Trippel Lutz
West Flanders Brewing Co.

sometimes its less about what a beer is, than what it isnt, and i think that applies here, to this overly simple take on a classic belgian style. its super well made, technically very solid, but the recipe is bare bones, and its lacking the nuance and complexity of the best belgian examples of what this can be. that said though, its not at all forced, not fermented too warm to create some yeast character that just isnt meant to be, and its not as sweet or even as strong as a lot of them. this sort of skeletal tripel comes across more drinkable, almost more of a strong belgian blonde or single or something, crisp as they go, and while the grain depth and yeast richness arent really there, its a pretty agreeable glass of beer overall, and far preferable to the bubblegum esters and diabetic residuals of so many american made belgians in this family. carbonation is good, and the body is light, its drier overall too. a nice food beer, a sort of summery belgian with a restrained but pleasant floral yeast quality and mild malt base. a good gateway belgian, and great from an overall quality analysis.

 

 

Good. I expected it to be great. The St Vrain Trippel from Left Hand is preferable.

 

West Flanders Brewery - Boulder, CO - draft

A - Poured out a bubbly, golden/orange with a fizzy, one-finger, head of foam. Nice lace.

S - It smelled of a great deal of clove. There were notes of yeast and caramel.

T - It tasted spicy and yeasty with hints of clove and sweet caramel.

M - It was crisp and very sharp bite on the tongue. A medium-bodied ale.

D - Pretty good tripel.