Upland Infinite Wisdom Tripel

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Bloomington, Indiana USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Pours light golden with a thin mostly receding white head. Notes of sweet esters, pineapple, bubble gum, higher alcohols, fruit loops, a bit hot, peppery, champagne. Full bodied, alcoholic and lightly sweet with lively carbonation.

22 ounce bottle into chalice, notched bottle date of Feb 2010(almost 2 years old). Pours very hazy golden straw color with a fairly dense 1 finger white head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts. Slight bits of lacing cling to the glass. Good amount of carbonation streaming up from the bottom. Aromas of big bread, lemon zest, pepper, banana, apple, light caramel, orange, spicy yeast and a bit of alcohol. Nice and balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of big lemon, banana, clove, pepper, bread, apple, grape, tart graininess, candi sugar, and spicy yeast. No bitterness; with lingering notes of pepper, bread, citrus, banana, and spicy yeast on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel that drinks quite easily but is still a sipper at 9%. No alcohol other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is a surprisingly very nice and enjoyable Tripel. Good balance of flavors with smooth drinkability for the level of alcohol.

Sampled at an ESBLS tasting. This beer is clear golden and slightly hazy. Alcohol is obvious. Sugar flavor with yeast. A little of this would go a long way. Definitely not my style. My loss.

Had this at the tasting room back in May but wasn’t positive on the name. I had "Triple Strong Belgian Pale" written and looking at the dates of the other rates this seems to be the beer. A strong aroma of malts and alcohol. A fruityness to the flavor, pretty sweet. The alcohol is fairly dominant throughout. One of the best beers I’ve had from Upland thus far.

22 OZ bottle. Very complex Tripel that would make many a monk green with envy. Seven deadly sins anyone? Get this one if you are able.

On tap at the brewpub. Handsome snifter pour, a hazy, thick orange with a nice fat silky head on top. Looks potent and elegant. Turns out to be more of the former than the latter but I still found it far better than some raters have. Nose was sharply yeasty, with a bit of booze, some bright fruit and dry hops to balance. Lovely mouthfeel, delicious sipper. Flavors had some pronounced pear and banana notes to me, along with prominent sugars and tons of breadiness. Finish was pleasantly dry, making for a bit of needed balance. Pretty good overall.

UPDATED: NOV 30, 2011 Sampled at DLD back in April. Very dregs of the bottle pours a cloudy yellow. Sweet smell of Belgian malt and hops. Kind of sugary. Way overstepping my carb allotment for the day, but this just feel so good doing it. That’s about all I can say about this after 30 samples.

22 ounce bottle, bottled in April 2011. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a hazy gold color with about a half inch white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent. Aroma is sweet and fruity, it smells like candi sugar, pears, citrus, peppery spice, cloves and bananas. The brew tastes like citrus (oranges, lemon peel), bready malt, cloves, pears, and peppery spice. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it’s a little bit slick and dry with good carbonation. I think it’s a nice, enjoyable overall brew. Definitely worth a try.