Exemption - Mezcal Barrel-Aged
Taxman Brewing Co.

While neither element of this beer are bad at all every portion of this is mezcal forward and didn't really improve the base beer. I think having a glass of exemption and a shot of mezcal together would be a better combination than this beer.

12 ounce can into a tulip snifter. Canned 6/20/22, had 8/6/22.

Pours a brownish gold, cloudy, with a one inch foamy head and some foamy lacing. Aromas of mezcal, malt, wheat, vanilla, coriander and other spices, some smokiness, light Belgian yeast. Flavors of mezcal, wheat, malt, vanilla, coriander, smoke, a light herbal hop bitterness. Has an herbal taste. Smooth, a very good lighter medium body, well carbonated.

Lots of mezcal and vanilla. It’s pretty smoky, which is a highlight. Would purchase this again.

L: Hazy , dark and dull gold , a bit of a bronze hue to it . Head dissipated quickly to a thin lacing that lasts .

S: Nectar overwhelms the nose . A hint of vanilla .

T: Citrus up front , nectar throughout . I do taste the barrel on the finish as well . Oak and smoke.

F: medium to full bodied feel .The carbonation is good . Stings a little because of the alcohol content . Not overbearing on the carbonation at all . And the ABV is well hidden with the complexity of the flavors .

Overall this beer is complex . But complex doesn’t always equal great . Easy to realize lot of effort went into making this brew but , I wouldn’t buy again .

 

 

12 ounce can, canned on 04/22/21. Thanks to Jon and Meg, and likely Lesley too for this brew! Served in a snifter, the beer pours a somewhat hazy golden color with about an inch or so off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like orange peel, coriander, Mezcal, apple and stone fruit. I think the taste is similar to the aroma for the most part, but there's also some lemon, lime, woody and smoky flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's slick, smooth and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It's a nice tasty brew, really glad I got to try this one. Would definitely like to try more of the Taxman brews in the future, if you're able to try any of their beers you should if you're able!

12oz can from Tavour. Dark golden pour with a light haze, wispy head. Aroma is lime, caramel, fruity, dried apples. Hard to place. Taste reveals more of the tripel characteristics before succumbing to the mezcal barrel, with caramel, smoky notes, apple. Interesting.

Opaque orange with a finger of white foam and moderate lacing. Mezcal leads the nose but not as obnoxious as feared, wormwood, lemon, floral yeast, wood, and smoke. Taste is as feared with the mezcal, completely overwhelms the nuance of the yeast and general earthy flavors, instead has flowers, lemon zest, and smoke. Feel is very warm with booze, wood laden, yeasty and bright. More interesting than good

Dark golden body; great carbonation; dense and creamy white head, sticky; rings and patchy sheets of foam cling to the inside of the glass. Little in the smell department; a twinge of malty sweetness at first; a bare minimum of tropical fruit sweetness attempts an appearance after a while. Malty, bready sweetness to begin with; a mild juicy, almost citrus-like taste develops; lime; some booziness shows up towards the finish with a bri ght pineapple-like sweetness. Heavy body; loaded with residual sugars; alcohol warmth; a bit of oak-like dryness near the finish.

I like this beer a lot but am mystified as far as the low-key smell, and that only exudes notes of the grains and none of the citrus peel and coriander it supposedly contains. Well, you can't have everything in a beer. And the appearance, taste and mouthfeel are great. So, what the hey. An overall fine beer...

An exceptional tripel; balanced, nuanced creatively.

With a canning stamp of 4/16/20, I believe I have a different release from those who reviewed a year ago. My label's top half also is dark, not red. I bought my copy from Tavour; delivered today.

Exemption Looks slightly better than the average of its competitors; it has a near-amber color, but not an active yeasty foam... which I'm guessing the barrel minimizes. Smells improve my first impression with a touch of vanilla, which also might be the barrel. Tastes are way-smooth; no hint of the alcohol and very well-balanced without using (too) many hops to counter the malt-yeast action producing a bounty of fruit. Anyway, this is difficult to do for a young brewer. As for Feel, this can sit in my mouth a lot longer than I let it. Soft.

I am very glad that I bought two cans from Tavour and look forward to the second.

