Ménage A Trois
The Alchemist

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a clear golden/yellow, nice and bright, very thick white head forms and settles down to a thick ring and layer around the glass, great retention, drops a whole ton of chunky lace on the glass.

Smell is nice, sweet and sugary, lightly fruity, some apricot and mango, tropical fruit aroma, toast, a little bit of spice and funk, nice malty character and neat fruitiness, a bit of alcohol but well hidden, nice.

Taste is similar, very fruity up front, lots of tropical fruit/mango, malty, some fruity sweetness, candi sugar, a bit of floral and vanilla, honey, alcohol, lightly spicy in the finish, quite nice.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation, goes down pretty smooth. A real nice BSDA.

Reviewed from notes on my birthday.

A- Glourious golden yellow with a fluffy and foamy white head that retains well in the tulip glass. Dies to a fluffy ring and nice cloud that leaves thick lace all along the glass.

S- Spicy Belgian yeast and banana esters at a good level up front. Some floral and grass notes. Dark fruit is there as well.

T- Spicy banana esters and yeast of course. Citrus peel. Grassy, earthy and somewhat floral notes make up the hop profile. I even get an oak flavor from this one. Apple and light fruit come into play later on. I like how the spice is a bit lighter at the end.

MF- Moderate fairly creamy body with high carbonation. A coat of spicy ester stays on the palate.

DB- Spice makes it a one glass thing. ABV very well hidden. Worth a shot, a good American take on a somewhat repetitive Belgian style.

sampled on tap at the brewpub may 31/2010. listed as a "belgian strong golden ale" at 8.3% and 20 IBU.

pours clear yellow with a big white head. the head drops slowly and leaves lots of lace as it falls.

aroma is good. a triple that leans slightly toward a saison. white bread and cracker. bit of grain. coriander and belgian yeasty spice. caramel and a bit of buttery toffee. hint of funk.

taste is great. yeah, belgian strong pale ale meets tripel meets a hint of saison. white bread. cracker. bit of grain. coriander and light belgian spice. bit of earthy character. caramel and toffee. touch of almond. hint of citrus. light alcohol. light funky character.

mouthfeel is good. medium-light body. just under medium carbonation level.

drinkability is good. in this case, BSPA + tripel + saison = win! the best elements of each style give good depth without any one aspect really overwhelming. just enough depth and complexity to keep you going back for more. good stuff!

Note: This is similar to an older listing but the ABV has changed to 8.3%.

Pours a mild gold color with a two-finger head. Good color and presentation for the style.

Aroma is full of spicy belgian yeast with a dash of malt underneath.

Taste is savory with a lot of alcohol warmth followed by clove from the esters and spice from the yeast. Interesting match-up here.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering clove and spice. Light in nature and never overpowering.

An interesting take on the style. I don't think this qualifies as a tripel but regardless of what style it gets lumped in, it shows John's skill at brewing just about anything under the sun and he really excels at higher-gravity beers.

A well made tripel that John said he will consider for next year's Ommegang. Yeasty aroma, lots of lace in glass. Great mouthfeel with clove and other spice that is dry and finshes clean and crisp. Only 20 IBU yet good hoppy bitter. A must try, and with the other choices worth a trip.