Tampa Bay Belgian Tripel IPA

Brewed by Tampa Bay Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Tampa, Florida USA

On tap at the brewery, March 2008: Pours a transparent copper amber with a lightly-lacing wispy white head. Aroma of sweet toasty caramel malt and some mild earthy hops. Body starts fairly full and caramely sweet with a good earthy bittering hop balance before a semi-sweet finish along with some light fruity esters. A pretty enjoyable hoppy Belgian strong.

Chalice pour kind of gold and orange in the center with a meek off white head. Mild aroma of sweet Belgian candi sugar sweetness and faint dark fruity esters. I can’t really smell any hops. The taste is thick Belgian caramelized candi sugar along with sweet cherries and dates. The hops are very mild and just noticeable. This Belgian beer is more Belgian than several Belgian beers I’ve had. Very Belgian in fact. The mild vague hoppiness builds up toward midway and yet dies out toward the finish leaving Belgian candi sweetness and hints of Belgian yeasty spiciness.

Taper à la brasserie : La teinte dorée profonde avec une apparence huileuse et une tête minimale. L’arôme a des notes de ferment et le sucre belge, esters d’abricot et poire, l’herbier, le clou de girofle, le poivre, et tout à fait phenolic. Le goût est fruité et légèrement épicé, Pas tout qu’amer mais est perceptible un peu plus tard. Yeasty et biscuity partout. La bouche sent s’est collant et la morsure, obtenu pour être un morceau finissant par lasser un peu plus tard. Je souhaite qu’il a eu le caractère de plus d’IPA mais était potable. Oui c’est un Belge a conçu le brassage.

Tap at brewery: Deep golden hue with an oily appearance and minimal head. The aroma has notes of Belgian yeast and sugar, apricot and pear esters, herbal, clove, pepper, and quite phenolic. The taste is fruity and slightly spicy, Not all that bitter but is noticeable after a while. Yeasty and biscuity throughout. The mouth feel is sticky and biting, got to be a bit cloying after a while. I wish it had more IPA character but was drinkable. Yes it is a Belgian styled brew.

From the tap, it’s a pale straw gold with little head save for a small white ring around the surface. Aroma is extremely sugary with a significant alcohol presence. The flavor is very sweet and alcoholic, with the typical tripel characteristics of banana, clove and coriander. This is augmented by some hoppiness, but the hop details are obscured by the massive sweetness and not nearly strong enough to earn the IPA moniker. Overall pretty good, but too unbalanced towards the sweet end of the spectrum.

Draft. Rich caramel colored beer with a low off-white head. Caramel, banana, citrus aroma with some bubblegum. Banana, yeast, summer fruit esters with some citrus. Medium-plus bodied. Banana, light spice, citrus, and caramel. Most of the citrus was in the background and I would have liked to see more hops if they throw IPA in the name.

Ontwerp bij brewpub. Dit bier was zo Belgisch ik moest de classificatie in de moedertaal van over de Nederlandse helft van het land posten. De gouden sinaasappel giet met een donkerder midden, zeer licht hoofd dat weg bijna onmiddellijk sterft. De neus is unbelievably Belgisch: geglaceerde suikers, funky gist, bubblegum, citrusvruchtensuikergoed, kruidnagel en banaan. De naherfst van het aroma brengt een weinig hop aan de voorzijde, maar niets die iets anders compenseert. Het aroma is elk van bovengenoemd, met sommige parfumtype hop, maar meestal veel Belgische invloeden met bubblegum, gist, citrusvruchtensuikergoed, kruidnagel die binnen wordt gemengd enz. zo. Middelgrote gebouwd, lichtjes kleverig en glad op het gehemelte. Eindigt met een zoete suikergoednota, dan halverwege voort door het kruid verbetert en bestaat. Heerlijk.

Tap. Pours a clear deep golden with a very small white head that leaves minimal lacing. Heavy aroma of sweet bubblegum, citrus, yeast, banana, and a hint of caramel. Taste is bubblegum, sweet malt, yeast, citrus, and a hint of caramel. Medium mouthfeel with a moderatre to strong amount of bitterness, well hidden alcohol, and a slightly tart finish. Very good.

On tap at TBBC. Foggy light caramel colored, with very little head. Not a lot of lacing on the glass. Aroma of muted clove and floral hops. Sweet, rich flavors power this one. Hoppy, clove, some banana, caramel...grapefruit, too. Medium-bodied, bitter finish. Not that bad, just doesn’t feel like what I think they were aiming for.