New Belgium / Dieu du Ciel! Collaboration – Heavenly Feijoa Tripel (Lips of Faith)

TRADITIONAL BELGIAN tripels are remarkable for many reasons, not least among them the complexity they extract from a modicum of ingredients. Heavenly Feijoa, a recent Lips of Faith collaboration between New Belgium Brewing and Dieu du Ciel!, is the antithesis of such economy. With hibiscus, feijoa juice, pungent New Zealand hops, and even a small dose of black malt, this 9.4% ABV tripel risked being a garish waste of ‘artisanal’ ingredients. Yet all these strange tweaks share a common thread, revealing the conscientious craftsmanship that drives this series—a refreshing reminder after a string of seemingly haphazard disappointments—and the results are rather charming.

The beer’s looks are traditional, if a little underwhelming: golden, a little hazy, and with a thin layer of white head but no lasting bubbles. The aroma blends ginger snap and lemon with an unexpected twist of tart berry coming from the feijoa juice, presumably bolstered by almost winey Nelson Sauvin hops. That bouquet presages a surprisingly tart, forward-focused flavor that shifts its focus from citrus early to berries late. Yeast and malt are more apparent in between, though more for the other flavors’ waning than their own waxing. Marked as Best Before March 2014, the beer’s has clearly smoothed considerably since its bottling—at that time a spicier midsection and more assertive effervescence would likely have helped keep its distinctive corners pinned up neatly. Carbonation remains fairly high, though, with small and creamy bubbles carrying smoothly from front to back and leaving the finish fairly clean, if not especially lasting. The beer’s body is likely a little fuller than most tripels, too, and the juice likely didn’t ferment out quite as cleanly as the traditional adjunct of candi sugar. Perhaps that aging has also diminished the alcohol presence, since a 9.4% ABV is rarely so unobtrusive, especially in a tripel. The ultimate balance is well-struck between mild titillation and simply good refreshment.

Served: 750 ml bottle best before March 2014

Rating: 85

Ten Ninety Brewing – Jaggery Tripel

WITH THREE OF FOUR Ten Ninety beers sporting ‘imperial’ distinctions and the last being this 11% ABV Jaggery Tripel, savvy beer drinkers might easily deduce the meaning behind the brewery’s name. The allusion is to 1.090, the starting (or original) gravity of all four beers—in other words, a wort nearly 10% denser than water that commonly produces beers of 9+% ABV. In Ten Ninety’s case the use of other adjuncts and high attenuation rates easily boost those figures up into double digits. The only reason Jaggery lacks the imperial prefix is because tripels have elevated ABVs as a matter of course. Thus it was only natural for Ten Ninety to include such a beer in their repertoire. But if their MO to date was to elevate more modest styles, would they similarly aim to supercharge their tripel or be content with its already elevated figures?
A little of both. The Jaggery Tripel is indeed unusually strong at 11% ABV, whereas most tripels stop short of double digits. But the flavor profile of the beer is fairly traditional, if somewhat dampened, and aside from some extra alcohol warmth on the finish there are few indications that it’s as potent as table wine.

Jaggery pours an unusually clear amber with moderately persistent bubbles, giving off a yeasty aroma with some alcohol prickle. Few fruity esters come through until the retronasals, where lemon and apricot compete with biscuity malts and a slightly elevated bitterness. The beer’s moniker, meanwhile, stems from its key ingredient—instead of Belgian candi sugar it is an Asian palm variety, which replaces the standard undertones of candy or cake with earthiness and faintly tropical yellow fruit. The hops bring Jaggery back towards traditional realms, with herbal notes indicative of noble cultivars. Though none too pronounced they’re still enough to edge out the yeast’s subtler fruit tones or any piquant phenols that would have provided a welcome contrast in the finish. The body is medium light, meanwhile, with fairly high but not quite crackling carbonation.

It’s altogether a worthwhile experience, albeit a little ‘on the hump’. Exceptional tripels often depend upon a brewery’s house character or unmistakable yeast strain, which is something Ten Ninety will struggle to achieve as contract brewers. Perhaps once they graduate from to their own facility this beer will take on more singular airs. Until then the founders are focused on positioning their brand as food-centric, upscale competition to wine in “white tablecloth” restaurants. To be sure, unusual ingredients, large-format bottles, and scaled-up ABVs will help in that effort. But Jaggery has a way yet to go to earn a truly premium price tag.

Served: 750 ml bottle

Rating: 83

Tallgrass Brewing – Velvet Rooster Tripel

BEYOND BEING more appetizingly named than Tallgrass Brewing’s Buffalo Sweat milk stout, their Velvet Rooster is also a roundly decent American take on a Belgian tripel. Pouring a bright gold with strong lacing, it has better than average head retention and consistent if somewhat underpowered carbonation that takes a vigorous pour to draw out a lasting foamy head. There is some haze from yeast in suspension, but the beer is still uncommonly clear for a tripel. Otherwise high marks for appearance.

