Orion
Meadowlark Brewing

 

this is really solid tripel, better than its ratings for sure, a very classically fashioned take on the style, golden and richly flavored, driven nicely by belgian yeast but not overly estery and with enough grain heft to balance it. its not as sweet as a lot of these either, which sometimes turns me off in the style, this is more drinkable because of its relative dryness, and i like that. tall white head rises up over straw colored beer from the bottle, pretty and airy and lasting. it smells like dried flowers, clover honey, cracked pepper, orange zest, coriander, and cotton candy, its appealing and traditional, but very fresh, and in the flavor i can taste both the grain and the added sugar, a candied sort of vibe over the wheat and pale barley, but fermented down to pretty clean in the finish. great carbonation and a softness about it, no sign of its strength at all, a flavorful but well controlled belgian yeast strain fermentation, and a beer that ends up drinking oddly delicate for how strong it is. i dont get hardly any alcohol here, even when it warms up, impressive in such a straightforward brew. nicely done here, among their best beers in my experience.

edit: this seems to keep pretty well, even drier and more bubbly after six months or so in the cellar, and no signs of depreciation at all. glad i have another one to sit on even longer...

 

Crystal clear and golden body

Flavors are apples(!) and some very sweet malts masking the alcohol. As it warms, hops become more apparent and bitter, but the general sweetness remains. Carbonation is light but the body is thin enough that it seems to be more bubbly than it is.

Pretty good.