Tripel
Otto's Pub and Brewery

 

 

says retired but had on draft at Bocktown in Pittsburgh

Served on-tap at Otto's Brewery in State College, PA - poured in a tulip glass.

L: Pours a hazy amber with ample white head that leaves delicate lacing on the glass.

S: Yeasts, bananas and honey, malty sweetness and bread.

T/F: This tastes like a tripel and stacks up well with what I expect from the style. Malty and complex, very flavorful from the yeasts. Honey and fruity with a hint of bananas and wheat. Alcohol is there but subtle, and a very nice beverage. Mild carbonation, very smooth mouthfeel.

O: This is a very nice Tripel from Otto's, and one of my favorites whenever it rotates back on tap. Full of flavor, and very much what I want from the style. It won't scare any of the Trappist beers, but it's a very solid American take on a Belgian classic.

See my note on Otto's D IPA about the brew pub overall. The Tripel receives similar commendation. I see other BA users have like feelings. To be honest, this note is written from the position of comparative ignorance because I am not familiar with the tripel genre. It did however compare very favourably with authentic Belgian beers I have had recently.

Served in a tulip glass it was a surprisingly pale yellow with modest head and a slight haze. I find the taste/aroma combinations in these types of beers difficult to characterize, which is perhaps part of their appeal to those that appreciate the fruity, spicy complexity. Others say banana; I did not detect that so clearly but that might be me. High alcohol level is quite evident, giving that nice warming glow on the way down - definitely for sipping only.

A flute-like glass served at the brewpub in State College, PA.

A: The tripel is a golden yellow color, bright in its clarity. A small band of head insulates the glass and quickly dissapates.

S: The nose is pale candi sugars, sweet without the darker depth of a dubbel. The aroma is strong and does betray the higher alcohol content.

T: The ale has a tripel's tell-tale flavors, lots of candi sugar, heady booziness and sweet honey spices. Touches of pepper zest up the flavor. The alcohol lingers long on the palate and is a dominant memory of the ale. I'd definitely take this one over the dubbel.

M: The mouthfeel is robust, strong even. Alcohol is evident throughout, warming as it goes down.

D: A tulip glass is sufficient, in light of the substantial alcohol presence. This one gets the color right and the flavors are nailed reasonably well.

Appearance: Vibrant but hazy pale amber with a small, fully-diminishing, white, thin head and almost no lacing.

Smell: Perfumey and strong, banana, clove... pretty much what you’d expect from your average tripel, but with better than average balance. Very inviting.

Taste: Sweet, estery, and bold. More banana along with wheat, honeydew and light alcohol. The finish is fruity and sweet and medium-long in duration.

Mouthfeel: Thin-medium body, oily texture, very low carbonation.

Drinkability: Wow was this nice I’m not the biggest fan of Belgian beers, so when I come across one I enjoyed, I think that speaks volumes. It’s beers like this that make me visit my local brewpub very frequently. After all, the brewmaster only makes one batch of this stuff and it goes fast.