#14
Carolina Brewing Company

12 bottle, last of my six pack bought over the summer.

Appearance: Hazy orange. Disappointing head despite a pretty rough pour. The thin rim still leaves some pretty decent lacing.

Smell: Yeast is the most prominent smell. There's sweet fruit smell and spice too. Too much yeast.

Taste: Lots of clove and spice. A little fruity, but again, tons of almost overpowering yeastiness. The flavors are without a doubt "belgian style," but it doesnt come together right. The long yeasty finish is a little peppery.

Mouthfeel: Kind of syrupy, almost a little creamy, but a little undercarbonated.

Drinkability: Despite being a fan of this brewery, I had very low expectations for this but was pleasantly surprised. Its not close to a great tripel, but its not at all bad. A decent stab at a tripel.

bottled 7-1-09, thanks black-e for the try - i've had a number of these anniversary beers over the years

appearance: served in a delirium chalice, hazy apricot-orange body, light beige froth with mild bubbly retention

smell: apricot, honey, very herbal and sweet, doughy and yeasty, light whiffs of alcohol

taste: this beer is perplexing as a tripel - a little thick and lacking the spice-complexity you would expect. pretty grainy flavor, doughy, malty, toasted grains, apricot, honey, light clove. a bit dissapointing

mouthfeel: thick and doughy

drinkability: ok

Purchased a case of bottles from the brewery. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a chalice style glass.

Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a nice foamy head of about 2-3 fingers width. Retention is good and lacing is down the glass.

Aromas are malty, bready, and some interesting notes of spices.

The first pull on this one was malty, much sweeter actually than I expected. Not much in the way of hops to speak of, but there is something that is keeping this within reach of balance. The finish is malty and sweet as well, with an herbal note in the linger.

The weight in the mouth is interesting. The sweetness seems to nullify any of the alcohol that is present, and makes for a rather satisfying experience. Drinkability is solid and smooth.

I've been bugging Joe at the brewery for years to make a Trippel and the answer was always the same "...we're considering it for an upcoming beer...". Here it is! Thanks, guys, it's a great brew and fitting for an anniversary beer.

a: piraat snifter, the pour gives a light white head with only a smattering retained, the beer is a bright golden-amber in color

s: apricot and pale malt nose with notes of light honey, yeast provides clove and some banana, candied citrus peel, some pear in the back, hops aged and mildly spicy, only a touch of alcohol, great nose

m: light carbonation with a medium body that's just a touch slick on the tongue

t: full pale grain backbone carries big flavors of apricot and honey, some yeasty dough and clove, on the sweet side but with a nice papery hop counterpart, long finish with lingering sugars

d: no issues at all, a very solid example - CBC may not be a groundbreaking brewery but they're one of the most consistent in the state

six-pack bottled 7/01/09 and purchased from the brewery

4/11/10 - last bottle, definitely not aging well, oxidation and lots of sweetness with the hops drastically weakened, no scores altered of course

Served out of a 12oz can into a standard pint glass.

A: deep gold, decent head that laces the glass.

S: malty, spices, yeasty, slight orangy and alcohol aroma.

T: some spiciness and citrus flavors over the malt backbone. there's a lot going on in the flavors.

MF: medium to medium-high body, moderately high carbonation, had a slightly sweet finish.

Drinkability: pretty easy drinking. need to get some more.

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a Belgian glass a crisp light orange with a thin diminishing head. Aroma is a nice amount of sweet malts and mild spice. The taste is a quite flavorful amount of sweet malts and spice with a slight hop presence. The beer is medium bodied with decent carbonation and a mild dryness. I must say, this one impressed me! Next to Old 392, this is the best beer by CBC I've had yet!

Pours very gold with a soft 1-finger head giving way to decent retention. Thick lacing down the sides of the glass. Good looking beer.

Nose is very yeasty. Some biscuit, but mostly yeast. Orange peel comes in lightly.

Very creamy with a smooth flavor up front. A little fruitiness and sugar follow. Goes dryly bitter on the finish. Suprisingly complex!

Thick feel. Lots of malt body here. Very chewy.

Easy to drink for an 8%'er.