Carlyle Belgian Trippel

Brewed by Carlyle Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Rockford, Illinois USA

Date: 06/20/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

Cloudy yellow, fine white head, streaks of lace, sweet spicy aroma, big body, lots of sticky sweet malt flavor, lots of spices come in to add character but fail to balance the sweetness, big body for a tripel but I like that

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

On tap at the brewpub on 6/20/07: Pours a transparent bright golden with a wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet, bready Belgian malt and yeast is very authentic and inviting. Body starts with nice pale Belgian malty sweetness with some caramel, light fruity esters, and bready yeast toward a warming finish. Could hide its alcohol a little better, but still a nice Belgian trippel.

Sampler. A light beer body leading to a dense texture. A surprise smokiness that may be the effects of the Scottish and Rauch I had before this. Spicy clove, but more subdued banana, which is where I prefer it. Other fruity blends with a note of sour apple. Finishing notes of barnyard, hey and black pepper. Almost a shame to be trying this at the end of a long line of other style.

Draught: There is a slight haze to the golden color. There is some head to the beer, but not as much as is usually the case with a Tripel. The aroma is standard tripel with banana, yeastiness, citrus and clove, but a somewhat lesser amount of each. Tastes are similar, but also a tad light for the style. Still, a good offering.

Slightly cloudy, the color of honey. Head is initially medium in size, and is mostly diminishing. Spicy coriander and cloves in the nose, along with some sweet malt and bananas. Spicy flavor of cloves and nutmeg. Soft, pillowy mouthfeel. Dangerously easy to drink, especially for 8% ABV.

On tap at Carlyle

The second of three beers that I tried over lunch, this one was a surprise. It is rare to come across a brewpub who can make good trippels but this one definitely falls in that category. While you would not mistake it for anything from Jolly Pumpkin (or even Ale Asylum) it is still very enjoyable. I’m not sure how much longer it will last but if you are in the area give it a try.

Aroma / Appearance - A one finger head appears to have been bleached before resting on top of a cloudy mandarin orange hued liquid. Thick lacing clings to the sides of the glass leaving behind layers of strata. Cloves, thyme, banana chips, orange peels and lemons form a nose that is both spicy and fruity. It makes taking a sip very inviting.

Flavor / Palate - A thick creamy sensation coats every corner of the mouth and tongue. It leaves herbs, bananas, bell peppers, peaches, honey and malt behind. After that comes the feel of toasted rye bread coated in apple butter. While it is not unique among Belgians it is still very fun to drink. If they have this when I visit again I may have to order another goblet.

#1010, On tap at the brewery. Cloudy hazy burnt yellow with a big foamy white head. Nose has lots of bannanas and yeast. Taste is very sweet with lots of yeaset, cream, clove and alcohol. Acidic producing and somewhat sour. Chewy and very drinkable considering that this is a style that I dont like.

9.1% alcohol for this batch. Arrived to the table a golden orange color, small film of a head. Looks kinda like a carbonated apple juice, with a bit more turb. Aroma is very sweet of banana, clove, light candy sugar and slight apple juice hint. Flavor is banana up front and moves into lots of clove spiciness and ends very sweet, which lingers well after the beer is gone. Low carbonation helps make the mouth feel of the beer to feel med/heavy and served a bit on the warmer side, as they should be. A great beer but I found it to be a slight too sweet at the end and very easy to drink.