Dry Stack Batch #2
Trillium Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good head for a bar pour. Leaves some ring lace. Head settles to the rim. Gold color and hazy.

Citrus aroma with a bit of evergreen. There's malt but it's definitely a subordinate smell.

Dry and well-balanced. Starts with pale malt, but finishes strongly bitter. Long aftertaste that resembles a hop pellet. Neutral body, but highly carbonated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A-Pours a fairly clear golden hue. Decent head. Frothy, white foaminess. Light lacing and good retention.

S-Hoppy first and foremost. Herbal and piney hops. A nice dose of tropical hops as well. Subtle, zesty yeast character. More IPA than Saison here.

T-A glorious hoppiness. Pine, herbs, concentrated grapefruit. Pungent hoppiness. Very light Belgian yeastiness with a rustic quality to it. But this is mostly all about the hops.

M-Nice, dry bitterness. Drinks well with an agreeable body and the booze is quiet.

O/D-Another great Trillium brew. More IPA than anything else and I cannot complain about that!

Picked up 24 hours earlier at the Brewery. Apparently the last batch of this particular blend of hops, which will be different in the next batch. This is, at the moment, the most expensive been in the Trillium lineup. Poured into a La Chouffe tulip (brought from Holland).

Appearance is a touch light for a Belgian Golden Ale. Dark golden to light amber color, nice frothy, soft, white head without much retention, abundant lacing. Visible carbonation.

Powerful tropical hop aroma. Floral punch, followed by orange, grapefruit, caramel. Hints of butter and roasted malts. Some undifferentiated spice notes.

Taste starts out like nose. Candied orange peels, caramel notes, followed by milder citrus, mango and spice. Finish grapefruit and lavender (light earthiness). Very complex interplay between the hops which are clearly present in diverse abundance. Aftertaste is a return of mango with a hint of pine, gradually turning sweet.

Starts out light and crisp, with strong carbonation, but gets a bit heavier in the finish. Still would have to say more light than medium body, strongly effervescent. Some alcohol on the nose, but none in the taste--it's like drinking a very nicely balanced hop soda.

This is supposed to be a Farmhouse Saison/IPA hybrid, but lack of strong yeast aroma and taste takes it much closer to an IPA. The only reason I know it's not really an IPA is because it's much too light for a pure IPA. Feels sessionable even though high ABV suggests it's not a good idea. A full growler might well sneak up on you--lucky I'm disciplined enough to call it a night with a pint, leaving the second one for tomorrow. Although the profile approaches a rather powerful IPA, I could easily drink it all day. Will have to try again with a different hops combination, as they are replacing it today.

PS: After consuming much of the growler the first time, finished the rest tonight (+2 days, fully refrigerated). A few changes: 1) The nose now is all mango, 2) First taste is a bit watery, but gets better from there, 3) less tropical taste, but it's still there, 4) boozyness is more pronounced, 5) finish is more bitter, pine and eucalyptus, with only a light hint of mango. Lesson: Drink in full when opened. Not a bad beer the second time around, but not as spot-on as the fresh one. Perfect food/snack paring: Extra sharp aged provolone (the real one, not US version).