Belgian Style Tripel
Barbarian Brewing

 

not a bad beer, but this is a style i have high expectations for, i want them all to taste like they came from a monastery, and if they dont, im not into it, dont come at me with the sweet, one dimensional, samey cultured belgian yeast beer, not into it. this isnt that, but its not a westmalle either. pale yellow in color, slight haze which is okay in this style, short but lasting white head, not as robust and alive as the best belgian ones are, but its not way off. the aroma is too familiar, right away a generic belgian yeast profile, nothing of interest to this at all, and without bottle conditioning or anything to make it pop, it just seems basic. the grain base is simple, wheaty, and with some other simple sugar likely added, but it doesnt smell super sweet, light herbal notes waft around too, a hint of white pepper and maybe clove, streamlined but not elegant either. the flavor is about the same, its run by the belgian yeast which is just a bit bland and predictable, tastes straight from the homebrew store, estery but not in a unique way, pear, white grape, light spiciness, more white pepper, its well used though. the grain is light, seems a lot of the alcohol here comes from added sugar, the booze is relatively well contained, the body is light, and the carbonation is close to effervescent which is nice. hints of clover honey and dried flowers at the end, light hop bitterness balances it well, and overall a solid offering but a full step below the proper belgian ones. i low key like barbarian as much for their classic stuff as their weird ones, but because of the yeast this isnt my favorite of them...

Draft at the brewery taproom.. Pours slightly hazed light golden with a decent enough foamy white head... splotchy lacing... Proper balance between a little bit of orange/light pear esters and peppery/lesser clovey phenolics... Not much EtOH... a little perfumy with warmth. Finishes dry and crisp... medium/light body with good bubble. Definitely a well made tripel... Reminds me quite a bit of Westmalle.

3.75/4/4/4/4

On tap at PreFunk. Nicely done, soft pour, milky body, floral, herbal, buttery aroma. Taste follows with same flavors. Only knock against it is a non- existant finish, it just disappears. All else this is a good tripel.