Central City Brewers + Distillers The Hobbit: Bolg Belgian Style Tripel Tripel at 9.5% ABV ($10.99 at Liquor Depot McKenzie Town, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)
Pours slightly hazy straw with two fingers of rocky white head with excellent retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is pale malt, bananas, spicy cloves, hint of citrus, doughy yeast. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderately strong bitter, mild spice. (8/10) Light body, prickly to moderate carbonation, off-dry and mildly spicy finish. (4/5)
A bit on the sweet side for a Belgian tripel, but the spicy cloves make up for it. I actually like this – other than the slightly sweet flavour, a lot of similarities to genuine Belgians like Chimay, Duvel, or La Chouffe. I think this one is being ranked too low on the usual suspects, or perhaps I just hit a sweet spot with this bottle, but this is actually pretty good. Not perfect, perhaps, but all things considered I’d call it pretty decent. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