The aroma balances refreshing citric notes of American hops with Belgian yeast’s racier floral esters and candied edge. Clean fresh yeast and golden bread emerge later in the aroma and become dominant by the dregs. Despite its soft moniker, Velvet Rooster is actually a little coarser than most American versions, leading with a tangy mixture of lemon, citrus, a little green apple skin (not acetaldehyde, though), and orange peel before slipping in sweeter undertones of biscuit, caramel, and pale malt.

Then comes a distinct alcohol smack and slightly solventy sharpness, with alcohol fusels showing up retronasally and in a little stickiness on the lips; 8.5% ABV is elevated, to be sure, but most Belgian tripels are cagier about their strength than Tallgrass. As for hops, the comparatively neutral cultivars of Willamette and Northern Brewer are capped with enough Centennial to give the beer a fairly bitter midsection, though its 30 IBUs are mostly highlighted in the dry finish. Microscopic carbonation keeps the mouthfeel light but is not enough to achieve much brilliance or remarkable liveliness.

Many American tripels are too one-note, favoring sweetness over complexity and overlooking their yeast’s phenolic side in favor of candied esters. Velvet Rooster also lacks for a substantial phenolic counterpoint, but at least it has a little vim to compensate. Altogether it sets a good if somewhat rash precedent for the canning of tripels, being the world’s first. And on that note, all Tallgrass beers are canned since 2010, in part deriving from the founder’s prior career as a geologist and consideration of the environmental impact. More immediately, it also allows him to package all his brews in full pint sizes, delivering more beer for less and faster. And surely that’s worth another round?

Served: 16 oz can best by 12/04/14

Rating: 84

Green Flash Brewing – Le Freak

LE FREAK, apropos of its name, never quite finds its fit. From the first impression of its appearance through the lingering aftertaste, it vacillates between pros and cons, rarely notching more than a couple in a row on either side of the scales before shifting back again. Fortunately, the beer’s basics are appealing enough (albeit extreme)—joining sweet Belgian tripel-style yeast to an assertively-hopped West Coast pale ale, roughly similar to Lagunitas’ A Little Sumpin’ Wild or Stone’s Cali-Belgique. So for all its ambivalence Le Freak is still rather good. It just could have been so much better.

Very few Green Flash beers pour much lighter than 8 or 9 SRM and Le Freak is no exception; its dense orange color could easily be mistaken for Green Bullet or the West Coast IPA. Its head is slightly subpar, especially when compared to the magnificent fluffy crowns found on traditional Belgian tripels. But it wins back some points on the first nosing through a complicated interplay between citric hops and that Belgian signature—lightly candied, yeasty, with a touch of biscuit. The fuller aroma takes a step back, though, once the dry-hopping unfurls and leafy, piney, and pungent West Coast hops run a little roughshod over the yeast’s delicate fruit esters.

The first flavors replicate the aroma plus another layer of complexity from an herbal zip and bit of baking spice—almost cinnamon, though clove/coriander is likely closer to the mark. The malt character is present but restrained, showing pale grains, a little orange, clearing room for the yeast (more responsible for the biscuit tones) and hops to define the beer’s flavors. Green Flash calls Le Freak ‘zesty’, and there are indeed some Belgian-style phenols that give a piquancy and faint medicinal edge to the mix. But they are a little too tame to be particularly notable in the full context.

No sugar was used in the brewing process, as would be expected in a tripel-style beer (even a hybrid). Still, a high ABV of 9.2% was achieved without leaving excessive traces of malt or caramel in the flavor. Refermented in the bottle, the beer does also have some residual yeast, if not enough to dramatically alter the texture or aftertaste. Effervescence is quite elevated, more suitable for the style, and the body neatly straddles the lighter side of a double IPA and heavier tripels.

Massive bitterness ratings are a calling card of Green Flash’s, but even so this beer would have benefitted from more modest dosing. Le Freak’s hopping rate of 101 IBUs is just too aggressive to integrate with a Belgian tripel, a style rarely hopped beyond 40 IBUs. The beer we end up with is still a tasty twist on Green Flash’s typically pungent and almost savory hop assault, but overall it just seems to have missed the point.

Served: 22 oz bottle best by 9/18/15

Rating: 85

Left Hand Brewing – St. Vrain Tripel

LEFT HAND PRODUCES this tripel only rarely and a little according to whim, it seems. Its last manifestation came in 2009, and for its latest manifestation it’s received a label redesign (and presumably some light sprucing to its recipe). Perhaps the beer follows the spirit of the St. Vrain itself; called ‘mighty’ by the brewery, it’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to a tame nearby creek that flooded late last year. Hardly the Colorado River even at its worst, the damages were still enough for a relief fund to be established (see here).

The tripel named in honor of that waterway tries to hint at hidden strength (i.e. floods/a 9+% ABV) but in reality is too temperate and mild-mannered be much of a threat. It opens well with all the appropriately sweet and estery flavors of a winding creek—honey, tangerine, all the associations of Belgian candied yeast, green apple, and a lemony, slightly spicy twist from its Celeia hops (essentially an alias for Styrian Golding). But it lacks for the phenol counterpart (e.g. a little dustiness, clove, or medical twinge) that gives excellent tripels their depth and act as a buffer against sweetness in lieu of significant hopping. At only 18 IBU, St. Vrain’s is one of the least bitter tripels around, exaggerating its imbalance towards the front end. Too, it also lacks for significant alcohol warmth or texture in the finish. Structurally the beer is otherwise well-made, though, with appropriately elevated effervescence, good head retention, and a full fermentation that leaves the mouthfeel brisk and the finish fairly dry. Nonetheless, we’d all have been better off it St. Vrain had been bolder in the bottle than in its riverbed.

