Icarus
Elysian Brewing Company

Bottleworks 5th anniversary Trippel, served on draught at Brower's for the 10th anniversary party, in a Grimbergen goblet. Icarus is a pale bronze with a large, dense, tight off-white head that leaves heavy, foamy lace. I'm particularly impressed by the size and last of the head after 5 years in the cellar, as trippels are not a style of beer I expect to hold up well after that long!

Smell is strong malt, honey sweetness, butterscotch, and some mineral dryness, light fruits and dead flowers. The nose has probably held up the least over time, and tells me this beer is probably heading downhill.

Taste is even stronger, very rich maltiness, whoa! Sweet lime like citrus, a really nice tart tang but not soured for sure, I wonder if they used some acidulated malt that is bringing out some coriander that I assume I'm tasting as well...or maybe it's just wheat and fruity esters. Regardless, it's pretty darn good, especially for the age.

Mouthfeel is oily solvents leading to a dry finish, with a medium light body.

Drinkability is very nice, a unique triple that aged very well and that I'm happy I got to try.

22oz. bomber with a funky label depicting Icarus struggling to fly towards the sun.

Poured a clear dull orange with a very sparse off-white head that barely clings to the sides of the glass. Aromas are zesty orange rind sprinkled with pepper, then dipped in sugar. Flavors are a bit brash. This one got better as it warmed, but there was was a lot of fruity flavor running through this that was a little off. I think the overall impression I got was that it was a little unbalanced. Other tripels I've had were much smoother and more balanced, but this one falls short of the mark. Some dark fruit flavors would do wonders, as would more caramel sweetness. Mouthfeel is good. Medium-bodied and quite smooth. Drinkability suffers due to the taste. I wonder if this has been "West-coasted"...it sure seems to have a dash of hoppy influence that adds a certain element.

This was served to me at the Elysian Brewery in a tulip glass, presumably 12 oz. It was brandy-like in color and headless with only tiny sporadic bubbles that rose unusually slowly and left no lace. It was (thankfully) served at a proper temperature.

The aroma is very faint and suggests honeydew melon. The taste is of tart fruit but is quite modest in breadth and intensity.

Icarus is a far cry from Elysian’s best effort and poses no competition to the Belgian originals. It is sadly notable for a lack of standout features.

Appearance – Pure orange heaven in a glass is what this looks like. The head is almost non-existent, probably due to the high ABV.

Smell – The malty orange flavors here are terrific. They are heavily spiced with pepper and other dark spices (such as allspice). Also, and this could only happen in Seattle, I think it’s the first Abbey Tripel I’ve ever smelled that had hoppy aromatic notes.

Taste – The hops actually balance out the malts pretty evenly. There’s a big orange sweetness to this one, thick with malts and sharp, bitter hops. This is quite a collection of flavors.

Mouthfeel – A little bigger than medium in the body and very, very creamy (amazingly so). The sense of alcohol is very subtle.

Drinkability – I loved this example of the style, although some purists may cry “foul” at the heavy hop compliment.

Comments – This is part of the Imagination Series supported by Bottleworks, the best damn beer store in Seattle.