Belsnickel
River's Edge Brewing Co

16 ounce prowler into tulip glass, filled on 12/1/2019. Pours fairly crystal clear medium golden amber color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy cranberries, clementine, fruit skin/pits, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, bourbon, toasted oak, honey, cracker, white bread dough, and biscuit; with lighter notes of coconut, oaken vanilla, toffee, banana, bubblegum, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, cranberry, clementine, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big lightly tart/tangy cranberries, clementine, fruit skin/pits, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, bourbon, toasted oak, honey, cracker, white bread dough, and biscuit; with lighter notes of coconut, oaken vanilla, toffee, banana, bubblegum, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; yeast/oak tannin spiciness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy cranberries, clementine, fruit skin/pits, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, bourbon, toasted oak, honey, cracker, white bread dough, biscuit, coconut, oaken vanilla, toffee, banana, bubblegum, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, cranberry, clementine, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitter/spiciness and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness and ctart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and sticky/acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 11%, with minimal lingering barrel ooze after the finish. Overall this is an awesome fruited barrel aged tripel. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, cranberry, clementine, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and bready malt flavors; dangerously smooth and fairly crisp to drink with the modestly bitter/spicy/tart/tangy/drying finish. Well attenuated and not overly sweet for the ABV. Awesome balance between Belgian yeast, fruit, bourbon barrels, and clean pale malt/sugar flavors; with nice earthy hop presence/balance. Light residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressively spot on style example as expected of the brewery. Not overwhelming on any aspect.