3 Ter
Brasserie la Goutte d'Or

A coffee tripel? Interesting idea...

On-draught @ the brewery in Paris.

Works really nicely, actually.

High B- (3.50) / WORTHY

***
04.03.2016 2nd impressions:

Having tried a sampler of this at the brewery a few days ago and really enjoyed it, I had to get a bottle to go for a full review. The staff at la Goutte d'Or are quite passionate about their beer (newer though the brewery is), and I felt obliged after having rated most of their beers merely above average to champion the the one beer I enjoyed most - this one.

BOTTLE: 33cl. Brown glass. Unbranded black pry-off crown cap. Black and tan label design. "Biere blond triple au cafe." Best before: 022017.

8.50% ABV. My French is poor, but the label indicates the coffee used was selected from Cafe Lomi (in Paris). The coffee spends 7 minutes in the boil right at the end of the boil, according to la Goutte d'Or's staff.

Served at cellar temperature into a pilsner glass. Expectations are high given my enjoyment of this beer on-draught.

Gushes a bit upon opening, suggesting overzealous carbonation.

HEAD: Weak and thin, receding entirely within 20 seconds, leaving no lacing. The glimpse I got of it before it disappeared revealed an off-white colour and a poor consistency.

BODY: Murky coppery gold with orange hues. Nontransparent; translucent. Not the most vibrant body I've seen. The murkiness isn't really becoming of a great tripel.

Carbonation seems a biteen high. It's a decent appearance for a tripel. Not unique or special looks-wise.

AROMA: The inviting coffee character leaps out of the glass, promising really special notes of coffee/java and faint roast. Coffee is used very often now in beers (mainly stouts, obviously), but this coffee character is more vivid and distinct than most. Not your buddy's Folger's homebrew.

Tripel-wise, it's a bit reticent. I don't get much in terms of spicy Belgian yeast, but maybe it gets drowned out by the appealing coffee. There's some bright Belgian pale malt sweetness. I love that it isn't boozy like many (inferior) tripel style beers.

Aromatic intensity is average. To style, there's no overt hop character. I detect no off-notes.

TASTE: The coffee character is lovely, and it just plain works in this flavour profile. Who knew coffee would play so well in a tripel? Hat-tip to the brewers for thinking of this and then executing it well. Rich java, slight roastiness, no coffee harshness or acridity...I guess 7 minutes *is* the magic number in terms of adding coffee during the boil. I don't even find the usual increased acidity coffee tends to impart. What a great vivid coffee character...if only American breweries could capture this kind of character in their stouts.

Okay, the tripel aspects of the flavour profile are a bit reticent...the spicy Belgian yeast lurks under the coffee, barely popping out at all. Belgian pale malt sweetness does glue this together, but a bit more bitterness from the coffee would help dial in the balance a bit more. Or maybe they didn't use Trappist yeast? The attenuation might be a biteen off.

In any case, it avoids the booziness common in so many poor expressions of the tripel style. That in itself is quite an accomplishment.

Well-built, with the unique element of coffee giving this tripel a fresh taste. Remarkable stuff, and the risk they took adding coffee to a Trappist style actually paid off. I quite like it.

Depth of flavour could be better; it's not shallow, but it's wanting. Flavour duration and intensity are average. Not the most delicate or subtle tripel style beer I've had, but it's tough to compete with actual Trappist offerings.

TEXTURE: As abovementioned, they got all the good flavours of coffee and none of the accompanying acidity. It's medium-bodied, anything but boozy or hot, smooth, wet, and not unrefreshing. A bit more softness or more of a fragile mouthfeel would help improve it, but this texture does suit the taste nicely (even if it doesn't accentuate specific notes per se, or elevate the beer as a whole). To nitpick, la Goutte d'Or might want to play with the water chemistry here a bit; the hardness seems off (but I can't tell in which direction).

Yes, it is overcarbonated - but not egregiously so. Not effervescent, but it does border on some fizziness.

OVERALL: I stand by my impression of the beer on-draught, though I do think it's better on-draught. I could see the coffee character fading if one aged this in the bottle. In any case, it's uncommonly drinkable for a tripel, and I can't applaud the coffee enough - it just fits in naturally into the build. A ballsy move from a newer brewery. With time, I could see this brewery emerging as a force in Paris if they can put out more unique beers like this. Get it on-draught if you can (I've seen it at Le Supercoin). Definitely worth trying, both because of its quality and its uniqueness. I already want another.

B- / WORTHY

Serving: 33 cL bottle (marked "a consommer a preference avant 022016"), poured into a stemmed wine glass.

Appearance: Murky yellow with an orange-brown tint. Lively head of off white bubbles and spotty lace.

Smell: Fruity aroma with hits of Belgian yeast, some spice and unexpected roasted coffee.

Taste: Round body of malt and fruit (peach, fresh and dried apricot), some hints of spicy Belgian yeast, and growing roasted coffee and chocolate through to finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with lively, tingly carbonation.

Overall: Unexpected and enjoyable coffee notes meld nicely and elevate the fruity triple base. A nice example of the creative combinations coming from La Goutte d'Or.