Valley Brew Decadence 10

Brewed by Valley Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Stockton, California USA

12 oz bottle from Krausenjockey. Pour is light orange with a white head that slowly manifests into a nice white ring of lace that lasts throughout the experience. Nose is candied sugar, pineapple, citrus, honey, spices, and banana. Flavor is juicy and spicey--but much more lightly spiced than most of the tripels I have tasted. This was a really complex beer that I really enjoyed quaffing and drinking. Alcohol was a bit over the top at times, but it didnt detract from my enjoyment of this fine brew. Nice work here, Steve. Thanks!

Whew, now this is an Americanized version of a Tripel! Meaning that just a "mere" tripel with its beauty lying in pure simplicity, just won’t do. "Bigger is better" is no doubt the brewers attempt. Big aromas, big malt, big spice, big everything! At first sip one is transfixed by the "big" nature of the beer. After a bit of time, however, this ends up being just too much and over the top. Not a horrible beer by any means, but just that I would’ve liked to have seen a less aggressive character.

Bottle thanks to stoutlover72. Poured an almost clear apple juice with just about nothing going on for head (just a looser ring stickin’ around). The aroma was very fragrant with apple skins, pineapple, orange peel, and dried bananas from the hefty yeast presence.. over the top on all aspects, but I really dug it. Flavor also had significant doses of fruitage at the base (sliced apples, pineapple, and apricot) with white peppery spices and clove on the back-end.. long, spicy finish with really zero alcohol apparent (except for the warmth at the end and the aftereffects). Very nice brew!

12-oz. Thanks, Aspidites! Big fruity green apple nose. Some lemon and honey there as well, but very subdued. Fizzy yellow body with bubbly white head. Lots of deep fruity complexity on the mid palate. Tingly. Hides the alcohol incredibly well. This is amazingly good stuff.

12oz bottle from KrausenJockey drunk on 5/19/07
Moderate amounts of off-white head rise up quickly, but fade fairly rapidly, leaving little lacing behind. Clear, straw yellow with some deeper golden hues and medium-sized bubbles rising.
Soft, dusty yeast is easy on the nose, and gives way to bananas and light white pepper hints. Only a hint of candied peaches now remain, with a more dominant graininess (white bread, light dough, crackers) and a splash of soft citric-like acidity on the fnish. Very mild yet endearing, with no apparent alcohol or flaws. The malt seems to have continued attenuating (based on previous reviews) and has left only a lightly crisp, mostly dry pils malt, with only pieces of light honey. Medium strength of aroma.
Very soft, aerated texture is quite fluffy and has more of the bread and dough from the nose. Pineapples, lemons and bananas are all present in moderation and there is no overindulgence of clove or other phenols. The most enjoyable apsects, to me, were its high, high drinkability provided mainly by the dryness and softness of the malt, as well as intermingled honey notes that lent a slight chewiness. On the downside, I think the malts are a bit too attenuated at this point, exposing the hard, rather vapid candi sugar notes that also produce a bit of vanillin/corn (natural biproduct of those, I believe). I believe this bottle was somewhere in the 2 year-old vicinity and not bottle conditioned. So cutting it some slack there, it’s most certainly an excellent creation and still greatly hides the abv. It’s amazing to see how much this has dried out from the first couple of ratings to now.

12oz - thanks Steve - Aroma is lemon, Belgian yeast, banana, straw, alcohol and sweet bread. Pours transparent yellow with a small head and decent lacing. Flavor matches aroma and hides the alcohol well. Palate is smooth and creamy. Another very nice brew and great American Tripel

Hazy light orange body. Thin white head is well retained, eventually leaving bold lacing strewn across the middle of the glass. Aroma is pineapple, mandarin orange, apricot, banana and yeast. Candy sugar is noted but very miniscule in it’s presence. Very sweet flavor, bananas and yeast accentuated. Toasted grains are ample and contrast the sweetness nicely. Finishes warm and spicy, lightly sweet and cleansing. Medium to medium-full mouthfeel, coating and never remotely cloying. Very tasty. A worthy American interpretation.

Courtesy aspidites and stoutlover72. Hazy yellow/gold and a small white cap. Aroma of sweet light fruits, candi sugar, lightly musty yeast, and a bit of lemon as it warms. Flavor adds some nice malt and a small shot of alcohol in the finish. Full/medium body, balanced carbonation. Well done tripel.