Scratch Beer 82 - 2012 (Belgian Style Triple)
Tröegs Brewing Company
- From:
- Tröegs Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Tripel
- ABV:
- 8.1%
- Score:
- 83
- Avg:
- 3.63 | pDev: 13.77%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 15
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jun 01, 2019
- Added:
- Dec 08, 2012
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
83
Good
83
Good
The term “Triple” was popularized by Trappist brewery Westmalle to describe its brawniest of strong pale ales. Well, we assure you that this is indeed one brawny Triple! Brewed with 450lbs. of local PA honey and Westmalle yeast, our latest Scratch Belgian Style Triple is subtly sweet and quite earthy. But the star of the show is undoubtedly the honey, which gives the body a robust and almost chewy texture. The honey also bolsters the alcohol content without coming across as too warm or boozy. But take heed of the lofty 8.1% ABV. Triples are known to be stealthy brews, and Scratch #82 is no exception. You have been duly warned!
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Reviewed by FeDUBBELFIST from Pennsylvania
3.2/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.2/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
12oz bottle to tulip. Sampled 03FEB14.
[A] Chunks of yeast sediment float around the bottom of the bottle, prompting a careful pour into the tulip, and the last inch of the bottle to be saved for the final pour. A half finger high, bright white head is produced on the pour, which remains for quite some time. The finishing gravity on this beer must be high, because the bubbles are rising very slowly to the top. Bright orange, honey colored beer. Decent clarity. Load of lacing.
[S] Very neutral yeast profile (the Westmalle strain). Slight alcohol, modest honey and a creeping oxidized note that kind of adds a bruised apple scent. Esters and spicy phenols are low. The banana, clove bubblegum that other Tripels sometimes include are not part of the aroma (or flavor).
[T] The honey feature is more noticeable on the palate. Still not a huge component, but it plays a nice part. Fruit accents of apple, pear, & orange rind. Light alcoholic heat.
[M] Modest carbonation. Thick body and chewy mouthfeel, especially for a Tripel. Finishes more sweet than dry.
[O] A lot of what was said above did not apply a year ago, when this beer was first released. I loved that beer. And thought it was a nice departure from most the Tripels that I had had recently. (I credit the Westmalle strain for that.) This beer was a bit over the hill. Still enjoyable, but it is a shadow of it's former self. Blindly, I would have never guessed that this beer was a year old version of itself. I would have happily given a 4.3 on the fresh bottles. Luckily, I only aged one.
Feb 03, 2014[A] Chunks of yeast sediment float around the bottom of the bottle, prompting a careful pour into the tulip, and the last inch of the bottle to be saved for the final pour. A half finger high, bright white head is produced on the pour, which remains for quite some time. The finishing gravity on this beer must be high, because the bubbles are rising very slowly to the top. Bright orange, honey colored beer. Decent clarity. Load of lacing.
[S] Very neutral yeast profile (the Westmalle strain). Slight alcohol, modest honey and a creeping oxidized note that kind of adds a bruised apple scent. Esters and spicy phenols are low. The banana, clove bubblegum that other Tripels sometimes include are not part of the aroma (or flavor).
[T] The honey feature is more noticeable on the palate. Still not a huge component, but it plays a nice part. Fruit accents of apple, pear, & orange rind. Light alcoholic heat.
[M] Modest carbonation. Thick body and chewy mouthfeel, especially for a Tripel. Finishes more sweet than dry.
[O] A lot of what was said above did not apply a year ago, when this beer was first released. I loved that beer. And thought it was a nice departure from most the Tripels that I had had recently. (I credit the Westmalle strain for that.) This beer was a bit over the hill. Still enjoyable, but it is a shadow of it's former self. Blindly, I would have never guessed that this beer was a year old version of itself. I would have happily given a 4.3 on the fresh bottles. Luckily, I only aged one.
Reviewed by scottfrie from California
3.3/5 rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.3/5 rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
12oz bottle into snifter. Thanks Josh!
A: Pours a dark iced-tea brown with a minimal off-white head that quickly faded into a fuzzy collar leaving spotty lace.
S: Very sweet nose with boozy notes of cloying honey, pear, golden delicious apples, leather, tobacco, apple cider, plums and black pepper.
T: Thankfully not as sweet as the nose. Pear, apple cider, and honey dominate, with spice, leather, tobacco, golden apple, and bready yeast bring up the rear. The aftertaste is full of honey, leafy hops and tea.
M: Full body, soft and frothy carbonation, slick and sweet mouth feel but it’s not syrupy at all.
O: Definitely a honey forward beer with a good spicy earthy quality. Not the best tripel, but a pretty enjoyable beer. Thanks again Stormking47!
Nov 03, 2013A: Pours a dark iced-tea brown with a minimal off-white head that quickly faded into a fuzzy collar leaving spotty lace.
S: Very sweet nose with boozy notes of cloying honey, pear, golden delicious apples, leather, tobacco, apple cider, plums and black pepper.
T: Thankfully not as sweet as the nose. Pear, apple cider, and honey dominate, with spice, leather, tobacco, golden apple, and bready yeast bring up the rear. The aftertaste is full of honey, leafy hops and tea.
M: Full body, soft and frothy carbonation, slick and sweet mouth feel but it’s not syrupy at all.
O: Definitely a honey forward beer with a good spicy earthy quality. Not the best tripel, but a pretty enjoyable beer. Thanks again Stormking47!
Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York
3.62/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12oz. bottle into a Westvleteren chalice.
Pours a wispy white head that dissipates quickly. Beer is a clear bronze that reveals ample carbonation. Lacing is spotty with decent cling. Average.
Nose is Belgian yeast, clove, sweet ripe green fruit and honey sweetness. Moderately aromatic. Appropriate for the style.
Opens musty fruit. Honey, sweet green grape, clove, and bread. Big malt body throughout. End is more Belgian yeast, spice, and sweetness. Like someone dipped a sugar/cinnamon cookie into the beer. Finishes sweet honey with a yeasty, fruity aftertaste.
Medium bodied with ample carbonation. Filmy and spritzy in the mouth and goes down bubbly with some booziness. Finishes messy with a lingering aftertaste. I wish this had a touch less body.
Overall, a pretty decent beer. This was served at the proper temperature but still, it seems a bit heavy for the style. The body prevents this one from being memorable offering. Decent overall though.
Mar 30, 2013Pours a wispy white head that dissipates quickly. Beer is a clear bronze that reveals ample carbonation. Lacing is spotty with decent cling. Average.
Nose is Belgian yeast, clove, sweet ripe green fruit and honey sweetness. Moderately aromatic. Appropriate for the style.
Opens musty fruit. Honey, sweet green grape, clove, and bread. Big malt body throughout. End is more Belgian yeast, spice, and sweetness. Like someone dipped a sugar/cinnamon cookie into the beer. Finishes sweet honey with a yeasty, fruity aftertaste.
Medium bodied with ample carbonation. Filmy and spritzy in the mouth and goes down bubbly with some booziness. Finishes messy with a lingering aftertaste. I wish this had a touch less body.
Overall, a pretty decent beer. This was served at the proper temperature but still, it seems a bit heavy for the style. The body prevents this one from being memorable offering. Decent overall though.
Reviewed by russwbeck from Virginia
4.35/5 rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.35/5 rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Pretty clear golden brown to yellow in color with a few fingers of white head. The head sticks around for a decent amount of time, clinging to the glass as it recedes. 4
S: Big hit of honey and banana starts of the nose. The belgian yeast hides underneath, providing that sweet mustiness that comes to be expected in good tripels. Very sweet overall. 4
T: The honey really takes this beer over! Not what I was expecting from a tripel at all. The sweetness from the aroma carries over. It starts off all honey, and evolves into the banana and belgian yeasts that I expected would dominate throughout. I'm also getting a citrus quality towards the end, probably from some hops, that add a nice touch. The beer is balanced, and delicious. 4.5
MF: Light body with a lower than average carbonation. The balance of the beer really makes it drinkable and hides the alcohol content. 4.5
O: This really blew me away. Easily in my top five Scratch offerings. 4.5
Mar 18, 2013S: Big hit of honey and banana starts of the nose. The belgian yeast hides underneath, providing that sweet mustiness that comes to be expected in good tripels. Very sweet overall. 4
T: The honey really takes this beer over! Not what I was expecting from a tripel at all. The sweetness from the aroma carries over. It starts off all honey, and evolves into the banana and belgian yeasts that I expected would dominate throughout. I'm also getting a citrus quality towards the end, probably from some hops, that add a nice touch. The beer is balanced, and delicious. 4.5
MF: Light body with a lower than average carbonation. The balance of the beer really makes it drinkable and hides the alcohol content. 4.5
O: This really blew me away. Easily in my top five Scratch offerings. 4.5
Reviewed by thain709 from Pennsylvania
3.48/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.48/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Catching up on my reviews.
A - Served with a glowing golden body with just a bit of haze and lots of carbonation bubbles...the head stood about one finger tall and was white in color...it fell to a ring and left some lacing towards the top of the glass
S - There is a subtleness to the nose...the sweet honey is present and gives the nose a sweetness to it...the yeast strain is present and provides a bit of spice
T - I'm surprised that the honey doesn't jump out as much as I expected...it slowly comes through, providing sweetness, as the beer warms...with first sip there is a slight citrus presence, but that is quickly cut down by the yeast...the yeast also isn't as strong as I expected, but it still provides depth and subtle spiciness...the finish becomes thick and the alcohol level really opens up
M - Medium bodied...bordering on being thick, some stickiness, slightly sweet with a big alcohol kick
O - I was excited for this one, but it didn't do too much for me...I liked the inclusion of the honey but I wanted more of the flavor...I feel it got hidden in the yeast and alcohol
Jan 21, 2013A - Served with a glowing golden body with just a bit of haze and lots of carbonation bubbles...the head stood about one finger tall and was white in color...it fell to a ring and left some lacing towards the top of the glass
S - There is a subtleness to the nose...the sweet honey is present and gives the nose a sweetness to it...the yeast strain is present and provides a bit of spice
T - I'm surprised that the honey doesn't jump out as much as I expected...it slowly comes through, providing sweetness, as the beer warms...with first sip there is a slight citrus presence, but that is quickly cut down by the yeast...the yeast also isn't as strong as I expected, but it still provides depth and subtle spiciness...the finish becomes thick and the alcohol level really opens up
M - Medium bodied...bordering on being thick, some stickiness, slightly sweet with a big alcohol kick
O - I was excited for this one, but it didn't do too much for me...I liked the inclusion of the honey but I wanted more of the flavor...I feel it got hidden in the yeast and alcohol
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