On tap at the brewery. Cloudy pale gold with a receding tan head. Perfect aroma: dried banana chips, vanilla, cloves and seductive pepper. Damn, this brewery is fantastic! Creamy banana flavor with a quick pinch of lemon juice. Smooth vanilla stretches the well-executed palate experience. Has all the essential tripel characteristics with a masked ABV content and a perfect candi sugar sweetness.

Pours a hazy straw golden amber, topped by a good inch of soft white foam. Very good head retention, lacing is no big deal. A little sweet bread dough in the aroma. Very sweet beer up front with lots of caramel and honey. It also has some sweet breadiness, vanilla, cork, and a fruity spiced-apple character to it. Medium full body, gentle carbonation. A bit of a warming alcohol kicker in the finish, and a bit more in the aftertaste.

Man, I thought this beer was much better than the ratings suggest. Dont know what went wrong for others or right for me. Hazy sunflower color with copious white frothy head. Oh so good looking. Aroma is abundant yeast notes with an ever present fruity character that tickles the nose. Cant wait to sip this beer. Taste is very complex and balanced. Fruity sweetness to start, which is rounded out by spicy yeast, clove, and vanilla. A bit of mellow malt pokes through, and finishes with a nice lemon tartness. I love this beer. My tastebuds were numbed for a few hours.

So I’m sittng in my yard while frankenkitty is sleeping. I’m reading and smoking and drinking. When I find myself ignoring the book to sniff the beer (and those of you that know me know that nothing distracts me from my book) I know this is something special. This is a gorgeous dark golden colored brew with an aroma of caramel, brandy, and something yummy I can’t quite name. It has a smooth palate with a thicker mouthfeel and a nice lingering after taste. I begin to see why it distracted me from the book. All in all, can’t wait till it’s available in Illinois.

12OZ bottle. Pours clear, deep golden color. Aroma of bread and sweet malt. A nice Abbey Tripel. Flavor is very sweet. Dry finish. Big alcohol burn. A very nice tripel.