Red Rock Rêve
Red Rock Brewing Company

 

 

2017 version at the brew pub on Valentine's Day. Pours a deep straw to amber color with a light minimal head. Nose is of light oak and candy. Upon first taste this beer has a lot of sourness to it almost wild ale like. Not overly sweet as I had expected being that that has been my experience with most triples. I think the oak casks come through nicely and that plus it's bit of a sour edge probably cut down this beers sweetness from the use of candied sugar. The oak gives this beer somewhat of a dry finish which I enjoyed. It's a bit boozy but it is manageable. Not as heavy as I had expected it to be which was also a present surprise as it drank easier than expected. Figured I would go have this a week early at their pub rather than waiting in a release line next Saturday. Cheers

I may have got an old one, but just wasn't a fan. Didn't like the bitter wine taste on the back end

 

Amber color in the chalice. Lovely foam and the lacing swirls up anew with each sip. Sudsy mouthfeel.

Tart with a delightful fruity sweetness. The Brett flavor is sensational with just enough funk, but the yeasty bitterness is fairly modest. Deeply fruity with a light taste of candied pineapple, but it's not overly sweet. This is more like a high octane Saison, but the alcohol is not much in evidence. Aroma is like a distillation of Belgian flavors. Another interesting brew in the broad range of the Tripel style, or at least something like it that makes for a bold experience.

From the 750 ml bottle at the downtown Salt Lake brewpub.

 

excellent! this bubbly golden wine glass of heaven has a white head an inch tall and a nose of brett, fruity yeast, engligh pale malts, and wood. flavor is amazingly complex. sour hit up front instead of on the back end, which is unique. plenty of fruity flavors, but no sweetness really, despite the ingredient list. the candy sugar really only adds depth of flavor, not much sweetness. feel is lovely. very brightly carbonated and spot on medium body. after hearing all ive heard about utah, i was surprised and impressed that such a brew was made there. i enjoyed this one at log haven restaurant up mill creek canyon road out of salt lake. it paired magically with a rare elk steak, smoked blue mashed tatys, and sauteed hen of the woods mushrooms. an amazing beer with an amazing feed. id suggest this highly to anyone, unique and delicious, if a bit pricey at over 20 bucks per bottle.

Another Utah bottle from Wasatch.

Pours a light bubbly golden amber with a frothy white head that recedes to a thin creamy cap, leaving no lacing.

Aroma is a mixture of light sweet fruits - pears and green apples - and the spicy oak character. Light pale malts and a hint of lemon zest as well.

The taste seems to have a more tart character than the aroma with the tart apples really coming out with a touch of hay and spices. The sweet malt backbone is there but light and the finish is oaky.

The mouthfeel is light bodied and very effervescent. The finish is dry and almost white wine-like.

A very drinkable tripel where the oak adds a layer of complexity and gives the beer a more vinous character. Tasty.

Bottle 1173. Got this from Wasatch ages ago, and promised I'd review it. Here goes!

A - Owwww. Whoever twisted the cage on this did it like, 100 times. Owwww. Opens with NO pop. Has a piss-foam head that dissipates quickly. God I hope there's carbonation in here. Pale golden color, no real head, no real carbonation, hazy. Not much of a winner in the looks dept.

S - It smells absolutely fine... nice dry oak notes, yeast, no booze. Belgian candied sugar. Just smells like a "oak aged tripel" to me. Definite fruity undertones.

T - Sweet. Sweeet. I must have gotten a bad bottle, because it's grossly undercarbonated.. I'll save that for the mouthfeel tho. It tastes fruity, and sweet, yets still finishes slightly dry (due to the barrels I'd imagine). Some booze, a lot of residual sugars, and a random hint of tartness and/or fusels show up on some sips.

M - I'm aware that this is probably not how the beer was supposed to turn out, but being that it's my only bottle of it, I'm just gonna go with it. This beer is SEVERELY undercarbonated, which hinders every other aspect of it. It can't hold a decent head, it tastes bad because I don't think there was enough yeast to eat the sugar, blah blah... I believe it's the root of the problem here.

D - I'm gonna try to get through this glass, but it's not gonna be a very enjoyable experience.

Notes: Looked forward to this one for a while and I'm pretty let down. Wish I knew of any other bad bottles.

From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue III:

A Belgian Tripel aged in French oak casks from RedRock's Private Reserve series.

