Archangel M
Käretäs Brewing

Full disclosure - I'm a friend of the brewer. That said, I did a blind tasting of this, Tripel Karmeliet, and La Fin Du Monde. Gave Archangel M the scores seen above, the Karmeleit L:4.25 S:3, T:3.5, F:4.0 0:3.5 , and the La Fin L:4.25 S:4 T:4.25 F:4.25 0:4 . I think it will be interesting to taste with some time on it - it is a bit hot at the moment, not bad, but age will probably smooth it and improve the score a bit more. The only thing lacking is the look - while it is a beautiful gold (not the straw color of the other two, which is truer to style) the lacing really isn't there. In the grand scheme of things, far better to fall a little short in the appearance. A very worthy first effort.

This beer is a major departure from the crowd, where the only beer anyone seems to care to make nowadays is an IPA. The hops gives it a slightly sharp, bitter intro, and it smooths out to have a simply amazing finish. It smells sweet, but don't be fooled - this isn't Kool Aid, kids. This trippel is a complex one, and I felt like I picked up a new taste with each sip. The three grains really come out if you start with it cold and let it warm up a little while you share it with friends. It's exquisite and deserves to be in the conversation with Le Fin du Monde. Seriously. I tasted it in Chicago and decided to check a case of it into luggage to get it back to L.A.