The Ugly American
East End Brewing Company

The Ugly AmericanThe Ugly American
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From:
East End Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Tripel
ABV:
7.8%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 7.49%
Reviews:
34
Ratings:
35
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 15, 2013
Added:
Aug 04, 2006
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by gford217:
Photo of gford217
Reviewed by gford217 from Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
1L bottle, 2008 vintage, courtesy of Beerman6686, poured into a tulip.

Pours a bright, slightly hazy golden orange with a small fluffy white head than stays on as a cap and leaves good lacing.

The aroma is dominated by the fruity sweetness of a typical tripel, some bubblegum with lots of lighter fruits such as apples and pears. There is some tropical fruit hops mixed in but not too overpowering.

The taste starts with a little more hops than the aroma suggests, mostly the tropical mango-type sweetness of American hops. There is plenty of Belgian yeast sweetness in the backbone with pears, apples and other lighter fruits. The finish has a slight bitterness to it from the hops.

The mouthfeel is slick and medium-bodied with less carbonation than I was expecting.

This is a nice hoppy tripel from East End, though the hops have started to give way to the Belgian character in the beer. Still very tasty.
Feb 15, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Martydyern from Pennsylvania

Nov 15, 2013
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From notes:

pours a dark hazy golden yellowish orange color with burnt orange hues when held to anlight and a frothy 1.5 finger white head that quickly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lace left behind.

Crisp golden fruit aroma with hints of apple, pear and grape balanced by earthy, floral hops, pale malt and champagne like yeast. Estery frui notes and sweet alcohol phenol dominate the nose.

Fuller bodied than expected with surprisingly prominent malt backbone and subtle creamy presence. This helps balance out the sweet alcohol flavor and crisp light fruit notes. There is an unexpected earthy hop character that countered the sweet apple, pear and grape notes. Very well balanced with sweet alcohol flavor but not much heat at all. An interesting interpretation of the style.
Feb 25, 2011
Photo of tpd975
Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

3.67/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a cloudy yellow with a puffy white head. Okay retention and a few spots of lace.

S: Aroma of Belgian yeast, spice, and banana. Light citrus as well.

T: Very much like the aroma. Lots of yeast and spice. The banana stands out as well along with some candy sugar. The citrus comes out mildly in the finish. It is more Belgian than IPA

M: Medium in body, pretty smooth.

D: An average american version of the style.
Feb 13, 2010
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Reviewed by DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a snifter from the big ass 33.8 oz bottle.

3.0 A: Opaque brownish orange color. One finger of soapy head with less poor retention and some lacing.

4.5 S: Smells more like a farmhouse ale than a tripel. Hay-like funk off the top. Not as hoppy as I would have expected, but there is a healthy hit of citrusy hops. Overripe peaches and spicy, peppery yeast.

4.5 T: Taste is also saison like. Overripe fruit such as peaches, pears, and funk. Belgian spicy yeastiness with pepper and clove. Hops aren't present very much, but there is a healthy bitterness (much more so than a regular tripel). With every additional sip, I switch between thinking this is a tripel or a saison.

3.5 M: Medium body. A little under-carbonation (even for the style) and smooth. Slight alcoholic bite, which complements.

4.5 D: This is a shitty IPA, a good tripel, and a great saison mixed into one. Very drinkable if you're down with funk, which I am.
Oct 31, 2009
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

4.29/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Got this from FreightTrain cheers Jacob! I think this third slam Bush I've drank, funny even to me as a conservative!

Pours a semi-hazed bronze/honey color with a finger of cream colored head. Fairly average head retention & lacing

S: Ripe orchard fruit & dirt, plus leathery funk, fades a bit as it warms

T: Green apple skins, a touch of funk & honey with lemons, white pepper & mushrooms up front. More funk, sourness & apple peels as this warms, plus tartness & a touch of coriander. Finishes dry with semi-boozey pineapple. grapefruit & funkyness. This one bridges a straight tripel & sour one to near perfection IMO, plus some American hops influnce as well

MF: Light/medium bodied with fairly lively carbonation. Carbonation is on point for the style, a bit boozey warmth helps round this out

Drinks fairly true to style, complexity does slow me down a bit
Oct 22, 2009
Photo of NittanyBeerFan
Reviewed by NittanyBeerFan from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Picked this up at the brewery the weekend of August 22nd. I was forewarned that this triple IPA was no longer an IPA, but a tripel. I was intrigued. Cracked it's swivel-topped bottle for a tasting yesterday...

