Broken Angel
Trillium Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

16oz can

BJCP doesn’t have a Belgian strong pale ale category, so I will go off Belgian pale ale, and assume this will be a supped up version.

Pours a nice finger of white head into my stemless tulip glass. Retention is somewhat poor, fades after a minute. Initial lacing looks very nice. Body is a golden yellow. It’s trying to be clear, but it looks like there are some small particles in suspension that are giving it the smallest cloudy appearance. Medium amount of bubbles coming up. Looks pretty good so far.

At first something smelled off, this is the freshest can I could get, canned almost 3 months ago. Still, it’s a Belgian beer, at 9%, should last fine. After deliberation, it’s not off, just extremely nutty, which actually isn’t off style, but this is definitely a little much for me. Coming across as almost peanut butter, not really any bready/toffee notes, maybe a touch of burnt toast. Some esters are hidden in here, but it’s hard to pick up anything else under this extreme nutty profile. I haven’t had a Belgian pale in a while, but I can’t fathom the nut aroma being acceptable at this level. I’ll give it an ok grade because it’s not an off flavor, and it’s technically not off style, but this is a little extreme, and certainly has me questioning the upcoming flavor.

Flavor is a little more balanced. Some light fruity esters hit for a short period, and return briefly in the finish. A little peppery. Slightly sweeter than I would like, but not unexpected there – light notes of caramel. Zero nuttiness at first, but it starts to creep out pretty heavily as it warms; again, not sure it works well here. The beer hides its alcohol very well. Overall it’s ok, it doesn’t have much of an identity though. It tastes fine, and I wont mind finishing it, but it isn’t wowing me in any direction.

The mouthfeel is pretty good. As mentioned, I would like it a little drier, but I can’t be too picky at 9 %. There is basically no alcohol bite which is very nice. Carbonation is medium-high. Body is pretty light considering the small amount of sugar. Given the abv, this is a very light and pretty impressive mouthfeel.

The drinkability is pretty high here. It’s not over the top tasty, but for a high gravity beer, it hides the alcohol well, and sits very light on the tongue.

The appearance turned out decent. Lacing was patchy, but pretty consistent all the way down.

Overall an ok beer. The nutty nose was a little much, and the flavor slightly lackluster, but other than that it’s not a bad brew.

 

 

 

Thanks goes out to TheMattJones88 for this brew.

16oz. Can
Canned On: 01/23/19

Poured into a Trillium glass a very nice slightly hazy golden yelllow color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy one-finger plus off-white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, hoppy, with a really nice clove, banana, coriander, peppery. The taste is very nice, malty, yeasty, hoppy, with a really nice clove, banana, coriander, peppery, Medium Body, ABV hidden very well, a nice complex brew. Overall, a very tasty brew. A nice take on the style. Glad I got a chance to try this. Thanks Matt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I waited a little while to crack this one. Canned 12/6/17, it's well into 4 (almost 5) months at this point.

Pours a hazy lemon color with a starting head of 1 finger, receding to a thin moss of foam on top, thin enough that I could empty the whole can into a tumbler glass without it spilling, tapping and all. The head retention is nada.

Aromas of lemon and sea salt, slight pillowy yeast, maybe some hints of orange peel. Hard to get a nose on it. Smelling like a cross between a Witbier and a Belgian Pale Ale.

Flavor is mostly phenols with peppery yeast and lemon. I don't get much in the way of hops - if there was a hop presence and it had faded I would be tasting faded hops, instead I get nothing on the hop side. Lots of pale malt, probably pilsner or pale ale malt; slight white bread; dish detergent, very very faint finish of lemony hop.

Feel is very carbonated and crispy, leaving a starchy coating on the tongue but it disappears quickly into a belgo dryness. Mostly crisp. That's the main MF.

Overall, probably the least impressive Trillium beer I've had yet. It's not offensive but it's just not interesting. I figured Trillium would somehow adapt the haze to the Belgian style but it comes across as a basic bitch BPA. Too bad, I know Trillium can do better.

 

Fairly clear straw appearance with white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a pleasant banana. Taste is also a pleasant banana with a touch of pepper.

16 oz. can dated 3/20/18, purchased at brewery 4/5/18 and kept cold since.

L: 1F+ light white head with minimal lacing and reduces to thin cap and ring. Beer is a mostly clear pale gold.

S: Spicy and yeasty/bready. Definite clove, banana, peppery. Classic Belgian.

T: Follows nose. Clove/banana predominate with a nice bready backbone. A bit zippy. Pretty neutral finish.

F: General moderate mouthfeel, fairly stirring carbonation. ABV and zippiness makes this a slower drinker than that combination would suggest, though. Construction is good, maybe the spice is a bit much and off-balance.

O: In general, this is a formidable Belgian, but I'd probably like it better if it was lower ABV and a bit dialed back on the spice.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to JLindros for hooking me up with a can of this. 12/6/17 date.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a crystal clear light gold hue with a one finger fizzy white head that fades rather quickly to leave a fizzy wispy head. No real lacing.

S - Aromas of light cloves and banana. Flashes of cracked pepper, decent esters along with belgian yeast.

T - Taste is similar to the nose. Little wet cardboard, some light metallic notes as well. Light banana and cloves, decent esters and belgian yeast. Decent green apples along with flashes of alcohol.

M - Mouthfeel is very lightly carbonated, body is very thin and watery.

O - Overall this was an incredibly underwhelming. The ester notes were pleasant but otherwise it's a boozy thin mess.

Serving Type: Can

 

 

 

 

Canned 01/11/18, it pours clear gold color with a lot of sediment floating around and a 1-2 finger white foamy head that faded quickly and left minimal spotty lacing. Surprised that the head leaves basically no lacing.

Smells of yeast, sweet malt, toasted grains, light booze, caramel, lemon zest, pepper, coriander, tea leaf and other spices, candied sugar, floral hops or fresh cut flowers, fruit like grapes or green apple, hay, barnyard funk, light sulfur and herbal accents. Complex and mostly malty, the hops and herbs help cover up the 9% ABV.

Flavor brings the malt dominance again with yeast, toasted grains, biscuit, sweet malt, Belgian/candied sugar, wheat crackers, very light booze, caramel, and then some fruity esters, lemon zest, orange peel, dry floral hops, pepper, coriander, tea leaf and other spices. This brew brings the Duvel elements out and has nice complexities, while masking the ABV well and doing a fine job of staying true to the style.

 

Has the appearance of a macro-lager. A solid finger of head that dissipates quickly. Apple, banana and clove notes on the smell. Taste similar to smell. Mouth-feel not too thin and watery, but definitely no creaminess.

 

 

 

Tastes like a traditional summer ale at first and looks like a pilsner, with little lacing after the original pour. It's a subtle beer that's very drinkable with sufficient carbonation, yet smooth to the palate. However, because of the high alcohol content, it sneaks up on you in a good way and has a vanilla, fruity, and lemon-like after taste. So far, it's my favorite Trillium beer.

Not my style at all. That said it’s well crafted.