Lassen Ale Works 'Belgian Style XXX' Tripel Ale. 10% abv. 35 IBU. Copper color with finger of white foamy head that gradually recedes to a sustaining collar and scattered surface. Good retention and lace. Nose of cloves, grapefruit pith, allspice. Aromas of malt and tangelo emerge as the temp rises to room.

Front taste is cloves, citrus rind, juniper, supported by a foundation of amber malt. Aftertaste is evergreen, bright herbal hops, botanical spice, white pepper, fresh ground coriander, with a dry finish. Full body. Mouthfeel is cool-warm, round, carby, clingy on the back end.

This is an outstanding beer, a big, complex tripel made in the style of the ancient Abbey beers. An exemplar of its category, the flavor profile is pure Christmas, a winter warmer that's predominantly bright spice with subtle herbal and citrus notes throughout, all maintained by a balanced malt expression. A well-crafted, bold, old-world-style beer, refreshing in a world of wacky craft beers often too eager to push the envelope. Perfect for this time of year. Sure to keep you warm on a cold night. Grab a bottle or two, if you can find it. Highly recommended.

I had the privilege of meeting Michael Blaschak, Head Brewer of Lassen Ale Works, during a weekend camping retreat. He shared several Lassen bombers with the group, all of which were excellent. He offered to give me a bomber to review later at home. I chose this Belgian-style tripel, so that I might later be able to fully savor such a big, bold brew. Michael's a great guy. I plan on sampling all of his beers at the historic Pioneer Saloon the next time I'm in Northern California. Cheers!


From the brewery:

"Dark straw colored, wonderfully malty, complex, and rich Belgian Tripel. Belgian strong ale yeast contributes subtle notes of clove and citrus. Malt and alcohol sweetness is balanced by subtle hop bitterness and mild spicy noble hop finish."

[source: lassenaleworks.com]

This bottle was filled the day before I received it. Doesn't get much fresher than that.

Me and Michael Blaschak, Head Brewer of Lassen Ale Works in Susanville, CA. We met at a weekend camping retreat. Good guy with great brew!

Rinkuskiai 'Before-After' Triple Bock. 12% abv. Deep copper color. Hazy with sediment. Thin ivory, bubbly head that falls fast to a collar, which soon disappears completely. Low retention and little lacing. Nose of sweet malt, orange peel, treacle, alcohol. Aroma remains tall, but unchanged, as temp rises.

Front taste is sweet bread, amber malt, orange zest, notes of hard fruit candy. Aftertaste is Cointreau cordial, bitter earthy hops, fruit pie, dry finish. Medium body. Mouthfeel is hot, round, slightly sticky, quite astringent all across.

Rinkuskiai has a reputation for offering off-the-wall, high gravity beers - at least in America -  and this beer is certainly no exception. This is a unique beer that is difficult to pinpoint. 

Judging it as a strong bock - double (doppelbock) or triple - it's mostly true to category. It's sweet, malty, and low carb. However, its failing is its strong astringency. What we have is a powerful beer that definitely smells and tastes like it, for better or worse. Judging it otherwise - for example, as a barleywine - it fits well in category and actually has a pleasant taste among its peers. It's malty sweet with mellow citrus tones, from beginning to end, and its strength is never in doubt.

Bottom line as always, would I drink it again? The answer is a resounding yes. In fact, the bottle I'm tasting for this review is my third time enjoying this beer. It certainly helps that the price point is low. This 16.9 oz. bottle cost me $3.99, a price that is strangely often found with quality, old world beers. I would have easily paid double the cost.

If you like sweet, malty beers with a high gravity, stop reading and run and grab a bottle right now. If you like bold, old world European brews, the kind that most American craft breweries are afraid to make, stop reading and run and grab a bottle right now. If you like bitter hoppy beers, or beers with more finesse and nuance, this is not for you. If you are automatically turned off by low-priced beers - like most folks on Beer Advocate or Rate Beer seem to be - this is not for you. Myself, I land in the first category. I like beers that taste malty sweet, almost like young wort, with the high abv as a bonus of sorts. If you're like me, you'll absolutely love it. Well recommended.

From the brewery:

"Brewery Rinkuskiai was established in the year 1991 in Birzai region known as Beer Country in Lithuania. Rinkuskiai beer quality is the result of old traditions of Beer Country, experience of the past generations, and innovations of the modern days. That makes Rinkuskiai beer one of the most exclusive in Lithuania. This beer is naturally fermented."
[source: bottle]

Eel River Brewing 'Twenty' 20th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Triple Exultation Old Ale. Vintage 2015. 11% abv. 80 IBU. Dark ruby color. Hazy. Fine sediment. Finger of foamy beige head that falls fast to a sustaining collar. Fair retention, excellent lacing. 

Nose of molasses, bourbon, vanilla, sweet bread. Front taste is molasses, bourbon, roasted oak, pungent plum. Aftertaste is bourbon, raisin, plum, black coffee, pecans. Dry finish. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, boozy, astringent, thick, syrupy, sticky, clingy.

