Granville Island Jolly Abbot

Brewed by Granville Island (Taproom)
Style: Abbey Tripel
Vancouver, Canada

Pours dark reddish brown with a light head. very strong spice aroma. Taste very strong liquorish sweet fruity flavour. enjoyable but with some kick

Brilliant copper with big yellowish tan head. Spicy, hot, peppery nose with a hint of sweetness. Apple, pear, apricot, definite hotness and bite with a mild bitterness. Yummy, though the alcohol is pronounced.

22oz bomber from BC Liquor. Nice label! I’m generally not a fan of GI’s beers...they tend to be fairly pedestrian and uninspired. This however is certainly better than most of their offerings. Aroma has hints of figs and spice with a faint trace of vanilla. Pours a clear copper with a thin head that quickly evaporates to a ring around the top. Taste is pleasing and reasonably layered...but seems under developed with a tad too much alcohol evident. I’d be curious how this aged...and that’s the first time I’ve felt a GI beer had that potential. Finish lingers well with smoky malts and a slight bite from hops. All in all a very decent effort.

Deep amber, thin quickly dissipating white head, no lacing. Aroma of alcohol, some chemicals, highly sweet, light caramel. Flavour is highly alcoholic, a bit chemical, rather sweet. Sweet mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes with lots of alcohol, high sweetness.

An homage to the Trappist monks? Not even close. At times all this is is an alcoholic mess. Very harsh.

650ml bottle obtained in a trade with TheJester, thanks Andy.
Opened on January 13, 2009.
No date.

Really liked this offering from Granville Island Breweries, it matched the abbey styles very well, and when you’re in Vancouver it’s super cheap compared to the imported Belgian stuff! Good combination of spicy flavours, nice mouthfeel, and a knockout level of alcohol to forget about all the rainy weather. Worth getting if you can find it while in the rainy city.

Finally, at long last, a GI seasonal other than Merry Monks Dopplebock that didn’t blow. Pouring a clear, orange colour under a smallish tan head, I could sense a well-spiced aroma. Taste was better than okay, with spices and maybe some darkish fruits. Mouth and finish were quite decent. Not exactly a Chimay Blue, but not crap, either.

Bottle: Poured a light amber color ale with average size foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of light candi sugar with some light toffee malt. Taste is pretty straightforward with some light candi sugar and caramel/toffee malt and a grainy aftertaste. Body is very thin for the style with some OK carbonation and some alcohol ester. Definitely lacking some fruity ester and some yeast character.

Pours a clear dark orange-amber with a brief head leaving without a trace (and no lace). Aroma is pungent and full of fruitiness, yeast, and light alcohol. Fairly typical Belgian tripel - sweet and fruity, green grape and alcohol. Sweet finish. Low if sufficient carb. Coating if thin body. I would be hard-pressed to have any great quantity of this beer as it is difficult to get down. I hope it doesn’t replace Merry Monk, but I have a feeling it does.