Tripel Horse
River Horse Brewing Co.

Tripel HorseTripel Horse
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From:
River Horse Brewing Co.
 
New Jersey, United States
Style:
Tripel
Ranked #217
ABV:
10%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,704
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 13.98%
Reviews:
287
Ratings:
686
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 10, 2023
Added:
May 21, 2003
Wants:
  14
Gots:
  158
Our take on a Belgian Style Tripel Ale, brewed with spices and fermented with a Trappist yeast strain which lends hints of vanilla and creates a variety of complex flavors.
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Rated: 3.5 by db9000

Apr 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by FunkyPolak from New Jersey

Mar 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by jafinn3 from Illinois

Dec 30, 2022
 
Rated: 3.94 by drews240 from Rhode Island

Apr 17, 2022
Photo of officerbill
Reviewed by officerbill from New York

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Horse pours out an orange/amber color with a mid sized head that quickly dissolves into a long lasting film and ring

The aroma is a mild banana with a whiff of clove

the taste is a strong malt base. The banana and clove are there, but subdued. Almost hidden in the background are a hint of bubble gum and a warming spice I can't quite identify (bottle says it's crushed coriander)

there is a fizzy mouth with a dry, peppery, pithy finish that feels full and a little rich

overall this is a very fine, readily available tripel. The taste , body, and feel is close to that of imports
Mar 26, 2022
Photo of BloodSoakedAleMug
Reviewed by BloodSoakedAleMug from New York

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Look: Pours an orange; almost tarnished brass color with a one and a half finger off white head of foam that doesn't lace the glass and fizzles away over the course of about a minute.

Aroma: Burnt orange peel, banana bread, clove and caramel. Aroma is inviting if somewhat subdued and faint, but appropriate for the style.

Taste: Very crisp for something that is 10% alcohol (not that I mind that). Upfront; light flavors of freshly baked banana bread and very mild flavors of sweet bubblegum. Midpalate spicy hints of clove and white pepper - and perhaps some influence of resinous hoppy pine sap somewhere scattered in between. Finishes on savory, but delicate notes of caramel candy and slightly toasted whole wheat bread. Alcohol profile is non-existent; at least for something that's 10% abv. Overall, the flavor is restrained but very refreshing and crisp.

Feel: Sugar and spice level is low; imparting a lighter perceived weight to the palate. Mid weight body, moderate carbonation.

Overall: I hate to sound like a broken record but this is surprisingly light and refreshing. If you're looking for something strong, but not necessarily too heady, intricate or complex - this might be for you. If you're expecting something that will compete with an authentic Belgian tripel, you will obviously be disappointed. I think that this is a great session style (for lack of a better term) tripel. I think this would also pair well with almost any type of food you could imagine, but that's really a matter of preference and taste at the end of the day. Overall I enjoyed this and I definitely would buy it again if I was in the mood for an americanized style tripel.
Jan 31, 2022
 
Rated: 4.54 by AndyBee07040 from New Jersey

Dec 23, 2021
Photo of JayQue
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia

4.24/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
An excellent Tripel!!! One of the best I have had either Belgian or American. Poured into my Chimay goblet from a 12 oz bottle, this beer features a slightly hazy orange color, a bubbly white head that faces to a covering on the glass and little lacing except for some filmy coating. Pretty typical for a Tripel. Aroma and taste are great. Light fruit (apples and pears), some sweetness from candi sugar, yeast (I picked up my favorite part of a good Tripel (a ripe cheese like presence). This I find only in the best Tripels. The one thing missing from the aroma and flavor was the black pepper. There was spiciness but the signature pepper was not apparent. Mouthfeel was rich and with the usual Tripel aspect of hiding the alcohol well. 10% abv and no "burn". This is a wonderful Tripel and, if I get back to Half Time in Poughkeepsie NY, I would buy several of them!!!!
Oct 17, 2021
 
Rated: 3.79 by ScottyB515 from Ohio

Oct 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.83 by hozersr from Pennsylvania

Aug 04, 2021
Photo of dapatriot1
Reviewed by dapatriot1 from New York

4.16/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look dark hazy bronze color Small head
Smells of vanilla and Caramel and banana
Taste nice vanilla and slight banana with some lemon flavor Not very bitter at all
Nice full body and creamy
Very good beer
Aug 29, 2020
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.79/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
2020-08-02
12oz bottle served in a SIP Fest snulip. Packaged 12/27/19. Pretty sure I stole this from my wife, who received it as a birthday present from some friends.

