Safe Word Triple IPA
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

Pour is light amber, frothy head gives up citrus and pine with boozy notes. Tastes are all over the place, strong floral and fruit, little malt. Nicely carbonated, which helps with the 10.5% ABV. Long finish, enjoy in small portions

 

16-ounce can purchased at Breakside Beaverton. Date stamp reads "01/30/26." Enjoyed in a nonic half-pint glass.

Note:
The 2026 version has an ABV of 10.5%.

Look:
The yellow-gold body starts with a touch of haze which clears up after about 10 minutes. The second pour from the can was much more cloudy and never really cleared. Up top there's a puck of thick off-white foam that diminishes to a heavy collar and lingering skin. Loops of heavy lacing like solar prominences adorn the glass.

Smell:
A somewhat blurry and indistinct wall of hops. Opens with grapefruit peel, orange marmalade, and a little peach and apricot. Pine follows, with undertones of oregano and diesel. Other notes emerge briefly before retreating into the fog: blueberry, anise, cantaloupe, a spray of flowers, a shred of coconut. There's also plenty of alcohol.

Taste:
Starts moderately sweet but dries quickly. Pine takes the lead, then lemon and grapefruit zest kick in. Then it's melon balls and peaches, along with a handful of strawberries. A tall wave of weed comes out of nowhere and grabs the spotlight before being ushered offstage by a formidable herbal and floral note. Alcohol and citrus combine in the finish for an orange liqueur impression. There's good bitterness under all that fruit and booze.

Feel:
Medium-full body that's a little oily. Brisk, finely-textured carbonation cuts clean through. Finishes with a warming, drying combo of alcohol and hop burn that intensifies towards the bottom of the can.

Overall:
Breakside Safe Word Triple IPA is not quite as perilously drinkable as Younger or El Segundo Power Plant or Bale Breaker Mount Saint Humulus. But it is still a fine TIPA: not too heavy, not too sweet, and not too punishing (though it leaves a good burn as a warning).

Right now my safe word is "green," just like the label, and that means go go go.

Small pour at NE location. Color of burnished copper, small ring of fine white head. Aroma is subtle, malty with light piney notes. Taste follows with an equal blend of malt and hops , malt slightly coming out on top. Bone dry. Pretty smooth considering the ABV. Deceptive and delicious

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap. Had one alongside a PtY. Almost on par with that. More on the malty side, but really well done. One of the better triples I've had this year.

Last year's was better. ;-) 2015 version. Pour a caramel amber color, decent head, fades quickly, no lacing. Smell is all dank, resinous, catty, funyon / onion. If that's your jam, this is pounding the beat. No citrus, fruit, pine. Drinks the same - dankness, weed with a sweet chaser ... almost like agave. A bit of alcohol heat but nothing like the Simtra's of the world. It's got a creamy feel, thick but not coating. Impressive for the 11%+ bomb. Definitely some malt working here. There should be bonus points for dope bottle and the graffiti painted bombers would win.

PNW doing work in the Triple IPA realm, for sure.

Poured from a spray painted bomber into an enlarged snifter. This was released a couple weeks ago at the brewery.

Appearance: Pours a deep copper and just lets a little bit of light through. Leaves an off white head of a couple fingers that lingers around for a while. (4.25)

Smell: Big pine and spruce, caramel malts, hints of mango and tropical fruits, honey. Real nice and quite aromatic. (4.75)

Taste: Some pine, but more mango and tropical in the taste. A bit dry until the finish which is a little juicy. Very interesting. Quite drinkable for the ABV. Really nice finish for such a big IPA. (4.5)

Mouth-feel: Thick and creamy with a medium carbonation. Real nice feel to it. (4.75)

Overall: This is a great Triple IPA, and definitely hits the style to a T. Tons of hops, but with a big malt profile that gives it its backbone and keeps it real drinkable. I love the pine in the aroma and the big, balanced flavor in the taste. Really nice, thick body for an IPA. (4.5)