Emperor's New Clothes Tripel
General Lafayette Inn & Brewery

This beer came a great gold and copper color with a thin film of white that left some nice lace.

Smells of honey and hazelnut, melon rind, white grape and a pasty, yet spicy smooth yeast.

Tastes of light pale malts with a slightly sour bread dough. The yeast comes through a little more herbal and musky in the taste. Finishes really dry with an amplification of the spicy yeast and a woody dry hop.

The mouth feel is medium bodied with a light tingly carbonation that seems to surge, and then fall.

This one’s pretty good and pleasantly different for the style. Also, the 9.0% is utterly undetectable.

Had it last night on 6/7/06 and I wasn't terribly impressed, but it's not a bad beer. Not a stand-out tripel, but it hits all the marks it's supposed to: that orangey-tan color so many tripels have, the belgium yeast smell and flavor, and the bit of heat that lets you know you're drinking a tripel. However, it seems to be lacking something that will make it stand out among tripels. Cold, it has hardly any flavor. I had to let it sit a bit before I was able to detect the familiar Belgian yeast taste. Mouthfeel has a syrupy texture. I think the chalkboard said this one's 9%, so it's a nice sipping beer. Still, once room temperature, it didn't change dramatically enough to give it a stand-out character.

Vintage 22 oz bottle from the General's cellar brewed 3/05.
Appears a light haze of gold with a fluffy white head that slowly fades out. Nice lacing remnants are left around the glass.
The smell is of honey, citrus, and pear with a mild dose of sugar. Very delicate.
Taste is of the same aromas. The spiciness in this brew has mellowed out considerably and the malt has a nice honey and apricot taste.
Mouthfeel is smooth. Maybe still slightly hot but it is better than it was a year ago.

High alcohol, this batch at 8.4%. Yeasty with beat sugar making it a noticeable sweet domination on taste. Golden dark yellow. Sweetness allows for the conumption of my not-favorite spices:cloves, corriander, and white pepper. Whole thing makes it a so-so trippel.

Bottled 04/2004 and enjoyed 04/2005. 8.4% ABV Vintage ale.

Pours a ruby orange hazy hue with a mountain of spumescent ivory head cap into a tulip. Delicate fruit and cider linger.

Spritzy scents of yeasty dough aroma.

First swigs: Bready syrup sipper with a brown sugary middle. Totally hidden ABV. Fruity essence of pear and cherry. Medium bodied slick 8.4% sipper. Tasty stright up peppery tripel.

Last swigs: A well rounded tripel. Had a second bottle this week to remind me how good this is.

I received a collectible growler bottle of this in the mail. I suppose I should dispose of its contents properly, eh? hehe

Poured crystal clear amber with very thin off-white head. Aroma is a mix of sweet honeyed malt, spicy yeast and alcohol vapors. Flavor starts out sweet (honey again) and spicy. Faint aged hop like bitterness. Finishes thick, filling and boozy. Borders on cloying but thankfully shys away. An unabashed triple.

Malty estery nose. Starts out with a lightly present candi sugar and grain flavor, then follows with a mid-sip malt and alcohol flavor that hints at a Belgian tripel. The finish yields more tripel notes behind a buttery/diacetyl esteriness and some bitterness, with a touch of graininess. Very nice and drinkable, although not 100% to style.