Long Strange Tripel | Boulevard Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
Boulevard Brewing Co.
Missouri, United States
boulevard.com
Style: Tripel
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.20%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Lately it occurs to us that if, back in 1989, you planned on starting a brewery in the back of your carpentry shop, you'd been wise to seek out someone like Harold “Trip” Hogue. A collector of ancient Volvos, Trip was well qualified for the make-do engineering required to coax recalcitrant equipment out of retirement and into making the first Boulevard beers. Today, he is our longest-tenured employee. We offer this rich, golden Tripel in grateful tribute to dedication, everywhere.
23 IBU
Added by homebrewhawk on 11-24-2007
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 1,545 | Reviews: 468
Reviews by Cyberkedi:
More User Reviews:
4.5/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue IV:
Part of Boulevard Brewing Co.'s Smokestack Series. Pours with a quick-brimming off-white foam with a sufficient head retention as the lacing sticks to the glass quite well. Nearly crystal clear with a glowing pale golden color. Peppery alcohol, hint of tropical fruit, faint white chocolate and a little bit of medicinal phenol in the nose. Moderate crisp body is extremely fluffy with lots of rolling carbonation which is par for the style. Maltiness sets the tone with a strong foothold of light bready and doughy biscuit flavor, both the phenols and hop bitterness balance with herbal and sharp accents. The alcohol comes off a little spicy but only slightly warming, it's a bit tame which is great, but deceiving. Dried fruitiness middle to end with apricot, pineapple, mango. The finish is close to bone dry.
Very impressive, looks like someone did their homework before jumping feet first into this Belgian style. Kudos to Boulevard for this most excellent Tripel.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue IV:
Part of Boulevard Brewing Co.'s Smokestack Series. Pours with a quick-brimming off-white foam with a sufficient head retention as the lacing sticks to the glass quite well. Nearly crystal clear with a glowing pale golden color. Peppery alcohol, hint of tropical fruit, faint white chocolate and a little bit of medicinal phenol in the nose. Moderate crisp body is extremely fluffy with lots of rolling carbonation which is par for the style. Maltiness sets the tone with a strong foothold of light bready and doughy biscuit flavor, both the phenols and hop bitterness balance with herbal and sharp accents. The alcohol comes off a little spicy but only slightly warming, it's a bit tame which is great, but deceiving. Dried fruitiness middle to end with apricot, pineapple, mango. The finish is close to bone dry.
Very impressive, looks like someone did their homework before jumping feet first into this Belgian style. Kudos to Boulevard for this most excellent Tripel.
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4.25/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Extremely enjoyed from the 750 ml bottle, this FINE tripel pours a fantastic lightly cloudy yet luminous golden amber with a most excellent layer of white fluffy foam and beautiful lacing. Nose of Belgian candy sugars, bubble gum, strong alcohol, light peach notes, and light white pepper. Flavors follow the nose with sweet Belgian candy up front, and mild stone fruit flavor to the rear and sides (improves with warmth along with a light bubblegum flavor), all blended behind a fantastic white pepper note that sears in the strong alcohol of a standard Belgian tripel. Solid carbonation makes for a lively mouth feel and easy drinking. Most excellent! A superb concoction from a brewer that I enjoy more and more with each new brew I try from them.
Cheers!
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Extremely enjoyed from the 750 ml bottle, this FINE tripel pours a fantastic lightly cloudy yet luminous golden amber with a most excellent layer of white fluffy foam and beautiful lacing. Nose of Belgian candy sugars, bubble gum, strong alcohol, light peach notes, and light white pepper. Flavors follow the nose with sweet Belgian candy up front, and mild stone fruit flavor to the rear and sides (improves with warmth along with a light bubblegum flavor), all blended behind a fantastic white pepper note that sears in the strong alcohol of a standard Belgian tripel. Solid carbonation makes for a lively mouth feel and easy drinking. Most excellent! A superb concoction from a brewer that I enjoy more and more with each new brew I try from them.
Cheers!
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5/5 rDev +21.1%
Appearance: Hazy golden orange, cloudy, with a two finger white frothy head that leaves beautiful lacing on the glass.
Smell: Orange, citrus, clove, bread/yeasty, banana.
Taste: bread, banana, belgian yeast, slight spicing with cloves, and light well-harmonized fruity notes. Finishes dry and crisp and most amazingly of all, it does not have a heavy alcohol taste even though it is 9.20% ABV. It tastes rich yet it is also supremely light, crisp, and refreshing.
Mouthfeel: Dry, carbonated, crisp, light.
Overall: Full disclosure, this is one of my all time favorite beers in the world. I tried it for the first time two years ago when I was visiting a friend in Utah and it has haunted me since. I've had the pleasure of its company only twice since we first met. If anyone knows where to find it in NYC, please let me know. If you see it at a store, take it home with you. You won't regret it.
