Marin Tripel Dipsea Belgian Style Ale

Brewed by Marin Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Larkspur, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

What? The description says this is supposed to imitate a Trappist-brewed Tripel. If those Trappists were on crack and came into a train car full of malt liquor then maybe. This Dipsea Tripel compares only slightly favorably to St. Ides High Gravity. The St. Ide’s aroma is actually much better but Dipsea avoids the hard metallic ride of the Ides. Both are a sick, dim yellow with a chump’s head. Both are thin, heavily peppery and alcoholic. A real tripel should be near dry but not bone dry. Dipsea is bone dry. A real tripel should have light neroli and clove notes and/or deep citric flavors. Dipsea tastes like it was burned down to a thin frying pan carmel and then deglazed with Listerine. I hope Brendan Moylan, a real master, recalls this tremendous mistake soon. You can’t serve this at the pub and get away with it, that’s for damn sure. But really, rather than get my $3.95 back, I’d rather see a quality Belgian from a quality California brewer.

UPDATED: DEC 26, 2011 A - pours red amber, low creamy head lacing. S - oats grains Belgian yeast alcohol. M - low carb watery and syrupy body like a soda. T- sweet syrupy malts floral notes subtle belgian teasts grassy light pepper burn at end. O - Overly sweet syrupy throughout not complex. Eh. 3

Bomber pours hazy copper with gold hues and off white head. The aroma is spicy with Belgian yeast and it also has light notes of sugary sweet malts, pears, peach and apples. The taste has a bold punch of yeasty Belgian spices along with pears apples and peach skins. Midway and into the finish it picks up a sort of sweet tangerine citrus note to go along with everything else. It is bold in the right places and doesn’t seem to expose its ABV. Nice brew.

Bottle pours gold with a white head. Aroma is grainy and sweet with notes of caramel, honey covered oranges, and a touch of rubber. Flavor is doughy and yeasty with notes of banana, wheat, and some grassy hops.

on tap-pours an off white head and gold color. Aroma is sweet light/medium malt, spice. Taste is sweet light/medium malt, spice hops. Balanced, crisp.

Clear gold pour, very small head. Aroma is sweet caramel, mandarin oranges, honey, yeast, and some honey wheat bread. Sweet flavor with some mandarin orange, wheat thins, honey and yeast.

Pours a hazy golden with a sticky white head. Aroma is spices, yeasts, bananas, sugars. Flavor is spices, grassy hops, yeasts, esthers, a bit of sweetness. Not a bad tripel.

Fruity, sweet, candy-like citrus with some underlying spicy notes in the nose. Hazy deep golden body is topped by a decent off white head that lasts well and leaves some lacing. Flavour is as the aroma suggests but a strong and pleasant bitterness keeps the sweetness in check. Alcohol is apparent especially in the aftertaste along with a lingering herbal/spicy character. Medium body with moderate carbonation and gentle alcohol warming. Snifter. Cellar temperature. Bottle received as a gift. Thanks, Kelly!

22 oz. bottle, pours somewhat hazy golden orange with a small white head. Aroma of yeast, sweet green apples and some slight spices. Flavour reveals much more of this spiciness, with yeast and apples being the secondary flavours. The spiciness lingers as well as some alcohol. Quite good.