Avery Nineteen Belgian-Style Tripel

I ordered a glass of Avery Nineteen Belgian-Style Tripel while at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh. The beer pours a golden color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, Belgian yeast, grass, earth, and Belgian spices. The taste is dry, biting, and peppery with a faint banana sweetness in the background. A spicy finish and yeast after taste rounds outs the experience. The alcohol content is 8.2% ABV. This was a great beer and a departure from typical sweet tripels. I enjoyed how spicy and peppery it was rather than banana- and yeast-forward.

Brouwerij Westmalle Trappist Tripel

I ordered a bottle of Brouwerij Westmalle Trappist Tripel from The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company. The beer pours a pale golden color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, grass, and lemon peel. The taste is dry but sweet and focuses on grassy hops. Banana and pepper are prevalent in this beer, and it has a light bubbly finish and a bready mouth feel. The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. This was one of the dryer tripels that I have had, but it was wonderful. I actually think the dryness, coming from the grass and pepper flavors, sets this beer apart from most other tripels.

Iron Hill Bourbon Vanilla Tripel

I got to try a glass of Iron Hill Bourbon Vanilla Tripel at Belgium Comes to West Chester. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that leaves a lacing on the glass. The aroma is grassy with a hint of vanilla, but it is a very faint aroma. The taste is dry up front with grass but has a lot of banana. A big vanilla sweetness takes over the beer, and sadly is taste like extract rather than vanilla beans. Some bourbon comes out in the finish and warms the back of the throat with pepper bites, but it is not significant. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I set my expectations high with this beer, and was somewhat let down, as the vanilla tasted like extract and the bourbon wasn’t as pronounced as I would have liked.

The Bruery Batch 300 Tripel

I received a bottle of The Bruery Batch 300 Tripel from the BeerClub4Men in a beer trade. The beer pours a hazy pale golden color with a frothy white head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of passion fruit, fruit cocktail, banana, pepper, candisugar, pineapple, and lemon. The taste is lightly sour with passion fruit flavor, hints of fruit cup oil, with pineapple, tangerine, and lemon. The finish brings out some candisugar and yeast that really sweetens the mouth, before a peppery after taste dries out the mouth and lingers in the throat. The alcohol content is 8.2% ABV. I was amazed at the amount of fruit flavor included in this beer without actually having fruit added to it. It was nice and sweet like a fruit cocktail, but definitely dried out in the finish.

Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold Tripel

I brought a bottle of Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold Tripel to a 4th of July cookout to share with friends. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, yeast, and plantains. The taste is sweet and smooth with lots of banana and pepper all on a yeasty base. There is a biscuit flavor with some tangerine and grapefruit citrus accents before a dry and peppery finish hits. Some plantains come out in the after taste. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a great triple with some wonderful citrusy accents not always found in tripels. All in all, another hit for Captain Lawrence.

Allagash Tripel Ale Reserve

Another beer that I was given for providing IT assistance to my friend's parent was the Allagash Tripel Ale Reserve. I have previously had the Tripel, but not the Tripel Reserve. The beer pours a pale yellow color with a lofty foamy white head. The aroma is filled with banana and pepper. The taste follows the aroma and is full of banana and pepper with a nice alcohol bite on the back of the mouth. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought that the Tripel Reserve was delicious and refreshing, and was also a little dry due to the spice.

Allagash Tripel Ale

On my last visit to Brewhouse in Camp Hill, I ordered an Allagash Tripel Ale to enjoy in the sunny warm weather. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly thin white head. The aroma is full of banana and pepper. The taste is sweet and smooth with lots of banana. It finishes with a good pepper hop bite. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. Overall, I thought the Tripel was very smooth and delicious, and really paired well with the warm spring day. The tingly alcohol bite and pepper spice actually went very well with the sunshine.

Red Hook Limited Release Tripel

I picked up a bottle of Red Hook Limited Release Tripel at D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh. The beer is a yellow gold color with a light frothy head. It smells sweet with pepper and cinnamon hints in the background. The taste is very sweet and this beer hits strong with the alcohol punch. It finishes with banana flavors, which smooths out the alcohol impact. The alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. I thought that this was a fantastic tripel and I really enjoyed it. It actually ranks among my favorite tripel beers.