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Appearance: Hazy golden orange, cloudy, with a two finger white frothy head that leaves beautiful lacing on the glass.
Smell: Orange, citrus, clove, bread/yeasty, banana.
Taste: bread, banana, belgian yeast, slight spicing with cloves, and light well-harmonized fruity notes. Finishes dry and crisp and most amazingly of all, it does not have a heavy alcohol taste even though it is 9.20% ABV. It tastes rich yet it is also supremely light, crisp, and refreshing.
Mouthfeel: Dry, carbonated, crisp, light.
Overall: Full disclosure, this is one of my all time favorite beers in the world. I tried it for the first time two years ago when I was visiting a friend in Utah and it has haunted me since. I've had the pleasure of its company only twice since we first met. If anyone knows where to find it in NYC, please let me know. If you see it at a store, take it home with you. You won't regret it.
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4.16/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
L: Poured from the 750ml into a tulip, pours a dark gold with a nice egg white head, about a finger and a half of foam, leaves copious amounts of lace on the glass on the way down.
S: Fairly typical for a Belgian, yeast and biscuit with a little hints of citrus as well
T: Semi-sweet with a bit of malt on the nose, little punches of alcohol and pepper roll in and out, finishes a little tart. The taste completely disguises the ABV.
F: Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation, finishes very dry
O: Scooped this up on a shopping run at the local market, saw it on sale for $10 so I decided to jump on it. This is the first offering I've had from Boulevard, and its rather great take on the style. You can tell that this is a rather researched and carefully crafted approach to the style as opposed to a brewer doing their own take, and it definitely works. Cheers.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
L: Poured from the 750ml into a tulip, pours a dark gold with a nice egg white head, about a finger and a half of foam, leaves copious amounts of lace on the glass on the way down.
S: Fairly typical for a Belgian, yeast and biscuit with a little hints of citrus as well
T: Semi-sweet with a bit of malt on the nose, little punches of alcohol and pepper roll in and out, finishes a little tart. The taste completely disguises the ABV.
F: Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation, finishes very dry
O: Scooped this up on a shopping run at the local market, saw it on sale for $10 so I decided to jump on it. This is the first offering I've had from Boulevard, and its rather great take on the style. You can tell that this is a rather researched and carefully crafted approach to the style as opposed to a brewer doing their own take, and it definitely works. Cheers.
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4.12/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look: 4.5
Like a bott of champagne. Massive amounts of foam with a medium powered pour. 4-finger head. A hazy deep-orange color.
Smell: 3.75
Sweet caramel and malt. Belgian yeast very apparent. Slightly fruity and tangy. Belgian spice.
Taste: 4.25
Quick kick upfront of tanginess, spice, and yeast. Sweet maltiness, biscuit, and crackers.
Feel: 4
Medium mouthfeel. Stays effervescent throughout.
Overall: 4.25
Good, sweet, and flavorful, but very heavy on the spice side. Could have been a bit less on the yeast spiciness flavor.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look: 4.5
Like a bott of champagne. Massive amounts of foam with a medium powered pour. 4-finger head. A hazy deep-orange color.
Smell: 3.75
Sweet caramel and malt. Belgian yeast very apparent. Slightly fruity and tangy. Belgian spice.
Taste: 4.25
Quick kick upfront of tanginess, spice, and yeast. Sweet maltiness, biscuit, and crackers.
Feel: 4
Medium mouthfeel. Stays effervescent throughout.
Overall: 4.25
Good, sweet, and flavorful, but very heavy on the spice side. Could have been a bit less on the yeast spiciness flavor.
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4.32/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.13/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This bottle is around two years old.
Poured into a smokestack goblet. Orangey amber with a silk blanket of white head.
Spicy yeast on the nose, mostly clove, white pepper, and lemon rind.
Has a bit of a weizen bock taste to me, with banana and clove coming out pretty strongly.
Not remarkably complex, but it is very drinkable and the alcohol well hidden.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This bottle is around two years old.
Poured into a smokestack goblet. Orangey amber with a silk blanket of white head.
Spicy yeast on the nose, mostly clove, white pepper, and lemon rind.
Has a bit of a weizen bock taste to me, with banana and clove coming out pretty strongly.
Not remarkably complex, but it is very drinkable and the alcohol well hidden.
