol harshness. Overall a very balanced beer.

P.S My first stab at a tripel or any kind of Belgian for that matter. Will not be my last!

A little weak up front, this was a somewhat Americanized interpretation of the style.

Appearance is hazy, golden. Served a little cold.

Initial taste is weak, but the finish comes through nicely, with a more full-bodied, balanced, sweet and strong beer. Cane/candied sugar taste, high alcohol, but they work well and balance each other.

Mouthfeel is a mix of creamy/sweet/full/sugary/syrupy. Hard to explain, but pretty typical of a tripel that's trying too hard.

The yeast strain used is unremarkable, and it tastes like a beer than is well brewed technically, but where they might have skimped just a bit on the grain bill and yeast costs, and this might be the margin between serviceable and very good. As it is, it's just serviceable.

Finish is strong with alcohol, sugar tastes, and a lingering sweetness.

Summary: Quite drinkable, but all in all, not very impressive.

A little play on Westmalle Tripel with the name since they are located in a strip mall, I thought it was appropriate yet rip-offish. But after you drink this beer you won't care what the hell they called it. Had a light straw like appearance with a decent sized head (for a tap dispense) that stuck around awhile and coated the sides of the snifter it was served in. Classic phenolic triple aromas. If this was meant as a recreation of Westmalle, it comes close, but as a tripel in its own right, I think it surpasses that of its classic namesake since it was much more balanced. It was somewhat dry and light in body, had a good, not too saazy, hop flavor and decent bitterness, and the higher alcohol flavors balanced nicely with the slightly sweet malt when it warmed. Very drinkable and heady.