Oak Aged Tripel
White Birch Brewing

Oak Aged TripelOak Aged Tripel
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From:
White Birch Brewing
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Tripel
ABV:
10.4%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 20.38%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
31
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 22, 2014
Added:
Oct 15, 2009
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  1
Our Traditional Tripel aged with oak chips that were conditioned with rye whiskey. If you’re not familiar with it, rye whiskey is a subtle flavor. Distinct from bourbon or whiskey in that the rye tang makes it through the distillation process. It is not as sweet as a bourbon or whiskey can be.

To make this beer we age oak chips with the rye whiskey until it achieves the aromas we’re looking for. The beer then is aged with these chips for an additional period of time to absorb their flavor and aroma into the Tripel. The resulting beer is a balance of light malts, vanilla, oak, rye and cracked pepper. The finish is an almost light bodied, dry crispness that belies the overall ABV.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.25 by zestar from California

Aug 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jophish17 from Georgia

Jun 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kelp from New Hampshire

Apr 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by DmanGTR from New York

Feb 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by deleted_user_127363 from Canada (QC)

Nov 30, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by wesley14 from Massachusetts

Aug 06, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Dec 24, 2011
 
Rated: 4.5 by kaelingirl from Massachusetts

Dec 18, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Nov 26, 2011
Photo of johnnnniee
Reviewed by johnnnniee from New Hampshire

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from July 6 2010 Batch 1 Bottle 31 of 84 sampled 10/23/2011
This bottle pours a crystal clear deep golden straw color with a decent sized bubbly white head that shows moderate retention and lace. I normally joke about the clarity with White Birch beers, but sitting in my basement for a year cleared this one right up. although now it looks like a dead ringer for a macro lager.
Spicy aroma in the form of rye with a strong bite of phenols from the yeast. Light fruit in the form of lemons and green apples and hints of bready malt round out the aroma. Taste is a bit sweeter than the aroma would have suggested. Sweet bready malt balanced by tart fruit apricots, apples, lemons come to mind and spicy Belgian phenols. There's a hint of rye character but it is very subtle. Light to medium body, moderate to high level of carbonation with a sweet slick almost sticky mouthfeel. Decent tripel that is quite drinkable. I could use a bit more body and some of the darker juicier fruit aromas that I often associate with a tripel.
Oct 23, 2011
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

1.82/5  rDev -50.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Thanks to tprokop7 for the bomber. This is Batch #1 bottle #79 of 79. Alcohol is listed as 10.7% abv with a bottled date of September 8, 2009. There is no wax on this offering but the color of the label matches the one provided here in this listing. I took a quick glance at some of the other reviews and I could not figure out how different people could batch one with a different amount of total bottles and dates. I believe people have inaccurately reviewed this beer under the "barrel aged" listing and vice versa.

Poured into a snifter, this brew appears nearly a crystal clear color of pale yellow. This is probably the closest thing I have ever seen to a Belgian style brew having seemingly polished clarity. 2 fingers worth of fluffy white head sit proudly atop the brew and very rapidly dissolves with audible pops and fizzes. A constant stream of bubbles rises through the solution maintaining a thin lace atop the brew that collects around the outside edges with about a half finger's strength. A light swirl easily revives a finger of head back to the top which again rapidly dissolves. This is without a doubt the most pale looking tripel I have ever seen.

The smell of this brew includes a very bold array of coriander-like lemony scents in the nose that is, as more whiffs are taken, almost like perfume with a seemingly exaggerated and artificial lemon quality. The first thing that comes to mind is lemon pledge household cleaner. What is even more solidifying of that statement is the raw oak character that is hidden underneath the lemony aspects of this brew's aroma that come out more as the brew warms. Once this brew nears ideal temperature it has a solvent kick of alcohol that stings the nose. When coupled with the lemon perfume and oak, it becomes quite unpleasant.

From the first sip until the very last, there is a dominating amount of raw oak in this brew that is so bold it nearly covers up all the other aspects of the base tripel. As more sips are taken, some of that previously noted lemon character from the aroma makes its way into the flavor with a full on assault of something like coriander and artificial lemon flavoring. Tasting this brew is a chore, I am trying to give it an honest chance but each sip gets less and less enjoyable as the brew warms up. Once the brew comes up to temperature there is an herbal hop element that is lightly bitter and earthy and the alcohol comes forward warming up the back of the throat. The aftertaste of this brew is lightly sweet, mildly grainy in character but tasting more like corn than grain... very strange.

This is a medium bodied brew with a very active level of carbonation. While cold the nearly 11% abv is masked quite well but as it comes up to temperature it gets unbearable coupled with the other characteristics of this beer. There is no balance here, the oak completely dominated the base and the lemony quality is so outrageous that it seemingly coats the tongue and lasts with an oily residue that I cannot get out of my mouth. If raw oak and lemon pledge are your thing, this might be the beer for you. If you are looking for a tripel, avoid this. If I didn't know any better, I would say something went horribly wrong with this batch and the inexcusable amount of lemon and oak was added as a band-aid.
Aug 23, 2011
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

3.1/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
8/7/2011

Bottle shared by Carlos, thanks!

A: Hazy blond with a frothy white head.

S: Sugary bread with green apple and a lot of oak. Lightly spicy phenols remind me of pepper. There's a little evident alcohol.

T: Sugary bread sweetness with peppery phenols and a prominent green apple flavor. The finish is boozy, spicy, tannic, and oaky with sugary bread lingering.