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3.97/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
75cL bottle poured into a 20oz. tulip glass. Batch number T8340
Pours a hazy golden orange and a conservative pour still caused about a half glass of fluffy airy head. After a minute the head receded to a one finger depth with much larger air bubbles that average. After several sips the head has receded once again to a tiny layer of bubbles on top the the beer
The aroma is of the classic super fruity spicy Belgian tripel yeast smell. There is no mistaking what style this beer is and I'm loving it
The taste is a little fuller than other tripels I have had. I'm not sure if it was as attenuated as others in the style. The fuller taste isn't very detracting though. Up front all the citrusy fruits are present and ending with a nice clean crisp dryness. The 9% alcohol can be tasted in some warmth but it isn't smack you in the face or overpowering the other flavors. The aftertaste has a little too much yeast taste that lingers a bit. This has been in the fridge for some time so I would imagine most of the yeast would have dropped out of suspension but one never knows with a bottle conditioned beer.
The carbonation is suitably high for the style and helps with the drinkability a lot since it is a bit filling.
A solid tripel from a domestic brewery and I was glad I was able to obtain many of the smokestack beers through a friend. My only complaint is it felt a little too full in the body but I won't have any trouble finishing this whole 75cL bottle by myself.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
75cL bottle poured into a 20oz. tulip glass. Batch number T8340
Pours a hazy golden orange and a conservative pour still caused about a half glass of fluffy airy head. After a minute the head receded to a one finger depth with much larger air bubbles that average. After several sips the head has receded once again to a tiny layer of bubbles on top the the beer
The aroma is of the classic super fruity spicy Belgian tripel yeast smell. There is no mistaking what style this beer is and I'm loving it
The taste is a little fuller than other tripels I have had. I'm not sure if it was as attenuated as others in the style. The fuller taste isn't very detracting though. Up front all the citrusy fruits are present and ending with a nice clean crisp dryness. The 9% alcohol can be tasted in some warmth but it isn't smack you in the face or overpowering the other flavors. The aftertaste has a little too much yeast taste that lingers a bit. This has been in the fridge for some time so I would imagine most of the yeast would have dropped out of suspension but one never knows with a bottle conditioned beer.
The carbonation is suitably high for the style and helps with the drinkability a lot since it is a bit filling.
A solid tripel from a domestic brewery and I was glad I was able to obtain many of the smokestack beers through a friend. My only complaint is it felt a little too full in the body but I won't have any trouble finishing this whole 75cL bottle by myself.
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4.26/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.2/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Large bottle, caged and corked, pours cloudy darker apricot, loose and also fine bubble light head and film, bubbles rising to the top....light sheeting and just spots of lace...fruity nose, notes of tropical fruit, gin, juniper bite, smoke, yeasty goodness. Tasty and complex triple from Kansas City..who would have thunk it...good stuff
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Large bottle, caged and corked, pours cloudy darker apricot, loose and also fine bubble light head and film, bubbles rising to the top....light sheeting and just spots of lace...fruity nose, notes of tropical fruit, gin, juniper bite, smoke, yeasty goodness. Tasty and complex triple from Kansas City..who would have thunk it...good stuff
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4/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: 1/2 head, gold in color, clear, high carbonation
Smell: Belgian spices, honey, and hay
Taste: peppery and earthy hops, honey, and hay
Mouthfeel: high carbonation, light bodied, sweet with a bitter middle and a less bitter end
Overall: This is arguably the best tripel I have had so far. I love how clean it is and the spicing seems just about right. I could certainly see myself picking this up again.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: 1/2 head, gold in color, clear, high carbonation
Smell: Belgian spices, honey, and hay
Taste: peppery and earthy hops, honey, and hay
Mouthfeel: high carbonation, light bodied, sweet with a bitter middle and a less bitter end
Overall: This is arguably the best tripel I have had so far. I love how clean it is and the spicing seems just about right. I could certainly see myself picking this up again.
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4/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a hazy orange color with a large white head. The aroma is orange citrus with Belgian yeast, spices and some alcohol. The flavor is alcohol, citrus (oranges and pears) with some coriander, pepper and Belgian yeast. The alcohol is rather strong in the aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel and medium-high carbonation.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a hazy orange color with a large white head. The aroma is orange citrus with Belgian yeast, spices and some alcohol. The flavor is alcohol, citrus (oranges and pears) with some coriander, pepper and Belgian yeast. The alcohol is rather strong in the aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel and medium-high carbonation.
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4.74/5 rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Long Strange Tripel from Boulevard Brewing Co.
4.13
out of 5
based on 1,545 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The sample I got popped and fizzed like New Year’s champagne, so if you get this in a bottle, open with care - and have a towel handy. It comes out of the bottle a clear, bright solar yellow with a thick, fluffy snow-white head that leaves very generous lacing. Strong, yeasty aroma has apple and pear notes and a hint of malt. Fruity, yeasty flavor fills the mouth with apple, pear, and a hint of butterscotch, as well as a whisper of hoppy bitterness. Lively texture has good body and fizz, leaving a fruity, tingly, slightly yeasty and malty finish. Keep your eyes peeled for this one.
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