A: Pours a clear golden color, without any haze at all. Head is minimal. No real lacing to speak of, but hey, its not an IPA anymore...

S: Belgian smelling yeasts and malts are dominant in this beer. They weren't lying when they said there was no more IPA, let alone triple IPA left in this beer. Only some mild fruity notes accompany the malts and yeast.

T: Straight up tripel. It is interesting, because you can tell that this beer is now a shadow of what it was, leaving some clues to its origins as a TIPA behind. There is a touch of floral hops among the yeast and spices that you would expect from a tripel. However, the malty character was somewhat lacking...I can't imagine this beer was meant to be enjoyed this late in its life.

M/D: Smooth, crisp, and satisfying, this probably isn't where you would turn for a tripel, but I would definitely want to try this beer fresh. It was very good at this point, but I am sure it has a whole lot more to offer fresh.
Sep 13, 2009
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Bought at the brewery in the fall of 2008.

A: pale blond color
S: trad Belgium trippel, amazing since it was from PA!
T: big, bold, a bit of alcohol warming, very tasty, with yeast notes
M: cloying, a bit too lacquerish in the finish
D: too, too drinkable

Well done. Great Belgian character. Hops have subdued and that's fine with me.
Jul 26, 2009
Photo of OneDropSoup
Reviewed by OneDropSoup from Pennsylvania

4.32/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked this up from the brewery, a fall 2008 release. The guy behind the taps (I think his name's Alex), told me that holding onto it too long can ruin the effect: the hops fade & it turns into a "regular old" tripel. Duly noted.

I was afraid this was what had happened when I poured it: poured a nice, clear gold with about two fingers of head that dissipated & left a moderate amount of spider-web lacing. Plenty of bubbling action, looking like a champagne. Good stuff.

The smell smacked of tripel -- candy sugar, herbal, lavendar smells, some banana, with hardly any hop aroma. And just a tad funky, rounding it out a bit. I was afraid I'd "over-aged" it, however my wife had a whiff & sensed the hops. Not lost, thankfully; as it warmed up, the hops became more apparent & balanced out that sweet tripel character.

The taste carries everything promised in the smell, plus even more hop presence. At no point would I call this "bitter," but the aftertaste is definitely dominated by a slightly grassy/citric taste, coating the sugars & herbs. That, plus the alcohol is pretty apparent for a relatively low ABV tripel (or IPA, for that matter).

Very smooth mouthfeel, with a foamy/sugary nature. Coats the tongue with the sugars, which contrasts with the bitterness around the edge of the mouth. Not a bad drinker -- I'm looking forward to enjoying another glass this afternoon with some Port Salut. Overall I enjoyed it. Definitely leaning heavily toward the tripel end of things, with just a slightly hoppy tone here & there.
Mar 29, 2009
Photo of bheilman
Reviewed by bheilman from Indiana

3.21/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Nice idea! It didn't work out that great this time, but I bet they improve something like that soon. Maybe it should just be called an imperial IPA. It has a fantastic golden hue. Not much head or carbonation. Has the smell of a triple, I'm thinking it must be the smell of triple yeast, because this does not taste like a triple. I have even waited about 3 months and there is still a very significant hop flavor, hardly any sweetness at all. I need that with a triple and it would be great to balance out this hops. The initial taste fades quickly and doesn't leave a very robust evolutive flavor. I can't really get through about 8 oz of this in a sitting; it's too sour. One more thing, I think this beer does taste a lot like other bitters from Belgium. If that's what they were trying to hit, they did a good job.
Mar 15, 2009
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a golden amber color with pretty good head retention and lacing. Both on the nose and on the palate, this is one of the more unusual beers I've ever come across. The beer has the spicey honey flavor I associate with a tripel, but there is also some fruity malt and citrus that I typically associate with an IPA or DIPA. Flavors on the palate replicate the nose pretty closely. There is considerable sweetness, but it's kept in check by some considerable hoppy bitterness. The beer reminds me somewhat of the Houblon from La Chouffe, which I assume is what the brewer was going after. However, it's a bit sweeter, maltier and fruitier then the Houblon. Still, there is considerable hoppy bitterness on the palate as well, making for a very complex flavor profile. As the beer warmed up a bit, it smoothed out considerably on the palate. Alcohol is pretty well disguised; it's really the sweet malt more then anything else that detracts somewhat from the drinkability.

