Pete's Wicked Tripel
Brasserie de la Senne

Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip. I can’t tell if the 9/12/24 stamped on the bottle is the “born on” or the “best by” date, but I think it’s the latter. But a tripel should be able to hold up to a little bit of age at least!

Appearance: hazy medium-golden body with a thick head of frothy ivory foam atop.

Smell: a rich malty aroma with a lovely pear-forward orchardy yeasty aroma right up front. Then the cocoa nibs come in, very subtle, at the end; super interesting and enticing. I would not have thought cocoa nibs would work in a tripel, and yet here we are.

Taste: rich maltiness with a pretty high sweetness and also a bracing bitter hoppiness. It’s well balanced, though. The cocoa nibs don’t pop out as much in the flavor as in the aroma, so the flavor is not as complex, but it’s still quite nice.

Mouthfeel: smooth body with a good carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: a really good and interesting tripel — I don’t think I’ve ever had one quite like this. I am pleased I got to try this, even if it is over a year past its “best by” date. I think a beer like this just gets better over a few years, though.

11.2 ounce bottle, best by date of 12SEP24 stamped on the label. Thanks to Brutaltruth for this brew! Served in a Teku, the beer pours a somewhat hazy dark gold color with about an inch or so frothy off-white head that stayed around for a long time. Lots of lacing. The brew smells like grainy malt, coriander, orange peel and some white grapes. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some herbal and a bit of a cocoa flavor noticeable too. Has an earthy bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's creamy with a good amount of soft carbonation. I liked this one overall, worth a try if you get the chance!

 

 

really weird beer, nothing like petes wicked ale of old, but i dont think thats the point, and its been so long my memory of it has to be spotty. i think this is made with that pete however, which is pretty neat, a blast from the past. a tripel base that in de la senne style drinks partially like saison, malty but not heavy, but the key element here is that its made with cocoa, nibs and beans apparently, unexpected in a belgian style, less so still in a beer that isnt dark, not sure ive had a chocolate element in a yeast forward beer like this before, insanely weird, and the result is weird, my homies dont love it, but i appreciate its uniqueness, bitter more than anticipated, especially when considered as a tripel, which as we know are generally sweet, but this isnt really at all. blonde, hazy, frothy headed, nice bottle conditioning as always from these guys. nose of yeasty funk but less bretty than expected, more old world belgian, white wine, pineapple and lemon candy, sparkling cider, some baked grain heft to it as well, and then the contribution of the cocoa, nibs adding bitterness, beans perhaps adding a fatty earthy thing, not really sure how this was made but my palate can pick up a ton of nuance, its bitter, hints at grassiness, coffee, and caramel, but really is quite dry as these go. earthy and maybe with some wheat malt, old worldy all the way but also innovative, some alcohol as it warms, lots of citrus to this, an almost dairy-like thing which is curious, lush and verdant too, racing carbonation. very strange to drink, and i dont need a lot of this, perhaps its slightly oxidized, but thats not really an issue here. the cocoa element is odd, its unique and well integrated, but its a strange fit. memorable and clever overall, but certainly not among my favorites in their elite lineup. still, always a joy to drink new beer from these guys, always entertaining!

 

 

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This interesting little brew pours a
hazy straw color with a very nice head of white foam that settles to a thick ring,
thick clumping layer, and sports some excellent lacing. Nose of light cracker, subtle
herbal notes, and faint candy sugars with a dash of coriander and subtle tropical hints.
Flavors surpass the nose with cracker, light fresh bread, herbal hops, coriander, and light
cocoa nibs notes that are there but difficult to pin down. With warmth some coconut
notes hit. Mouth feel is medium, medium light effervescent carbonation that is nicely
prickly, and a herbal forward finish.

Overall, not sure I would call it a tripel, but it is unique.

Cheers