Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: Abbey Tripel
Frederick, Maryland USA

12oz bottle into an abbey glass. Not bad, but just doesn’t compare to the real ones from Belgium.

Bottle. Poured with an initial fizzle, but quickly settled into a dark, ruddy orange solid still. The aroma is pretty funky and farmhousey. It drinks with that same rural downhominess, slightly sour, bready, citric. (#3638, 8/13/2009)

Bottle. Pours with a yellow color and a medium head. A nice triple in my book. Aromas of bread and citrus. Flavors of dough, some citrus and spices with a bit of alcohol hotness. Nice palate, buttery and slightly oily. I think it is much better than its score implies.

Not my style of beer at all. I did like the floral aroma and the gold color, but that was it. I am not a fan of the Belgian Abbey Tripel styles, sorry.

Flying Dog has successfully captured the imagination and attention of Denver’s 25-30 year old drinking group. Every stranger I meet in this demographic, be they fashionable Indies, high-powered executive types, passive and pensive students, or an extroverted slacker, absolutely loves Flying Dog. Maybe it’s the brewery’s jarring but eye-catching labels. And maybe it’s the beer. For me, their brew is nothing exceptional. There are gems here and there, like the Gonzo, but the rest feels pretty average. But the Kerberos is another one of those gems. Abbey Tripels, to me, are either interesting, or mundane, and the Kerberos leans towards an affordable “interesting” classification. The aroms is laden with honey, apricots and vanilla, laying things a bit thickly with a “medicine” like smell, and giving it all a heavy hit of alcohol. The flavor is about the same, maybe pushing more cotton candy sweetness. While the medicinal quality keeps the Kerberos from being anything more than “Mm, good”, I remain impressed. I don’t often buy Tripels I like in packs of four or six, and certainly not those made locally.

Syrupy sweetness with abundant ripe fruit and a buttery, estery component. Spice and yeast character.

7oz bottle, clear golden color with a moderate white head. I’m may not be familiar enough with the style to judge it, but it was reasonably drinkable. I’m not impressed.

Pours golden without much apparent carbonation, reasonably thick (but not as vivacious as I like in a tripel). Sweet fruitiness with a hint of spice, but really lacking depth through the palate. Notable alcohol, not like an effervescent alcohol and more like gasoline. Not especially good, though drinkable in a pinch. I had it with a butternut squash ravioli, which wasn’t especially brilliant as a combination but not bad either. Bottle.