Way, way darker than one might expect for a Tripel. the beer pours a curious honey brown. Got to admit, I don’t much care for the color in the context of the style. Head is good, with some very nice lace. Decent film on the surface.

This beer is odd to me. It has some Tripel attributes – decent viscous alcohol and a large enough presence – but it’s never sweet enough and it lacks those well-defined edges of a white pepper based Tripel. There are some dry solvent notes but also some sweet honey based elements which make it too bloated for me. It’s too malty for the style. Maybe some orange, maybe some yeast, but it all feels a bit flabby, a little poorly defined, and very atypical for a Tripel.

I didn’t dislike this, but I would never characterize this as a quintessential Tripel. In the end that rubs me the wrong way a little, and I walk away a bit confused, a touch disappointed, and craving a Westmalle. That’s the best I can say.