M: Medium body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth and dry.

Overall: I found this to be over oaked and too sweet with an unpleasant finish. Nothing to seek out, and I wouldn't drink it again.
Aug 09, 2011
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.83/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Tap pour @ the Birdsall House, Peekskill, NY.

Pours crazy cloudy orangy amber. Long lasting off white head, frothy and then leaves ample sheeting. Looks like a mango shake.

Super citrusy, fruity, then hoppy..well done, densely flavorful, complex and damn tasty stuff. Glad I had the chance to try it. Worth seeking out.
Jan 20, 2011
Photo of jneiswender
Reviewed by jneiswender from Massachusetts

2.51/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Poured out of a pint and a little over a half bottle into a Belgian chalice. Served cool but not cold.

A-Lemon drop body (somewhat cloudy), nice thick white head.

S-very yeasty, some lemon, some alcohol.

T-very yeasty, some lemon and spice (almost lemon bar), wine like astringent, light vanilla aftertaste.

M-light to medium and well carbonated

D-A little to astringent for me. A bit course flavored. I think I might pass on this next time.
Jan 13, 2011
Photo of GbVDave
Reviewed by GbVDave from Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a White Birch flute. Special thanks to Vanillamike for this from a little while back.

Bottled: July 6, 2010
Batch: One
Bottle: 12 of 84
ABV: Alc. 10.9% by Vol.

A: Pours an extremely pale straw yellow with just the right amount of haze. Sitting on top is a fantastic looking, bright-white head that retains all the way. Lace was sticky and plentiful. Effervescent to say the least!

S: Pretty typical Tripel/BSPA aromas. Clove, spiced pear, green apple, spices, toasty grain, and some bright citrus. Pretty lively.

T: Tastes pretty close to the nose but everything seemed a little muted. Some tannins creep in as it warms as does a little alcohol.

M: Relatively crisp and spicy with a fair amount of stickiness. Finishes surprisingly dry and peppery.

D: Another fine effort from Bill and his crew. Keep 'em coming!
Jan 08, 2011
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle dated Sept 8th, 2009, so it's got some age.

A very fluffy looking head rises up to a finger and fades semi quickly in a fizzy fashion, over crystal clear golden straw color. For being bottle conditioned and oak aged, crystal clear is really interesting.

Nose brings lots of oak to start, a little bourbon even it seems, some interesting malts, Belgian malts, light spicy rye like aroma, a bit of fruit, a slight honey like aroma too, golden malts. very interesting.

The taste is similar to the nose, starting with some malty flavors, light Belgian golden malts. A very slight sweetness, touch of a honey like flavor. Then come more of the interesting spicey tastes, starting with a spicy rye flavor, other interesting spices I can't put a finger on. The some oak, fresh oak, and even a cedar like flavor, and slight hints of bourbon. Some light citrus fruits, little orange peel and lemon zest with hints of saison like citrus. It gets pretty dry on the finish, with a lingering malts and spices, light rye and oak on the finish. A slight sticky and almost flemmy feel left on the mouth.

The mouth is medium bodied, a little sticky in the basic mouth feel like it had mead in it, and lots of carbonation.

Drinkability is decent, a slight sticky and almost flemmy feel late, a nice dry finish, and nice effervescence, and no bad lingering flavors.
Oct 31, 2010
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Reviewed from notes. Thanks to rpstevens for handing this over to me as an extra during an in-person trade at KTG 2010.

Pours a slightly hazed bright straw color with a nice bone white head and some good lacing. The nose brings forward a bit of oak as well as some clove and spice. A bit of grain and booze. Some light banana notes. A bit of cardboard. The taste is a bit grainy with some pepper, clove, and spice. Hints of oak. Then comes quite a bit of a vegetal taste and a weird cardboard character; this is all really hard to get overall. The mouthfeel is nice and dry with a good body and carbonation level. Feel was quite nice, but the nose and taste weren't quite up to par. Kudos for the style choice, however.
Oct 21, 2010
Photo of Phelps
Reviewed by Phelps from Arizona

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle received in a generous trade with CooperEllis. Number 27 of 84, batch one, bottled July 6, 2010. Poured into my Bruery tulip.

Looks: clear pale dandelion yellow with a one-finger sudsy head of eggshell white The tiny bubbles pop and crackle, becoming denser, creamier, and gripping the sides of the glass in thick horizontal tracts. Great retention; I bet this head would stick around all night if I let it. As I drink, the head sticks even more, the bottom half of my glass is covered in limestone-like sheeting.

Smells: white pepper, banana, lager yeast, peach, pear syrup, clove, cereal grain, no oak.

Tastes: there's the oak! It's more subtle than expected, but adds a nice accompaniment to the flavors that burst mid-palate: sweet and citrusy pear juice, lemon rind, light banana. Spicy pepper again, along with cardamom. A crisp, dry finish wipes away most of the flavors, but a slightly sour lemon flavor lingers on the back of the tongue.

Feels: soft. Medium-high, peppery carbonation with a medium-light body. Expands as it warms, becoming pleasantly creamy, with only a slightly noticeable alcohol warmth flowing into the stomach.

Drinks: sneakily. At ten percent, this beer goes down far too easily. Since it's a triple, I know the flavors should be pretty delicate, but for a beer aged in rye oak barrels, I'd like a little more of both flavors. Still -- very good, very drinkable.
Sep 27, 2010
Oak Aged Tripel from White Birch Brewing
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 31 ratings