Tripelcross
Crux Fermentation Project

 

At 7.5% abv this brew is on the low end of the "tripel" scale. As a result it's extremely 'approachable' (near sessionable!). Flavor is somewhat subdued with hints of Belgian style yeast, pear and grassiness. Crux is to be commended for brewing a (sorta) 'tripel - lite'. It may be favored by the non-belgian tripel crowd...but it questionable that it would be a go-to for the Belgian enthusiast. I'd buy it again, but limit it's consumption to a hot summer day when I was looking for a break from pilsners and helles lagers.

 

500ml bottle

A somewhat aggressive pour yields only half a finger of head into my tulip glass. Dissipates almost immediately. The body is gold, with a decent amount of yellow, pretty light color for a triple. Even weirder, the body is quite transparent. Carbonation looks medium. Overall an odd looking triple, body looks more like a pilsner. Not super impressed either way, head was not good at all.

Not really sure how to break this nose down. Certainly a very different take on a triple. There is a boat load of melon, light notes of lemon as well. Not really any "traditional" ester notes, but it is fruity. Light grassy hops are found cutting through the fruit notes here and there. Malts are light and semi sweet. The malt and hop bill are both very reminiscent of a pilsner build. Overall it smells on the dry side, crisp, effervescent, and very bright. Really an interesting version if a triple, borderline not to style, but I guess it barely works? Smells good though, I think.

The flavor touches a little closer to traditional flavors, especially with the esters that are present. Hops are surprisingly noticeable for 30 IBU's. Relatively dry. Finishes a little rough, perhaps even picking up a little booze? Hard to imagine at 7.5% but who knows. Just overall kinda a grainy feel, not smooth, not overwhelmingly crisp. It's an ok flavor, but there just isn't a whole lot going on, and it doesn't drink that well.

To reiterate, the mouthfeel is not good at all. Honestly it kills the beer in a way. It's grainy, and has a little booze tinge. The hops are fine I guess, but they aren't necessary, and they kinda highlight the poor feel. The carbonation is relatively high, and as mentioned, it's pretty dry. The body is quite light, not surprising considering how it looks. Overall a poor mouthfeel.

The drinkability is not super high either. Considering it doesn't go down smooth, and it's overall in your face feel, it's just not that sessionable.

The appearance regained a little ground with some decent lacing, that helps a lot. Still, not crazy about the body, and the head was terrible. Overall, it looks decent.

Definitely a let down here. Not a bad beer by any means, but there are much better triples out here. I guess they were going for a super sessionable triple, judging by the malt/hop profile, and the small bio on the bottle. It's a bold move, and it didn't get close to panning out considering how poorly it drinks. I wont mind finishing this, but it's nothing special.

Poured from 500mL bottle into a tulip. Bottled 2/12/18.

Appearance: light silvery-golden hue with a moderate haze and a thick finger of frothy white foam. A nice-looking tripel.

Smell: richly maltly with a very light graininess and some nice, mild pear character. There's also a light hoppiness present, with a bit of a grassy character. Overall it's very soft and delightful.

Taste: plenty of malt, some sweetness, and a dose of alcohol heat. It maintains its overall tripel character, but the flavor doesn't follow through with the peary, grassy promise of the aroma. Not bad at all, but I think it's not living up to its potential.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a big carbonation and big, satisfying creaminess. Great!

Overall: this beer has a whole lot going for it in the aroma and texture departments, but the flavor could be a little cleaner (i.e, less alcoholic heat) and a little more akin to the wonderful aroma.

Clear pale gold with swirls of foam in the Kasteel chalice. Lovely fruity aroma with pear and the Belgian yeasty nose. Creamy, light mouthfeel makes this even more enjoyable. Clean and delicious. Some sweetness to start and then a bit of scratchiness, like some sort of astringent undertone.

Clean malt with a Cheerios taste. Then the pear flavor with darker notes. The winey, wheaty taste is enlivened by the yeasty aromatics. This is one of the best Tripels I've had in a long time. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at Elizabeth Station.