Boulevard Smokestack Series: Long Strange Tripel
Lately it occurs to us that if, back in 1989, you planned on starting a brewery in the back of your carpentry shop, you’d have been wise to seek out someone like Harold "Trip" Hogue. A collector of ancient Volvos, Trip was well-qualified for the make-do engineering required to coax recalcitrant equipment out of retirement and onto making the first Boulevard beers.
The Tripel style originated in the Trappist brewery of Westmalle Abbey in pre-war Antwerp province. Its numeric moniker results from the old Belgian practice of naming beers based on the amount of malt used in the brew. A "Simple" was the lightest-bodied brew. Doubling the malt bill resulted in a "Dubbel", while a "Tripel" contained three times the amount of malt (and, as a result, three times the amount of alcohol.) True to style, our Long Strange Tripel is a golden ale with estery aromas, a dense, creamy head and a sweet finish.
The Tripel style originated in the Trappist brewery of Westmalle Abbey in pre-war Antwerp province. Its numeric moniker results from the old Belgian practice of naming beers based on the amount of malt used in the brew. A "Simple" was the lightest-bodied brew. Doubling the malt bill resulted in a "Dubbel", while a "Tripel" contained three times the amount of malt (and, as a result, three times the amount of alcohol.) True to style, our Long Strange Tripel is a golden ale with estery aromas, a dense, creamy head and a sweet finish.
3.7
663 reviews
Kansas City, United States
Community reviews
Poured from bottle into tulip. Pours a rich goal with fluffy 4 finger head that dissipates some, but leaves a ton of lacing. Aroma is full of banana, esters, clove, caramel. Taste follows with spiciness mid-taste taking the forefront. Nice citrus notes on aroma as well.
Quite interesting but distrubing with the label. Sweet but strong and creamy in all features. Good one this.
Bottle, shared with Dave. Not my favourite style, but this one appealed to me: citrus and ripe stonefruit, moderate yeast character, not cloyingly sweet.
750 ml bottle pours hazy golden with a white head. Aroma of banana, bread, spice and citrus. Taste is spices, malts and some lemon.
Pouring out a beautiful colour of bright honeyed orange with a steady carbonation stream and a thick off white head. The head isn’t exactly sticky but certainly persists. The aroma is boisterous and overly estery with tons of citrus and spice notes filling the profile. A big coriander and lemon zest note with mild toasted malts, a bit of caramel and honey sweetness to offput the spice. Overall the aroma is that of a tripel, yeast heavy with tons of ester and malt notes. Rich and full bodied on the taste with a bit of lemon pledge and orange rind making appearances before the mild coriander spice. Floral and almost perfume notes appear as the glass warms towards room temperature. The sweetness is there but isn’t cloying and is actually in good proportion. The finish is warm and the 9.2% ABV is certainly noticable but falls hand in hand with mild bitterness and lingering ester notes.
Bottle. moderate to heavy grain and roasted for the malt, moderate lemon and perfume for the hops, light dough for the yeast, with white wine and honey. Head is average sized, fizzy/frothy, white with fair lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is slightly hazy light to medium amber. Flavor starts lightly sweet and lightly to moderately acidic, then finishes lightly sweet and bitter. Palate is on the fuller side of medium, oily with a lively carbonation. Nothing particularly outstanding but everything in this beer say Abbey Tripel, and it’s perfectly balanced.
12oz bottle. Appearance: Golden with a slight haze. White head dissipated quickly.
Aroma: Strong Belgian yeast esters/phenols, with banana most prominent. Clove and pear aromas also strong.
Taste: Rich sweet maltiness with strong fruity flavors of pear, apple, and banana. Clove spice kicks in late.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with high carbonation and some alcohol warmth on the swallow.
Finish: Slight lingering bitterness and pear. Fairly dry.
Overall: Great tripel. Wonderful fruity yeast aroma and flavor
750 ml bottle into chalice; bottled on 10/29/2014. Pours fairly crystal clear golden yellow color with a 1 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big lemon, pear, apple, apricot, banana, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, bread, candi sugar, herbal, grass, light bubblegum, and herbal/yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, pear, apple, apricot, banana, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, bread, candi sugar, herbal, grass, light buttlegum, and herbal/yeast earthiness. Good amount of herbal/yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, pear, apple, apricot, banana, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, bread, candi sugar, light bubblegum, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity and balance of bright fruity/spicy yeast and moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/yeast balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, crisp, and slightly creamy/bready mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is an incredible tripel style. All around awesome complexity and balance of bright fruity/spicy yeast and moderate pale malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to sip on for the big ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
Bottle (12 oz).
Appearance: Clear bright golden with a small to medium white head and some lacing.
Aroma: Banana, Belgian yeast, lemon zest, peppery notes and bread.
Taste: Yeasty and peppery with moderate fruitiness, bananas, lemon zest and bready malts. Nothing is overpowering.
Palate: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Peppery and zesty finish. Just a tiny bit of warming alcohol.
Overall: Tasty and well balanced Tripel. Easy drinking for the style and abv, Not too spicy. Interesting.
Bottle from cwsample. Yellow gold pour with a big, white head. Aroma is booze, caramel, wheat, and some dark fruit. Taste is similar. Lots of booze and dark fruit in the finish.
Bottle: I normally steer away from Belgians, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The lemony citrus notes in aroma and flavor seemed to mellow this one out. Extremely smooth and tasty. And better yet, I got it on a clearance price of $7!
Bottle at hotel room tasting. Nice rich pale gold pour with lightly lacy white head. Aroma is peppery, lots of pepper, lemon zest, grain, light banana. Taste is grainy, light fruity flavor, dry, not too sweet,light grassiness. Palate is med bodied, good carbonation. