Ding Points: 68.50

Pour: 70.00, Nose: 60.00, Palate: 70.00, Mouth: 70.00, Global: 70.00

Tasting Notes:

OK, an American brewed, Belgian Tripel, from a brewery with Scottish connections? We’ll see!

Nice golden hue with some decent carbonation. Small head, fades quickly to give very little lace. Head retention is not great, and the thin film is not impressive. Color is good but I’d like a little more presence in the glass.

Mactarnahan's Brewing Co., Spine Tingler

Nose is surprisingly weak. Not especially strong in any department considering the aromatics of the style, and it seems a touch vegetal to me.

Tastes more in line with the style. Some ripe, pear-like esters upfront, a little banana, some alcohol and a short, sharp clean finish. Tastes significantly better than the nose would initially suggest. There’s a lot of hard candy notes in this which is of course a function of the ester elements. Phenol seems low to me and sweetness balances quite nicely with a light, drying alcohol in the finish. Some bubblegum notes cut in during the aftertaste, again appropriate considering the style.

Mouthfeel seems about right, on the light side but with a hint of viscosity that is appropriate for a Tripel.

Mactarnahan's Brewing Co., Spine Tingler

Alcohol fairly well hidden for me. Tasty, simple and delivers quite well in terms of style elements even if the nose is somewhat disappointing.

Overall not bad, stylistically sound if not stunning, so I feel it works. I’d like to try more from the brewery to see if they go up or down in my estimation from this opening effort.

Other: 8.5% ABV, Tripel