Coppertail Brewing Co. Unholy Tripel at 9.5% ABV (US$2.49 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, best before 28-Aug-2017, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 20-May-2017)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a creamy dense cap, moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, coriander, candi sugar, banana, apples and pears, citrus. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sweetish moderately spicy finish. (3/5)
So, I was thinking (yeah, I know, first mistake): pale, clean, dry, highly attenuated… those characteristics definitely aren’t my bag when it comes to IPAs, but they sure as hell are when it comes to Tripels. So, precisely the characteristics that made me so dismissive of their Free Dive and Hyperbolic IPAs, should be exactly in keeping with what I’d like to see here, right? Well… maybe. I mean, there’s some of that. But it leads out with a doughy yeast, and carries through with a little more sweetness than I’d like, and finishes with a spicy coriander that to some extent balances the slightly heavy-handed and slick alcohol, but mostly just overwhelms everything that came before. It’s not bad, y’know?, but I was hoping for more. It’s very possible I haven’t had a better American Tripel, and it’s actually better than some Belgians I’ve had – but I’ve certainly had many better examples of the style, whether Belgian, French, or, yes, Canadian. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