Golden in color with good clarity and a brief white lacing. Green apples, pears, fleshy fruits in the aroma, with a stick of gum in the background and a faint peppery alcohol. Smooth at first, but bitty beneath. Medium-bodied, but well-rounded and chewy in spots. Sweet. Shortbread and golden cake batter. Tropical fruits, like mango and papaya, with a tangy green raisin. Bready. Yeasty. Some green banana and gum. Alcohol is clean, warming in the back and with mild ester. Feigned dryness from the oak, with smackings of white wine around the edges.

An interesting twist, but just a decent stab at the style. It could be closer to the mark if it was drier. The oak definitely helped this beer, putting that plus on our C score.

Thanks John!
Enjoyed this bad boy at a tasting this weekend.
Corked and caged 750ml bottle; poured into a large cognac snifter. Got a dark copper color with a bright, medium head.

In the nose I got a goodly amount citrus, definitely some granny smith apple notes in there. Not overpowering though, just enough to get you enticed into taking the first sip.

Taste-wise, I get the oak-aging immediately. Once again, not overpowering but very comfortable, taking the first sip gets you ready to enjoy several more. Get some of the citrus notes in the back palate . . . bosc pear and a mild date flavor too.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability are way up there. This isn't a session beer by any means, but I tend to be a tough critic of triples and belgian strongs (just personal taste). Not all yeast strains tend to jive well with me, but everything about this beer did. Absolutely loved it from nose to back palate.

750ml corked and caged bottle (bottle #1172) received from Wasatch in a trade. Thanks John! Poured into a Duvel tulip. My 100th review. Glad to have a chance to try this one.

A - Bottle opens with a nice, solid pop. Pours a pale yellow gold color with a giant 4 fingers of white head. There is a nice, yeasty haze throughout. Head is on the loose side and fades quickly with a lot of rice krispy like snap, crackle, pop activity of popping bubbles. Eventually settles to a densely packed 1/4" on the surface...some minimal lacing on the sides of the glass.

S - Aroma is quite interesting. A underlying Belgian funk, bubblegum, cloves and earthy hops. A woodiness, some yeast and some acidity (maybe a bit lemony) appear as well.

T - Good combination of flavors. A little bit of tartness hits first, followed by the Belgian funk - bubble gum and cloves, some nice citrusy aspects - lemons, oranges. Alcohol presence is definitely detectable too. Hop bitterness level is low, but just enough to even things out.

M - Very full bodied and thick. Lots of carbonation...makes for a very lively beer and enhances the fullness in body.

D - Pretty potent at 9.0%, but quite smooth. Alcohol definitely limits the drinkability, but it is quite a nice tripel. Seems like this would be great with food...good cheese too.

I got this one from Wasatch, thanks for the beer John.

A hazy, slightly cloudy, orangey-yellow body with a big, active head that kind of reminds me of champagne. Pretty good retention, but only a few spots of lacing stay behind.

The aroma has a good bit of toasted malt and candied sugar, but also some apple and pear fruitiness that comes with some tartness.

Toasted malt is the first thing I notice. Next comes a good amount of fruit characteristics, of which apple, pear and maybe a little bit of white grape are the star. Along with the fruit comes a nice, crisp, tartness. I wouldn't call it sour or powerful, tart is the correct word for the taste, but what is there is very refreshing and well done. Candied sugar comes through next, and makes up the middle of the brew. The finish is full of oak, which is woody, spicy and dry. A very interesting beer that I certainly enjoyed; I'm rating the flavor a 4, but I would say that it's somewhere between 4 and 4.5.

I think the mouthfeel is great. Medium bodied with a ton of carbonation that reminds me of a less powerful-feeling champagne. Maybe like a good saison.

A really drinkable beer. I didn't notice any trappings of alcohol despite the 9% ABV.

A 750ml corked/caged brown bottle, sent a couple months back by Utah's Beer-iest, Wasatch. Vibrant crimson label, trimmed in sunshine yellow; hand-numbered Bottle #200. Poured to a 'La Chouffe' tulip glass.

"Belgian Style Ale - Aged in French Oak Casks"

A: (Almost) crystal clear honey-golden, showcasing a bounty of tiny carbonation - a champagne-like effervescence. Lofty head, a fluffy/fizzy whiteness that billows up the narrowed neck, topping out at 3-fingers. Foamy patches of lace glisten as they hold tight to the glass.

S: Smells like a tripel...a good Belgian one. Toasty malt, sweet and full of honey, ripe melon, wheatgrass, spice. The vinous, mildly grape-like aroma develops as it warms.

