In our continuing series of posts, we taste and review our forty-first submission from our viewers/readers. This time around, we were sent a Belgian Tripel. We don’t typically receive Belgian styles outside of Saisons, so this one was a real treat. See what we mean and watch this homebrewed beer swap video where we discuss the tripel submitted by Andy in Massachusetts.

Our Tasting Notes

The style guidelines tell us that Belgian Tripels have complex, malt and yeast-driven flavors and are on the higher end of the alcohol by volume range. These aren’t beers we drink regularly but we have had enough to talk about them and see how this example compares to commercial versions.

Appearance: Well, this beer was darker than the style guideline specifications. It was more brown than gold or yellow as noted in the guidelines. This beer was brewed from a kit so we wondered if the color difference came from an ingredient choice or oxidation

Aroma: The aroma was driven by the yeast with strong esters. There were some malty notes too.

Flavor: The esters and the maltiness that the aroma promised were delivered in the flavor. The beer was complex with interesting dark fruit flavors and yeasty esters. Maybe a slight clove flavor in the aftertaste but finished dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium to Medium light. It looked to be a bigger better but it was thinner than expected, which was a good thing.

Overall Impression: Outside of the color, the only other issue was the carbonation. These beers should be effervescent but the bottle I got was a little low in the old carbonation department. Other than that, it was a good beer to have on a spring or summer weekend on a lake somewhere.

Thanks for the submission. Cheers and Brew on!