An interesting beer with some unusual flavors blended together. Not entirely too sure how well it works in combination, but I enjoyed having the opportunity to try it. Great label.
Mar 03, 2009
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

4.54/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Fall 2008 release; Sampled January 2009
I have been meaning to try some beers from East End for quite some time, thank you Sara for providing the opportunity.
A normal pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet glass has me noticing a nicely hoppy (fruitily American accented) scent as well as a backdrop of Belgian Yeast aromatics. The beer ends up with a finger and a half thick layer of frothy, pale tan colored foam. The beer is a rich honey color that shows a bright, clear, copper color when held up to the light. Ahhh, the nose is quite heavenly, more hoppy than anything else, but there is still a substantial Trippel contributing to the aromatics. Hop aromatics of lychee, tropical fruit, candied tangelo zest, and kumquat oil have a backdrop of fermentation character that makes me think of bubblegum, ripe pear, a touch of white pepper, some young ginger in the finish and a solid spicy clove note. I really like the aroma of this one, there is something about combining American hops with a Trippel that always hits the spot for me.

A light, but prickly carbonation up front couples with a touch of body, but still easy drinking quaffability from the light texture. The beer tastes like juicy-fruit bubblegum up front, with a middle and finish that sees a lingering, spicy, clove like turpene character that lightly abrades the tongue. There is a solid hop bitterness to this beer (noticeable compared to a typical Trippel, but not overly aggressive compared to an IPA) as well as a touch of astringency; there is a spiciness to the finish (a bit of pepper, hot alcohol, and the spicy phenolics) that almost provides more balancing character to the fruity hops and fermentation notes than the bitterness. Fruity, fermentation derived, flavors of pear, honeydew melon and perhaps a touch of aromatic apple are buoyed by fruity hop notes of lychee, apricot, aromatic peach and amped up, über-fruity, candied citrus zest. There is also a touch of the more herbal hop components here, but only just barely; hints of pine-needles and a touch of menthol. The heft of this beer is awesome, there is just enough viscous character to hold up the hops and spiciness, but it still is very drinkable.

This is one of those beers that started out strong in the flavor, but had some un-balanced notes that kept it from being schweet, but it is just growing on me more and more as I work my way through this one-thousand milliliters. Well the one damning condemnation for this beer is that my one liter share of it disappeared a lot faster than I would ever have thought possible; in fact before I cracked this I had resigned myself to the fact that I would not be able to finish this bottle in one sitting. Oh how wrong I was, this is exceedingly quaffable, I want more, not only that, but I want a freshly bottled example. I am not sure fresh would be better as it might lose the balance this has, but it would be wonderful to experience the hop character in a closer to raw state.
Jan 23, 2009
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Reviewed by barleywinebrewer from New Hampshire

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
thanks to egledhill for the chance to try this brew! noted as a belgian triple IPA. That's quite a combination. How'd it fare?

a - nice golden crystal clear brew with a solid white head
S - belgian esters, hints of spice and earthy tones.
T - belgian yeast notes, citric spicy hops, biscuit, belgian candi sugars and a earthy hop note.
M - medium full bodied, nicely carbonated with a nice residual hop note
D - This one blends in a harmonious and tasty manner. It's a breeze to quaff and a nice brew from first sip to last.

neat beer and I'm glad I had a chance to try this.
Jan 16, 2009
Photo of scootny
Reviewed by scootny from New York

4.32/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Maybe the best bottle I have seen in years, perhaps ever. A golden brew. My first pour is clear but subsequent ones I introduce the clumpy, lumpy yeast. Nice head, persistent retention and nice lacing. Little carbonation it the Delerium glass.

FunkBaby! I love East ends penchant for yeast that has personality. Hoppy and tripel malt. A strong malt that balances the equally strong malt and funk.

Taste is Belgian IPA. Funky tripel backbone undergirds a grapefruit bomb that slowly mellows but never dies. Finish
is mellow with the malt taking the lead and fading into hops and bready malt.

Mouthfeel is on the heavy side of medium and gently carbonated. A touch of cream on the top.

Not one to slam but to savor the unique collision of flavors. Easy to get happy with the glass though.

