Left Coast Asylum Belgian-Style Tripel Ale

Brewed by Left Coast/Oggis Pizza and Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Del Mar, California USA

Bomber from BevMo Mira Mesa: Clear golden amber color with a medium off white head. Purfumey, flowery aroma with over-ripe pit fruit. Flavor is rich, sweet and fruity, peppery with a touch of alcohol and a long dry spicy finish. Medium body is smooth with moderate carbonation.

Bottle… mgumby10’s & hopscotch’s WtFFfFDotF Throwdown… Clear, brilliant golden ale with a small, fat-bubbled, white head. The sweet, spicy aroma imparts pale grains, clove and fuzzy fruits. Full-bodied with a silky mouthfeel and dancing carbonation. Sweet, but not cloyingly so. A little fruity and not as spicy as the nose. Honey. Bittersweet finish.

Bottle from naven. Huge, sweet, fruity flavor. Perhaps too sweet. Minimal carbonation. May need a year or so for the sweetness to mellow.

I don’t know what it is with Left Coast, but ALL of their beers rub me the wrong way. There is a burnt, stale flavor to their malts that I just don’t get. It dominates every flavor in the beer, and this one is no exception. Ends on said stale note.

Incredible cotton candy sweetness overpowers this beer. This is a cavity in a bottle. Burnt orange body with a puffy whitehead. Nose is caramel, pure cane sugar, and sweet honey. Flavor is molasses, bubblegum, and banana. Medium mouthfeel but does get a bit cloying.

22oz bottle from 7-11. I’ve been seeing this popping up more frequently around Del Mar in the past 2 months. Appearance is clear dark yellow with a syrupy texture and low carbonation. No head development. Immensely sugary and cloying nose of candy sugar, vanilla, light malts, ginger and alcohol. Flavor follows up the overdone sweetness. Main tones are sweetened pear, apricot, and a bit of banana. Really, really sweet. Syrupy body only makes it taste sweeter, with a medium alcohol burn on the finish. Drinkability was terribly low on this for me.

Courtesy hopscotch. Pours a crystal clear, copper orange color, with a big, frothy, light tan head. Smells of Belgian candy sugar, spices, and sweet malts all mixed together, with a little wave of alcohol as well. The flavor seemed incredibly spicy to me, with the alcohol presence up in front. Seemed to drown out the candy sugar and sweetness of the brew for the most part. got some sweet molasses-like flavors in the finish and aftertaste. I really dont know if I like this or not right now. Pretty complex, but maybe a touch to spicy for me for this style.

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear, amber body with a thin, bubbly, white head. Smell: Honey and candi sugar lusciously coat a lightly biscuity maltiness. Supporting notes of alcohol-soaked fruits and light spice. Taste: Sweet, lightly bready, lightly biscuity maltiness. Make that quite sweet, actually, with a definite candi sugar quality to it. A few drops each of Peach and Pear liqueur. Light spice hints from the Belgian yeast. Fruity, warming finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-low carbonation. Fairly smooth mouthfeel overall. Drinkability: The heavy sweetness coupled with the relatively low carbonation have this one bordering on being a cumbersome experience. Still though, for an American-born tripel, it’s above average.