Trip In the Woods (2026): Barrel Aged Tripel
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- From:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Tripel
- ABV:
- 10.6%
- Score:
- +8 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.93 | pDev: 7.63%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 18, 2026
- Added:
- Mar 25, 2026
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
This classic Tripel is a tour de force of Belgian yeast. Balanced esters deliver bright flavors of pear, orange blossom, and pepper-spice, while a six-month rest in gin barrels infuses botanical notes of citrus and soft juniper. The finished beer is bright, effervescent, and gently rounded by its time in the barrel. Look in the woods and you'll discover three birds, bells, and berries-each a nod to the complexity within.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania
3.63/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.63/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Trip in the Woods Barrel Aged Tripel (2026) from Sierra Nevada. 16.9 fl oz cork and caged bottle, purchased 09/04/26 from Sierra Nevada online, received 17/04/26. $ 31.18 (Including shipping)/$ 1.845/fl oz. Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 18/04/26, review 3726. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle other than “2026” on the embossed label. The cork easily comes out with a solid “Pffft.” Served at 46.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 55.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, same.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.1 cm, aggressive center pour). White, high density, short duration; the head drops to a 0.25 – 0.3 cm crown, and a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Mild spiciness. No malt, no alcohol.
Flavor – 3.5 – Slightly bitter with yeast. No hops, no malt, no alcohol (10.6 % according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Light: Slightly dry: Soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art, but a nicely embossed label. Easy drinking example of the style, overpriced. Much less complex than true Belgian Tripels – maybe it just needs to age a few years. Not great but drinkable.
Apr 18, 2026Undated bottle other than “2026” on the embossed label. The cork easily comes out with a solid “Pffft.” Served at 46.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 55.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, same.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.1 cm, aggressive center pour). White, high density, short duration; the head drops to a 0.25 – 0.3 cm crown, and a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Mild spiciness. No malt, no alcohol.
Flavor – 3.5 – Slightly bitter with yeast. No hops, no malt, no alcohol (10.6 % according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Light: Slightly dry: Soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art, but a nicely embossed label. Easy drinking example of the style, overpriced. Much less complex than true Belgian Tripels – maybe it just needs to age a few years. Not great but drinkable.
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina
4.24/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Picked up this as part of the Friends of the Family second bi-monthly allotment in Mills River on 3-21-26. Poured at 58 degrees. Consumed bottle #1 for review 4-5-26.
Beer poured golden brown with a nice white head with the original pour.
Nose has notes of gin botanicals, apple, and pear.
Taste is a large but light malt base in which the phenols give me notes of banana and light fruit. Getting a well-played touch of gin barrel that leaves a juniper flavor and slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, very soft and smooth.
Overall, i struggled whether to give this a 4.5 taste wise as the gin barrel is so nicely played and the brewers use of the yeast gives those wonderful phenols i adore with the Belgian versions. Nicely done!
Apr 05, 2026Beer poured golden brown with a nice white head with the original pour.
Nose has notes of gin botanicals, apple, and pear.
Taste is a large but light malt base in which the phenols give me notes of banana and light fruit. Getting a well-played touch of gin barrel that leaves a juniper flavor and slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, very soft and smooth.
Overall, i struggled whether to give this a 4.5 taste wise as the gin barrel is so nicely played and the brewers use of the yeast gives those wonderful phenols i adore with the Belgian versions. Nicely done!
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