Pours a moderately hazy orange-amber with a fairly small head and a small amount of very slow carbonation. Smell is banana, spicy yeast, something that I can interpret as cloves with only a slight nudge.

Taste is mostly in the direction of the classic tripel -- banana and clove. I do get a little oak/wood flavor which leans into a bitterness that I think is a little out of place here. More questionable than bad.

Mouthfeel is medium to light and a bit still. Overall, it's a pretty decent tripel. Not stellar, but I've had much worse renditions.
Aug 02, 2020
Photo of RobertColianni
Reviewed by RobertColianni from Pennsylvania

3.12/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Had this about 10 years ago and thought it was decent. Revisited and find it to be bastardized and dirty- a poor rendition of the style. Poor color, lacks depth of sweetness, very one dimensional. Too brown instead of golden, too mineral forward instead of clean sugar, carb is too low. Light oxidation. Just flawed overall.
Dec 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.47 by Frankie6492 from Missouri

Sep 28, 2019
Photo of DavetotheB
Reviewed by DavetotheB from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a golden brown color with about a finger of thin white head. Moderate retention, decent lacing. Smells of tart fruits. Taste follows but with a hint of sweetness mixed in as well. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth with a little alcohol aftertaste. Not my most favorite style in the world but this one seems true enough. Not outstanding, not bad.
Sep 15, 2019
 
Rated: 3.58 by Zonian1 from Ohio

Sep 14, 2019
Photo of Tcoz
Reviewed by Tcoz

3.82/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pretty much all I drink these days is Belgians.

I'd say this rates. There is a "dirty" aspect to it though that I don't get from other trappist or belgians. There's a caramel finish that is almost cola-like. However, that can be found in a variety of respected belgians, even things like Bernardus. Overall I'd say if you're a REAL snoot, this may cause grumble. But if you go through Westmalle, Chimay, Rochefort, Caroluns (all spellings suspect) and the like, I think, especially for the price, this may satisfy.

It's not a great, or even "very good" belgian. But that fact that it's brewed right down the road from me (it is) and actually rates at all, means it'll likely be in my rotation.
Sep 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.09 by Curt3 from Ohio

Aug 07, 2019
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
(12 oz bottle, no date, but new-er looking label... poured into a teku)

L: darker example of a tripel... a lightly-hazy, tawny-bronze colored liquid, that gets crazy hazier with the sediment layer swirled in... good bit of sludge in bottle; foam holds pretty steady for awhile; fabulous sheets of tightly-crusty lace

S: vanilla-smeared caramel, maybe a light hint of sultana and/or sweet white wine... surprisingly not much booze... perfumy, soft bubblegum-spice coloring

T: soft spicy booze pop, then a bunch of caramel and cake rushing through, lingering in the finish with a little leathery yeast fragrant spice in the aftertaste... I distinctly recall a spiced donut flavor in previous bottles, and it's sort of present here - coriander, clove, and yeasty dough... rather yeasty, but the thick malts and stewed fruity booze bowl you over

F: plump bounce, plush push, but relatively buoyant underbelly; very stealth heat, undercutting the malt blanket, and it takes its stoking its flame... like drinking spiked dough

O: had this for the first time maybe 15 years ago... quirky, strong Belgian ale that hasn't strayed too too much in flavor over the years... its spice(ing), layered caramel, and quiet power do help it to stand out, but it's remained rough and Rubenesque, arguably mirroring some of the richer Belgian out there (Abbaye Des Rocs, Het Anker... I'll think of others) ... a golden Quad??... I wish I could say I'd grab some bottles more often, but this has always been a bit of a chore to drink; one-and-done deal
Jul 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.6 by bcarrigg90 from Ohio

May 14, 2019
Tripel Horse from River Horse Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 686 ratings