This is an extraordinary BBA brew, a decadent offering that demands moderate enjoyment. You don't chug this one. Rich, thick, tall, strong. Starts sweet, ends dry. Plenty of bourbon and oak as promised, bound by dark malty and fruity depths. Wonderful. This is what a BBA should be. Strongly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Our Triple Exultation Old Ale aged 6 months in single pass, white oak bourbon barrels. Rich notes of bourbon, toffee, toasted malt and ripe fruit balanced by an aroma reminiscent of vanilla, oak, molasses, and caramel."

[source: bottle]

Duvel 'Tripel Hop' Special Edition Belgian Golden Ale 2014. 9.5% abv. Pale lemon color. Hazy. Two fingers of bubbly head. Good retention, fair lace. Nose of bright tropical, pineapple, grapefruit, floral spice notes. Front taste of pine, abundant floral hops, bitter citrus rind. Aftertaste is tall bitter floral hops, grapefruit, white bread, white wine, dry finish. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, juicy, resiny, tangy, hop sting on the back of the tongue.

This is a wonderful little big beer, a golden ale with a bushel of floral citrus hops in every sip. The aroma is an overflowing garden of flowers, tropical fruits, and fresh hops. The taste is juicy and bittersweet throughout, with the hop bill leading you every moment.

I had the 2014 special edition, a full two years from its bottling. Hoppy brews are normally not meant to be aged, and so I'm curious how this would taste closer to birth. Nevertheless, it was an excellent beer all around, one that makes me want to try the younger years. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"For this 2014 edition, our brewers have selected Mosaic. This new U.S. hop variety enhances the beer with a tangerine sweetness, hints of tropical fruit, and an interesting blueberry flavor."

[source: bottle]

"Duvel is traditionally brewed with two hop varieties. Duvel Tripel Hop is brewed with three hop varieties and each year the third hop is changed to provide its own unique taste and aroma. This keeps the final flavor profile surprisingly exciting for any true beer lover. For 2016 our brewers selected HBC 291 from the Yakima Valley in the USA. By using three instead of two hop varieties to brew, we obtain additional hop aromas and an increased bitterness. The typical Duvel palate is enriched with HBC 291 hops providing fresh notes of citrus, black pepper, lavender and roses. HBC 291 hops are added again during ‘dry-hopping’, extracting additional hop aromas into the beer. The higher aromatic intensity rounds out the beer, backing the final alcohol content of 9.5%."

[source: duvel.com]

Clown Shoes Beer 'Muffin Top' Belgian Tripel IPA. 10.5% abv. Hazy honey color. Thin white head that falls to a collar. Moderate retention and lacing. Nose of light malt and bitter hops. Front taste of light fruit, citrus peel, herbal hops. Aftertaste is an immediate hop bite, grapefruit, herbal bitter. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, stingy from the hops, effervescent.

This is an excellent IPA that goes big with the bitter hop flavor, stopping inches from going over the cliff. The light fruit-candy taste goes well with the bold flavor profile. It's not as complex as I'd like from such a big beer, but it is well crafted and worthy of your time. Recommended.

From the brewery:

"Hoppy Belgian-Style Tripel – ABV 10% Muffin Top combines the attributes of a Belgian Tripel with a huge burst of American hops. Intense flavors from the Belgian yeast, reminiscent of candied fruits, mix with the hop bitterness and sweet orange peel to create a unique take on a Belgian-Style ale."

[source: clownshoesbeer.com]

Rockmill Brewery Bourbon Cask Aged Tripel. 10.5% abv. Hazy honey color. Sliver of head falls away quickly. No retention or lacing. Nose of sweet fruity malt, oak, bourbon, vanilla. Front taste of mild grain, bourbon, light fruit, apricot notes, floral hops, bread notes. Aftertaste is where the bourbon whiskey shines, leaving no question that bourbon is definitely involved, and a lot of it. Astringent. Alcohol is a big part of the aftertaste sustain. Medium-big body. Mouthfeel is hot, thick, slightly sticky.

This is an nice example of its category, and holds well next to the many other 'bourbon barrel' beers out there. Rockmill chose to go big with the bourbon whiskey, which may or may not suit you. I would have liked more balance, wishing this had more malty taste and head retention. Still, this was a very enjoyable brew. Recommended if you like bourbon, because drinking this beer is akin to drinking a full glass of whiskey with a shot of beer tossed in.

From the brewery:

“Golden ale aged in oak whiskey barrels. Tripel aged in whiskey barrels from local micro-distillary Middle West Spirits. Rich vanillins intermingle with the delicate notes of the Ohio Winter Wheat Whiskey."

This beer had absolutely no retention or lace. There was a very thin collar of head off the tap, but that was gone in less than a minute. The beer looked, smelled, and nearly tasted like a tall glass of bourbon, which is good news for some bourbon beer lovers.