Bru Man Chu
Fat Point Brewing

 

 

I've noticed lots of Belgian wannabes in the explosion of Florida crafters in recent years. If Bru Man Chu indicates what Fat Point can do, they might become a competitor to the Mother Country of Brewing (my bias.)

Bru Man Chu Looks inviting, slightly darker and slightly less foam than typical. Smells are a riot of fruity malt and a hint of the alcohol to come. Tastes are about the same. Not only does the alcohol arrive in surprising quantities, but the pepper does, too. While it coats my tongue more than I like in the finish, I must say that this brew paired excellent with pizza.

Only 4 years old and Fat Point is producing as good a tripel as this. I'm impressed, so I went on their website and they really have modest production: enough for a taproom with 14 taps and then bottle a few bombers like Bru Man Chu and, I imagine, a few cans for broader distribution of the AIPA and APA cash cows. Fat Point is not far from where I'm staying on Route 41 and I'm tempted to come visit them.

 

 

Poured from a bomber,into a Cigar City snifter.

Thin white head that dissolves quickly.The color is a hazy golden / straw,lots of light coming through,but it is very distorted.Light / slow carbonation.

The nose reads like a whit beer,with alot of citrusy notes as well.I'm also getting some sweet malts in there...Very nice aroma.

On the palate I get heavy yeast / wheat,with some mild notes of bitter orange peel,and slight piney hop characteristics...The hops are pretty subtle.They did a very good job of masking the alcohol.

The body is on the heavy side of medium,slight chewiness.The finish is halfway between wet and dry,feels good going down.

The first time i tried this,one of the Fat Point girls was at Total Wine & More,holding a tasting.I like it enough that i was intrigued to buy a bottle,and wasn't disappointed. This was my first tripel,and I enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice triple hop, light golden color 11% abv... finishes nice with a small bite at the end. Very good beer.

 

 

 

STYLE Tripel | ABV 11.0% | AVAILABILITY Year-round

Warm, Complex, Peppery, Huge

A shade or two darker than I expected, but Bru Man Chu lands well within the Tripel’s style borders. Phenols and nutty yeast, exotic fruit and bready grain greet the nose. Very warming, peppery alcohol and hints of citrus peel follow on the tongue. Not as traditional as some, but it stays true and easy to sip for an 11 percent brew.

Look 3.75 | Smell 3.75 | Taste 3.75 | Feel 4.00 | Overall 3.75

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #106 (NOV 2015)

 

This presents like a typical tripel, with a hazy golden color and a minor head. When cold, the flavors and aromas are extremely muted, so let this one warm up a bit. Once it has, you get the yeasty, spicy scent and flavor you expect. The ending is a little sweet for what I expect for a tripel, but this is a very good beer.