8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

750 ml bottle into chalice, bottled in 6/2017. Pours slightly hazy deep golden/amber color with a 1 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Moderate peppery yeast spiciness and light herbal/grassy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, cracker, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly crisp balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Minimal warming alcohol for 10%. Overall this is and outstanding Tripel! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Absolutely spot on for the style. Not too sweet/heavy for the ABV. Awesome well rounded yeast complexity and balanced malt flavors; just enough hop character for bitterness balance. A highly enjoyable offering.