Big thanks to RblWthACos for this great one! I have one cellaring for a review in a year of two.
Jan 07, 2009
Photo of Stinkypuss
Reviewed by Stinkypuss from Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
a. poured from a liter bottle into a chalice. some sediment poured in, bone white soapy head and lace.

s. belgian funky yeast and a strong hop aroma that is pleasantly inviting and seems familiar yet strangely unknown.

t. yeasty notes hint of banana and other ripe fruit. hops are there lending subtle citrus notes and a big time bitterness. malt body is sweet and balances with the grassy hop. alcohol is barely noticable.

m. mouthfeel is a bit slick, smooth and maybe just slightly flat.

d. this is a very drinkable beer and worth the purchase. i'd like to see what happens when the hops die down after a year or two.
Jan 01, 2009
Photo of sonicdescent
Reviewed by sonicdescent from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is from the fall 2008 batch, and as such, the hops have not mellowed much at all. This is a hoppy ass brew.

Looks great, a nice golden color with a crown of head that releases scents of pine and sugar. On an aside, what a great label.

Taste is very similar to the smell, though the hops are definitely the prevailing factor. With that said, it isn't such a crazy amount of hops that it puts this brew off balance, but I wouldn't recommend hop-averse or hop-newbies start here.

Mouthfeel is strong with a medium body and carbonation. The flavor is enhanced rather than overshadowed here.

Drinkability is good but a fair warning: this one will sneak up on you. A very good brew.
Dec 28, 2008
Photo of Hojaminbag
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

4.12/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hazy, cloudy golden body with a good white head. Ok retention, but only a little bit of lacing.

Smells very nice. A good dose of bitter, grapefruity hops with some bready yeast and candied sugar aroma.

Up front is a taste of some nice bitter hops, grapefruit and pine. Then the more traditional tripel characteristics come through. Bready yeast and candied sugar. Some fruit notes. Finishes with a little more hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with medium to low carbonation. Just a little oily and resiny.

Pretty drinkable. I've never been a huge fan of hoppy tripels, but I would recommend this one.
Dec 24, 2008
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Off notes from close to a month ago.

Batch #2

Pours a foggy orange hued gold. Perfume and yeasty funky nose. Lots of citrus and a good amount of it on the flavor as well. Good dough character. A bit boozy though and it's a slight detractor. Feel has a bit of a slimy thick liquid feel to it and the carbonation is slightly lower but good. Overall a very nicely done ale. I'd let it age for a while before consumption though.
Nov 27, 2008
Photo of mikereaser
Reviewed by mikereaser from Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Got this from a trade, just wish i was closer to pittsburgh...

A - pours a hazy orangeish copper color with an inch of foam that slow dissipated leaving a covering of bubbles

S - has a nice citrus aroma with floral hops

T - tastes of citrus, vanilla, grassiness fill the mouth and ends with a nice hoppy punch

M/D - Very smooth drinking. I could drink this often. Very good flavoring all around. A very nice beer that I'm glad I had a chance to try. East End Brewing is doing a hell of a job. Keep it up!
Nov 08, 2008
Photo of PittBeerGirl
Reviewed by PittBeerGirl from Ohio

4.24/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Brewed a second time for election season! Batch #2 This is from the fresh 2008 batch just released on Saturday! Poured from the 1L bottle into my snifter.

A-Body is a foggy orange/light amber hue that pours with a small (1/2 finger) foamy white head that quickly subsides to a thin collar. No lacing left behind in the glass. Brew is moderately uniformly cloudy with some sediment floating in the bottom.

S-Perfect scent for a crazy collaboration of DIPA/Trippel. Belgian candy sugar and sweet, bready yeast come through first followed by a healthy offering of citrusy hops.

T- Lots of citrusy juicy hop flavor upfront with a solid sweet, bready yeast and candy sugar backbone. The finish shows evidence of its freshness with a good dose of alcohol astringency and a bit of resiny hop bitterness...but these disappear quickly. All that lingers is a bit of alcohol warmth.

M-Good...but could be better. Medium carbonation and a balanced body of alcohol astringency and smooth yeast. The third character is hop oils but not as strong as it could be (would be perfect if hop oils were most prominent instead of vaguely noticeable).

D- Great, Unique beer. My dilemma was to age or not to age? If one ages the clear alcohol astringency of the beer is lowered and the yeast has a chance to thrive and effect the flavor and mouthfeel...but the wonderful hop flavors...are gone. I drank this one fresh. I really liked this collaboration of two of my favorite styles-who happen to be opposites. I will try to buy a few more bottles of this to experiment with. My only complaint is that it could be a bit more hoppy. Very well done though. Great beer! I was super-excited when I found out it wa being re-released!
Oct 17, 2008
The Ugly American from East End Brewing Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 35 ratings