Triple B 2005 (Honey Beer)
The Biddy Early Brewery

An offering from the late Michael Jackson sometime in 2005... he is sadly missed, especially when I drag a corked and caged relic such as this from the club out for a tasting.

750ml bottle served at between fridge and cellar temperature in a Duvel tulip glass. Vintage 2005 with plenty of yeast waiting at the bottom... the "cork" is actually made of plastic... good thing this was covered in gold foil, 'cause this looks pretty rugged. After I pour the first glassful, I notice that this beer was actually brewed in 2003/2004 and has a lasered code of BB 29 09 06. I'm a year and a half past the freshness date!

Appearance- The color of this is unusual... it reminds me of a pair of vintage brown shoes, more of a tarnished gold than shiny. It's a bit murky, with just a finger of bone white head that subsides in moments to thin islands on the surface. No lacing here, it looks thin overall. On the second pour, about thirty minutes later, the crown billows three fingers tall and lasts several minutes. Let this warm up a bit.

Smell- Vanilla and bread... something like cinnamon toast comes to mind... interesting and unexpected, considering the style. Sherry notes come through as well.

Taste- Bracing for what could have been an old, stale brew, I can happily say that this has the pleasant and complex character of a barrel aged beer. Mellow, tame, and definitely vanilla-like, this tastes nothing like it did two years ago. Gone is the obvious honey sweetness that limited my desire to having just a single glass, instead this is really delicious and delectable... I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Outstanding texture for this beer... slick, yet smoothly carbonated with enough action to create noise in the mouth. This entire bottle was enjoyed over two hours, with extreme ease and pleasure. Even after the final yeast addition, it remained big and balanced throughout. A phenomenally successful cellaring experiment.

The Biddy Early 2005 Triple B (Honey Beer) a.k.a. Biddy Birthday Beer is best served at cellar temperatures (45-50°F) and enjoyed from a tulip shaped wine glass or a mazer cup. First off, I must comment that it's a bit odd that this beer is bottled in a wine bottle that's corked with a plastic champagne stopper (that is of course too small) and affixed with a wire cage then covered with gold foil. It makes for a devilish time trying to open the damn thing! This special release (6,000 bottles) is actually the first beer available from the brewpub in the US and this is all thanks to Michael Jackson's Rare Beer Club.

Upon opening, the exotic, floral honey aroma starts enveloping the entire room! Once poured, this deep golden elixir shows little carbonation with only a tiny white head escaping from the body that dissipates rapidly. A bit dissappointing really, given the trouble of opening! The honeyish complexity is entirely from the organic honey used which is reportedly from the Ailwee Caves in the nearby Burren region which has indegenious "alpine-like" micro-flora according to the website. The aroma showcases the spicy, sweet edelweiss (sunflower/mown hay) character from the honey, but also expresses some light graininess from the chosen pale & caramel malt as well. Unfortunately, the flavor doesn't live up to the expectations given by the aroma. It starts off rather insipid with only a smackering of malt that is rapidly consumed by the Challenger induced bitterness. The slightly yeasty finish is semi-dry with a medicinal (phenolic) overtone that detracts from the overall impression. This light-medium bodied specialty lacks carbonation, creaminess and balance, but is historically interesting nontheless. Try pairing this one with some traditional Irish Cheddar or Potato-Leek soup and freshly baked soda bread. Here's to Ireland's first brewpub and their spirited, all natural beers!

Sláinte! Beertracker

Triple B, Vintage 2005, poured with a very large head, very white, which took a bit to settle. Lots of carbonation with bubbles coming to the top the whole time I was drinking, which is probably just a trick of color and light that I notice more than other higher carbonated beers. Two toned beer, an amber in the center that turns to a more golden shade in strong light. I had a hard time smelling anything at all coming from the beer, though when I added beer from the 750 ml bottle, a slight sweet aroma comes through the head. Like the color, the tastes comes in two clear parts. While true for almost any beer, Triple B seems to come in to distinct tastes on the way back. Hits the front of the mouth with a medium sweet taste, probably the honey and malt combined, and seems like it's going to be a pretty straight forward honey ale, but as it hits the back of the mouth, a strong spicy aftertaste comes alive in a burst of taste. Nice spot in the beer when the two are overlapping. No hop aroma or taste to combine in the interplay of these two tastes. Alcohol isn't that high, but the beer seemed to have an warming affect. Overall, very good.

After writing my review, I went to read why IrishRedRock rated the beer so much higher than I did. It looks like having a bottle of Biddy Early in the home county is a significant advantage to the fire sale from Rare Beer that I purchased mine from. The beer I drank did not have the fruity esters of IrishRedRock's experience. I can taste where this is an very good beer with potential greatness, especially since it's a short run of the brewery's best beer of the year (according to the label). While good, I'm guessing I didn't quite drink the beer as intended.

Lightly hazy honey gold to dark gold color with a low tan head, lots of suspended sediment, and decent carbonation. Sweet honey aroma and flavor ... a bit overly sweet and one dimensional. Medium-light bodied and relatively smooth.

This is supposed to be a special bottled release every year of their best seasonal for that year... If this is the best seasonal of the year, I'm pretty disappointed... stick with the Red Biddy.

Per label: "Vintage Beer" & 5.5 % ABV

Per BE website: Buzzy Biddy - 7% ABV (hmmm ?)

Per MJ notes: OG 1050P.
Pale malt and Crystal malt (color).
Challenger hops.
Organic honey added in fermenter.
6000 bottles produced.

'2003-04' lasered on the side
Tasted: 12/19/05

(750 ml/ 25.4 oz. tall straight yellow-ish wine style bottle corked with a white plastic cork, caged, and wrapped with gold foil)

Got this bottle at one of the most interesting cafes I've ever been to, a tiny music cafe in the tiny village of Doolin, County Clare, Ireland. This is a cafe that has teas, coffees, light snacks, a vast array of Irish music for sale, produces their own records, and has the full line of Biddy Early beers. I noticed their three standard offerings, and then noticed they had a seasonal bottle - Triple B. Obviously interested, the friendly woman milling about the store was happy to bring me a bottle and a glass.

By far, the most difficult bottle of beer I've ever attempted to open. Corked and caged 750 ml bottle. We needed scissors to remove the caging, and the cork ( more like a stopper really, made of extremely hard plastic) was a real hand burner. But we got 'er. Poured a dense coppery color with a thick fluffy white head. Aromas were brilliant - extremely floral, full of esters, and frankly smelled a lot like warm apple cider. A dusting of hops in the nose.

Starts off mildy bitter, with the honey showing ever so slightly, yielding to a crisp Granny Smith apple flavor that I truly did not expect (until I'd taken a good deep whiff). Coating and slick on the mouth, with a bitter but very tame hoppy finish. Quite dry as well. Left me wanting more and more, and I now wish I'd taken a few bottles back here to the US. Not only because it was good, but because this is a beer I'm sure very very few people will get to enjoy, and sadly one that I may likely never see again. But I have the very nice bottle still on my shelf, it's labeled beautifully, and it's an odd yellowish-green color.