Name: Trippel

Brewer: Green Flash

Style: Tripel

Vintage: 2008

Cellared On: April 9th, 2008

Original Tasting: April 20th, 2008

Brews from Green Flash Brewing in San Diego are a brand new addition to the beer scene here in Upstate NY this spring. The guys over at Oliver’s Beverage tell me they’re all selling like crazy, and I can believe it. I’ve had several of the Imperial IPA’s (Incredible citrusy and floral hop flavor) and I’ll posting my tasting notes on their Barleywine in a couple of weeks or so.

Today however, I’m concentrating on their award-winning Belgian-Styled Trippel. I actually mentioned this brew months back after it won an award at the Great American Beer Festival.

This beer looks sure looked like a prototypical tripel. It was a cloudy dark orange topped with a bright white head. This a very heady beer - a virtual plethora of different aromas were in the air. There were an abundance of your typical spicy Belgian yeast smells combined with just a touch of a banana-like phenol presence. I was also getting some faint whiffs of silky vanilla. A bubbly evanescent head simmered up as I poured, but disappeared pretty quick.

Taking a taste, you quickly realize there’s no lack of flavor in this brew either. Fruity esters (cherry and peach) dominate the flavor profile of this beer, and linger all the way through the finish. They’re paired against an understated cookie-like malt presence that has a bit of a candy sugar touch to it. Somewhat surprisingly, some hoppy bitterness pops up at the end, giving this brew a more of an aggressive feel to it then your average tripel.

It’s pretty easy to see why this one wins awards. It’s a tripel with a bit of edge, and it’s a real trip to drink.

Cellar Outlook: I’m a bit worried about how the esters are going to hold up, but this brew has a chance. It’s bottled-conditioned and high in alcohol, so it just may have the legs to do it.

Next Tasting: October 2008

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com