Black Tulip
New Holland Brewing Company

$ 2.59/12 oz bottle at Lager Mill
2013 vintage bottle at 50 degrees into snifter
Aroma of spice and some yeast phenolics
Head average (4 cm), off white, creamy with medium rocks, rapidly diminishing to a broken layer 2 – 4 mm thick
Lacing excellent – semi-complete rings up to 1 cm wide consisting primarily of small bubbles
Body golden with slight haze
Flavor begins with yeast-based phenolics and rapidly gives way to an almost peppery spiciness. Was that a hint of banana woven into the slight alcohol taste? No hops, no diacetyl.
Palate light to medium, watery, lively carbonation.

Following a recent discovery of a trove of notes from 2011 I’m filling in reviews I missed.

From my notes: estery, bright, hazy. Honeyed sweetness. Effervescent.

 

 

 

 

A - Hazy orange pour, minimal head that fades to nothing almost immediately. No lacing.

S - Strong hits of apple and honey, with a dark brown bread aspect, hints of maple and molasses.

T - Follows the nose, applesauce and honey sweetness, mild acidity, brisk apple juice notes, a bit of apple skin bitterness, then a trailing dance of fruity sweetness over the dry finish.

M - Brisk on the tongue, moderate weight, mild close.

O - This is not the cleanest, brightest version of a Tripel I've had, but it is still quite drinkable.

 

L-Slightly hazy yellow colored...spritzy carbonation bubbles.

S-Fruity with ripe pears and apples lead the way...slightly floral

T-Sweet honey bread maltiness....fruit impression remain the same as the aroma. Very light white pepper like spiciness.

F-Medium to full bodied. A bit syrupy. Carbonation seems about right.

O-Decent enough but a bit too sweet with the honey like impressions. I just looked at the date on the bottle and it is bottled on 10/18/16 so maybe the age on this softened the spiciness and brought up the sweetness.

Pours a hazy golden color with a minimal head that disappears quickly. Aroma is vanilla, fruit and a bit of alcohol. Smooth and crisp. A hint of pineapple. Good mouth feel.

 

 

 

Perfectly fine American style tripel - meaning it focuses a lot of the banana / fruity phenol notes while having very little of the classic Belgian yeast quality that supports and balances it out. Good just one dimensional

Poured 6oz into a tulip glass from a 12oz dark brown bottle. Beer is a nice golden copper color with a bit of haze. about 1/2 inch of bright white head that cut out at a pretty quick pace. Aroma of banana/apples (70/30) with a hint of coriander. A lot of other interesting aromas mixed but my novice tasting skills couldn't put a label on them. The flavor was fairly sweet with up front tastes of banana, apples, a good dose of Belgian yeast and a bit of floral hopiness. Sensing spices of clove and just a hint of coriander. Not tasting the alcohol but its making its presence known. Finish is apples and touch of tannin. Quite crisp and dry in the mouth. Definitely would recommend this brew!