Tripel - Redhook Ale Brewery, Portsmouth

What do you mean Redhook isn't a Colorado craft brewery? Oh, after staring real close at there logo I see those are Pine trees, not Rocky Mountains.... honest mistake. I've seen plenty of Redhook beers floating around but this is the first bottle I've decided to pick up and take home. Tripels are one of my favorite styles of beer so this probably wasn't the best beer to start with since my expectations were pretty high. I'd heard good things about this beer and figured it would hold up well under scrutiny, so here we are...

The packaging of Redhook's Tripel is pretty impressive... It really says nothing about the beer, other than this is a limited release, but it sure is cool. The textured glass feels a little weird on your fingertips but the effect is neat. The bottle has a chilled, almost foggy, look to it. The beer inside the bottle looks even better, if you can believe that. This Tripel pours a wonderful copper color that settles to be mostly clear if a little hazy. There isn't much of a head to this beer, just a thin ring of bubbles around the rim of my snifter.

The aroma coming off this beer is exactly what I was looking for. It smells like candied or dried oranges and apricots with cinnamon and cloves lingering in the back of the glass. The flavor of this beer was also right in like with what I was expecting from a Tripel... In addition to the dried citrus and cinnamon there is a hint of caramel and bread yeast in this beer that really works well together. The most remarkable aspect of this beer is that it's so well balanced. Rather than being overwhelmed by the cinnamon and clove in this beer, all of the flavors blend really well together. A feat that is all the more noteworthy considering this Tripel is over 10% alcohol.

All that being said, this wasn't my favorite Tripel... it's definitely up there but it lacks that extra something special to make it spectacular. Don't get me wrong, this beer is great. It tastes like a Tripel should, is stronger than most Tripels out there and it looks amazing. This is a Tripel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a great example of a fantastic style of beer. If you're looking for a truly astonishing Tripel, I've got a few other beers I'd suggest first...