Tripel 7 Jalapeño
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company - Restaurant and Pub

 

 

Scuttlebutt Brewing Company "Jalapeno Triple 7"
1 Pint 6 fl. oz. brown glass bottle - seemingly without production codes or freshness dating although there is a light impression of what seems to be numbers on the upper left hand side of the label running perpendicular to the base of the bottle.
$5.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: A whole big bottle of Jalapeño (spelled Jalapeno on the label) Tripel for me? I don't think I can handle it. Let's hope it's good! It's poured a somewhat hazy deep golden body beneath a finger thick head of off-white foam. As I'm looking at it it's dwindling, which is not good. It's at a half inch now... ... 1/4"... ... and now the surface has broken and it's receding to just an average collar - that's not a good appearance, but maybe that's got to do with the oils from the Jalapeños. It certainly smells like Jalapeños, I could smell them when I poured it, so if that's your thing they've got you covered. Personally I love the aroma, it's completely authentic, and fresh, and lively and peppery and spicy! Fiesta time! OK, on to the flavor. Given that the Jalapeños have commanded the aroma and nothing else has gotten through I'm a little apprehensive, fearing that it will be quite hot but I like some, most, a lot of pepper beers so let's see... ahhh, it's not nearly as hot as I'd imagined, and some nice malt comes through. It's bready, and perhaps a little doughy and sweet, but nice, and the heat from the Jalapeños balances it nicely. I'm kind of missing the Belgian yeast aspect of it but perhaps that's because the Jalapeños are throwing me off a bit. Ahh, yes, I can see there's some under there. The more I sip at it the more the heat grows, and now my lips are tingling. I'm afraid it might become too much for me. There's hardly any bitterness to it, and it finishes sweet and spicy, but that actually works out great. As for the body, it's medium, and the carbonation has been kept minimal, most likely so as not to accentuate the peppery acidity. I'm not finding any hops in it although I'm sure there's some there, and to be honest, they don't really need to show, this is really about the balance between the golden malts and the peppers - which, oddly, seem to be subsiding, but I can only assume that that's just my palate getting used to them, or being subdued by them. So where do we stand? Have I covered everything? Look, smell, taste, feel... yes. Overall it's a pretty decent Jalapeño beer. I love the aroma, and I like the little bit of burn on my lips while not having it burn my mouth, and there's a bit of a Belgian-style triple to it as well. I've had less balanced pepper beers than this, and ones that only delivered heat and not aroma and flavor as well so it sits pretty high on my list. The limited Belgian character is a problem as I see it, and the lack of head retention and lacing, although as I noted earlier, that may be due to the peppers and there's nothing they could have done about that. Would I drink it again? Well, I've got another 20 ounces to work through right now so I'm not sure. I think I might.
Review# 6,199

 

 

22oz bottle - no other info on the label, so I am to take it that this is a Tripel, with jalapeno peppers? And what's the '7' for?

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and bubbly off-white head, which leaves some roiling wavecrest pattern lace around the glass as it quickly subsides.

It smells of fresh green chilies, bready and doughy pale cereal malt, a hint of Belgian yeastiness, and some free-range simple syrup sweetness. The taste is gritty and bready pale malt, a further plain breakfast cereal graininess, some hovering, but not quite alighting jalapeno heat, brown sugar, subtle estery yeast, an indistinct light orchard fruitiness, and a minor sense of alcohol warmth incursion.

The carbonation is average in its palate-supportive frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and actually fairly smooth, even with the pepper and booze heat always seeming ready to pounce. It finishes off-dry, the underlying Tripel trying to assert itself against the lingering green spiciness.

Overall, I gotta say, I really like this approach to a style with which I typically find it difficult to get on board. The sexy, and unrelenting chili essence certainly has a way about it that makes everything just seem a-ok, flavour-wise - it's not metallic or wan, or overwrought, but just right. Very tasty stuff.

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a cloudy bright orangey color ale with a medium size foamy head with OK retention and limited lacing. Aroma of jalapenos with some residual sugar and light cereal notes is more balanced then I was expecting. Taste is a mix of spicy jalapenos notes with some residual sugar notes and cereal notes with subtle fruity ester. Body is full with good carbonation and no alcohol was apparent. Not bad but spicy notes do become overwhelming after a while.

Very fragrant with what I would call the New Mexico style of green chile. But the heat and flavor is more Jalapeño. Mixed with the yeasty Belgian flavors, the pepper is nicely moderated. There's a little heat, but it subsides before the next sip. Well, almost. Malty, with a lovely sudsy mouthfeel.

Overall this is quite sippable, and the 9% alcohol really brings the chile taste forward. One of the best Chile brews I"ve had. This could cause me to revise my opinion of Scuttlebutt. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Elizabeth Station in Bellingham.