Our Summer seasonal, Trade Winds Tripel is a Belgian-style Golden Ale with a Southeast Asian twist. Instead of using candi sugar (typical for such a beer), we use rice in the mash to lighten the body and increase the gravity, and spice with Thai Basil. The result is an aromatic, digestible and complex beer made for a lazy summer evening. (ABV: 8%, IBU: 25, SRM: 5, Release: Summer, Format: 750 mL bottles)
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (9/6/2008 11:46:00 AM)
"This is very well carbonated, in the time I popped the cap, put in a rubber stopper and sat down at my computer a bunch of yeast was circulated within the bottle such that my first pour into my 25cl tulip glass is quite hazy. The head is quite voluminous and rises a full two-fingers in height above the rim of my glass, not too mention that the head in the glass is a four-fingers in height. The head is a pale cream, off-white color, while the beer is a deeply hazy, orange tinged, light amber hue that only gets lighter when held up to the light. The aroma is quite interesting, it definitely has a lemon-like aroma to it as well as a piquant spiciness to it that is a combination of savory, slightly earthy and significantly herbal notes that I can only assume is contributed by the Thai Basil as it is quite unique. Hints of ginger, a solid woody pepper note, lots of earthy / musky yeast character, including a yeast dough note. This is a very aromatic brew, quite complex and I like that the Thai basil is but one component; actually if not told about it I could easily be convinced that this was not spice at all.
Soft and creamy for a split second before the carbonation kicks in and creates quite a bit of froth. This has a nice, sort of astringent, bitterness to it that doesn't quite seem all contributed by hops. This has quite a complex flavor to it, though there is perhaps an overarching herbal note that seems to tie everything together. Sweet, almost honey-like malt flavors don't intrude on the fact that this is a light quaffable brew for a beer of this strength; some of the sweetness seems contributed by ester-driven, higher alcohol notes as well as a soft, lemon-like citrus component. Flavors of clove are significantly noticeable, but only after I start to contemplate the lingering note in the finish. This has a yeasty bite to it near the finish. There is a soft fruitiness here that seems quite a bit hidden by some of the herbaceous notes, but still provides hints of aromatic apples and a touch of tart plum.
A tasty Tripel, perhaps a touch hot at times, but I definitely like the mix of flavors that are found here. I am curious how this would taste if the powdery, fluffy yeast had not been stirred up into the beer from the ample carbonation (I like the carbonation though).
Purchased: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach CA"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.9)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
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(3.9)