I also look forward to visiting at least one of Taxman's three gastro-pubs. The menus seem interesting. But it is more that their studied approach to Belgium that could have produced so much in the heart of the Midwest in only six short years. I might even put Taxman on my domestic BBBL (Belgian Brewer Bucket List.) I look forward to finding their other Belgian offerings when I pass through Indy.

Pours an effervescent amber with one finger of beige head. Alright head retention & lacing

S: Peach, pears, Mezcal barrel once warm

T: Follows the nose, a little cinnamon, barrel dryness up front. I catch a little of the agave as this warms, a little black currant, plenty of barrel dryness. Almost like Peach Brandy with a little Mezcal in the finish

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation

Decent was looking for some hops to counterbalance all the sweetness/dryness

 

 

$ 8.21 (Including shipping)/12 oz can ($ 0.684/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA. Reviewed 6/8/19.
“CANNED ON 04/09/19” on side of can. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees in a hand-washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Light yellow, clear.
Body – Amber-gold, slight haze.
Head – Large (Maximum six cm, aggressive center pour), off-white, dense with a few rocks, average duration, diminishing to an irregular five to ten mm crown and a thin, rocky, partial cap.
Lacing – Good. An irregular band of tiny to small bubbles, having a few stalactites and connecting to the next band by long columns.
Aroma – 3.5 – Odd. A bit of coriander mixed with smoke and caramel.
Flavor – 3 – The nose carries through with the caramel dominating. Sweet. Ends cloying and oddly smoky and makes my lips sticky. No alcohol (9% ABV) flavor or aroma, no dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Thin, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation – 3 - Another style that should not be barrel-aged and definitely not Mezcal-barrel aged. The flavor combination is like some weird alien candy.

Tripel from Taxman, brewed with agave and "spices," aged in mezcal barrels... 9% abv, 4/9/19 canning... Had fairly low expectations for this - but I do like tequila and mezcal - and I have enjoyed my share of tripels - and this was really nice - still weird coming from a 12 oz can though - lol - the tripel elements are all in place, from that rounded, full feel to the soft fruits and subtle yeasts - and the agave and mezcal impressions just meld seamlessly in - makes me think of papaya and more tropical fruits; and there's a fruity, bitter herbal edge, also owing to the agave and mezcal barrels... Mild bitterness though, as you'd expect; fairly mild sweetness, too - with agave, pink grapefruit, and apricot notes... Does not dry out on the end really, though there is a woody dryness in there a little bit throughout... Not my favorite color for a tripel though! lol... Honestly, better than expected, and a pretty good tripel with a creative twist... Recommended...

12oz canned 4/9/19 (4 weeks ago) poured into tulip glass at fridge temp 9% ABV 30 IBU. The beer pours mostly bright, orange tinted light amber with off white head. The head recedes to an island and thin ring. No lacing or residual head. The aroma is faint, but complex, with Belgian yeast, mild sweetness, citrus and malt. The taste is more traditional tripel up front rolling into a citrusy, spicy, smokey, mildly sweet agave finish. The finish is mostly dry and features only enough bitterness to keep the sweetness reasonable. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation. Overall, very good & flavorful sipper, but retains only a middling amount of the base tripel after the addition of spice, agave and mezcal barrel aging.

Received as an extra in a trade. Canned 2017.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a nice slightly hazy golden hue with a very thin white head that fades rather quickly to lieave light wisps.

S - Aromas of oaky barrels, flashes of esters and a little bit of banana. Not much else going on though.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, loads of oaky barrels and earthy Mezcal. Belgian esters are a bit fainter than I would like, however, there isn't much alcohol burn. It's very smooth.

M - Much like the base beer the carbonation is on the lower side, not quite syrupy but smooth. Not much alcohol going on here.

O - Overall this was a solid enough beer. The Mezcal and barrel are quite pleasant, however, the tripel itself is somewhat lost in this. Certainly not a drain pour though, just flawed style wise.

Serving Type: can

 

 

The Tripel flavors are mingled with a definite wood tone. Golden and clear, with a thin white hazy head and lacing. Light weight and very mild warmth. Decent.