T: What starts as a typically sweet, malt-driven golden ale/tripel turns to a curious vanilla- and grape-filled surprise. Sure there's plenty of apple, pear, and peppery-dry spice, but the 'barrel' really shines here. Woody/vinous flavors yield less than subtle hints at cherry-lime sweet-tartness. Apple and vanilla grow the warmer it gets. Pretty interesting, differing from a traditional Belgian of the ilk I've had before, but very, VERY likable all the same.

M: Some definite alcohol warmth, medium body and surprisingly mild in carbonation, despite the bounty seen in the glass.

D: Man, I'm very glad to get a chance at this one, a nice tripel with the added bonus of cask-aging. Warms nicely, a sipper and a pleasure to drink. Would have never had the chance to try without John's proselytizing, so a hearty 'thank you' is due. Absolutely worth a try if you have the chance.

got this in trade
A cloudy dark amber/yellow beer. Starts with a big bright white head.There is a nice light fruity (apple) aroma with a spicey/peppery background. A snap of apple sweetness on the front of the tongue and spicey cinnamon and pepper hints in the middle.The finish is lightly sour and dry.
thanks john this was tasty

Thanks to Wasatch for this one!

A - pours a cloudy orange with big whispy white foam that bubbled down to a 1/2 inch that stuck around.

S - Funky yeasty aroma with lemon zest, lots of corriander and hints of pepper

T - pale malt sweetness to start ending with a bready dryness, citrusy flavor of orange, lemon, grapefruit & grapes with just a bit of funkiness. This one has so much flavor and layers that its hard to describe.

M/D - Good carbonation and mouthfeel, light and crisp and it hides the alcohol well.

I would love to have this more often, definitely one of the more interesting brews i've had in a while.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey color with a big head that gets rather rocky and leaves nice patterns of lace

Smell: Fruity, with pear, green apples and a hint of bubblegum; also, yeasty, with a vague hint of wild yeast that is likely to develop further with age

Taste: Opens with a doughy flavor that is quickly joined by a range of interesting fruit; there is the pear and green apple from the aroma, but also some tropical fruit, such as passion fruit, lychee and star fruit; underneath the fruit is a developing sourness that comes to the fore after the swallow and balances through the aftertaste, that features a dry, woody finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with spritzy carbonation

Drinkability: A beer to contemplate rather than quaff; a nice twist between a trippel and an American Wild

Thanks, Wasatch, for the opportunity

I got this bottle in a trade with Wasatch. Thanks John!

This is a 750ML caged and corked bottle(no. 1177)ooh...time to hit Vegas, lol!

It pours, after a huge pop, a hazy yellow orange with easy a 3 finger head of foam. There's some very nice lacing and the foam doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon.

The smell has notes of yeast, bready malt, some spices like corriander and pepper, and pretty big lemon zest. Interesting nose if maybe a bit too complicated.

The taste starts off with big doses of lemon tartness and yeast, some candy sugar sweetness, light pepper, some bread, and some fruitiness that smacks of peaches. There are a lot of flavours here so getting bored is not an option.;^) There's not much sign of the abv except some warming long after the swallow.

The mouthfeel is just below what I'd call medium and the carbonation is very lively; my tongue literally tingles after every sip. I'd say cut down on the carbo just a wee bit.

Drinkability? Well hidden alcohol and interesting flavour throughout the session...I'd say it is very good. I wonder what this would be like with some age on it. As it is, it's a fine drop and yes, the foam just won't quit. Great job, RedRock!

750 ml corked and caged bottle brought to the SeaO'Floydster tasting by Carlos, thanks for bringing this at the last minute buddy, bottle #254, reviewed from notes, poured into my Rader snifter

A-Light golden yellow color with some orange tint, 3/4 inch somewhat creamy white head, no lacing, decent legs though
S-Wild yeast, brown sugar, plums, prunes, dates, cherries, sweet candy, funkiness, and caramel
T-Sweet at first, lots of malt in the middle, finish is slightly tart but there is a big citrus presence, wish it would have been more acidic, more fruit and caramel comes out as it warms, complex and odd at times, dry in the finish
M-Sweet, chewy, and sugary mouthfeel, medium bodied, above average carbonation for its style, taste lingered quite a bit
D-Could not have drank a whole lot of this but the alcohol was hidden well, just too sweet at times, slightly bitter finish makes this more drinkable than it would be

I had never heard about this beer before night and it was a nice surprise for the tasting, a triple that spent two years in port casks just sounds interesting and it definitely was, I would want to try this again in the future, recommended