Served: 750 ml bottle

Rating: 82

Sun King Brewing – Lonesome Dove Tripel

SWEETNESS SERVED WELL for Sun King’s Afternoon Delight, a standout Doppelbock at FoBAB 2013 that deservedly won gold. The same does not apply to their Lonesome Dove tripel, though. Solidly amber with a medium frothy head, it’s stuffed with bubblegum esters from the yeast, bready and caramel sweetness from a surfeit of malts, and glazed further by aging in Pappy Van Winkle barrels. Too cloying overall and not half brilliant enough—in carbonation, lightness of body, complexity of phenols, spiciness, the list goes on—it fumbles several of the style’s essential supporting qualities. What phenols do emerge towards the finish arrive too late to contribute materially to the core flavor and are a little solventy and slightly grating besides. ABV is guessed to be around 10% and a little too present as slickness in the finish.

The barrel-aging, unsurprisingly, provides the beer’s finest feature through some smoothness and pleasant back-end warmth, as well as a little corn sweetness, maybe apple, and oaky crackle. Fans of brassy American tripels like Victory’s Golden Monkey may enjoy Lonesome Dove, but otherwise the more balanced Allagash Curieux remains the bellwether for barrel-aged tripels.

Served: On tap (Skyline Loft, FoBAB 2013, Chicago)

Rating: 79

Boulevard Brewing – Long Strange Tripel

ONE OF THE MIDWEST’S BETTER Belgian efforts, if perhaps a little too tweaked to use as a good starting point in the style. Bright golden color with a strong but not quite regal enough head expansion, the banana esters, bits of clove spice, and bready malt aromas leap out ahead of a sturdy but not too distinguished yeast thickness. Quite well attenuated from 19.1 Plato down to 2.6, the body is balanced just right between light clarity, sweetness, a hint of hop bitterness (American in placement, though Hallertau and Styrian Golding are true to Germanic tradition), and the yeast’s gentle tang. Merits another try for the fairest assessment, but seems to lack the spice and purity of water that make the best true Tripels complex and radiant. Would have skipped the flaked oats in the malt bill, though, which smooths out a bit overmuch the apricot, peach, and vanilla tones that poke up throughout the rest of the brew.

Served: 12 oz bottle

Rating: 88

New Holland – Black Tulip Tripel

SLIGHTLY DARKER (a bit more amber) than the average tripel, the New Holland also tips its American provenance via a slightly hoppier nose and flavor, dialing back the mineral snap of true trappist tripels in favor of an easier-drinking, fruit-forward brew. Not precisely sweet, though, this still has a light body, plenty of esters in the nose, an appropriately yeasty finish, and at least medium carbonation (could have been attenuated a little more from its nearly 20 Plato, though it is already 9% ABV). Michigan beet sugar also gives it a more Stateside flair. A little understated, all things considered, lacking the spices and mineral boldness of the best in favor of a creaminess that is almost too simple. And yet a fair riposte to New Belgium’s Trippel, when it comes to New [Bene-of-the-lux] homage.

Served: On tap (The Village Idiot, Lexington)

Rating: 87

Allagash – Tripel

TRADITIONAL IN FOUNDATION, American in accentuation, Allagash’s Tripel is a solid indicator of their brewery at large. Instantly recognizable as a tripel for its bountiful head, hazy golden color, 9% ABV, etc., and definitely in the prominence of yeast. No surprises there, given their pedigree in refermented ales. The twist comes through in the expression of the yeast itself (a different bottling yeast than the one used for fermenting all their ales), which is distinctively reminiscent of grapefruit and passionfruit more so than the  more common (and still present) citrus or banana. This gives the brew an almost tropical edge, which combines well with its slightly heavier than average body. Phenols fairly prominent towards the end along with some clove and spice, but the fruit zest still is the lingering impression, even after the decisive carbonation dissipation.

Served: 33 cl bottled Jan 2013

Rating: 91

De Dolle – Dulle Teve

THE DULLE TEVE may not be De Dolle’s signature brew, but it is still highly distinctive, even amongst the packed ranks of true Belgian tripels. This version (10%) cleaves to the norm in appearance, carbonation, head retention, and color, but has an unusually tart aroma and flavor that does justice to the sour-faced crone on the bottle. Tart green apples, pineapple, and other prickly fruits poke through in the aroma along with even some herbal hop hints and oil. Body is a little on the heavier side, which helps cut the tang of the flavors, but tapers at the finish to accentuate the phenols and a slightly sour yeastiness that leaves no coating on the palate. The underlying presence of white sugar is a sufficient reminder that this is a tripel, but the brew’s range from sweet to sour is compelling and aggressive, but still inviting and not strident in the least.

Served: On tap (Sergio’s World Beers, Louisville)

Rating: 92