Honey Crisp
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

 

 

 

Could have used more carbonation and barm for the style. Aroma is fine, ordinary smells of esthers and clove with a little sweetness from the honey. Taste is long the same line, has all of the traditional notes with an added sweetness, but nothing really gels and pops out. Mouthfeel is a little slick but fine. Overall a solid beer

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a light brownish color with honey edges. The most prominent note is the nose was that of over-ripe apples. The flavor was heavy on the classic Belgian funk.

 

 

 

 

On tap at Rattle n Hum West. I've been enjoying a blend of Mackensey's spiced cider & Weihenstephaner Hefwiessbier (20/80) for a few years, so I`m no stranger to the cider w/the dry of hops, but this comes across as a bit over the top. Honey crisp, IMO, is the premier apple available today. They have an amazing amount of sweetness & a hint of spice in their natural state & it comes through here but merely as a blush. Unfortunately I feel the sweet that a triple adds is not a good match. Something with more of a dry element would lend a much more sophisticated nuance. This is big plus big.

 

 

Had on draft in a tulip. More of a wine (or perhaps a cider) than a beer, but my serving wasn't very carbed, so perhaps that affected it. Quite apple-y, and the 13% is well-hidden, so they hit the mark for what they were trying to do (I assume), but just not really my thing. Reminded me much more of an apple wine than a beer.

That said, it was easy drinking, and not overly sweet. I think wine drinkers would really enjoy this, but I'd be interested in a review of it from someone who would typically order a white wine versus a beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A- Pours a slightly hazy and medium golden orange in color in the body of the beer. A small, one finger thick head forms and retains fairly well, but does hang around as a touch of film that laces ok.

S- Spicy notes hit the nose first. Coriander and black pepper are the main components of the spice in the scent. A touch of the apples come in during the middle of the drink and give a touch of juiciness, but not much. Belgian style yeasty and wheat scents end the drink.

T- Starts off with a traditional Belgian trippel flavor of yeast and spicy flavors. The coriander and pepper from the scent are still present in the taste. The apples have a very mild presence in the middle/end of the drink. The apples get increasingly juicy and fruity as you get closer to the end, but never become the dominant flavor. The end of the drink is dominated by moderately bitter alcohol and more spicy and grainy trippel flavors.

M- This beer is smooth and has a low to medium level of carbonation and is dangerously smooth. Other than a touch of alcohol bitterness in the taste, there is very little to no evidence of the 13% in the feel of this beer.

Overall, this beer is not as much of a juicy honeycrisp apple as I was expecting. It is a very good trippel however, and the little bit of apple flavor that is present is a good addition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fairly voluminous light khaki colored whipped froth comprised of big chunky bubbles and with bit of a rocky top... Decent retention gives way to a full mostly full creamy lacing and moderate collar... The color is a slightly hazy honey... Mostly still with some sluggish carbonation streaks seen towards the top of the glass... The nose displays the apple at the forefront... Somewhat sweet... Somewhat tart... Some honey and candied sugar notes add to the sweetness as well... A very light Belgian yeast component as well... A bit muddled, but still quite pleasant... The flavor profile is not quite what I was expected... Bursting at the seems with white wine tannins... It almost tasted like a glass of chardonnay with a touch of apple... The honey crisp and Belgian tripel components are very subtle and buried way beneath the surface... The mouthfeel is dry in on the lighter side of medium bodied... Some prickly carbonation... Interesting to say the least... I'm pretty sure I like it, but it certainly was not what I was expecting (a sweet Belgian Tripel)... Sort of challenges the senses in a good way... Kudos to Pizza Boy for continuing to push the limits and challenging conventions...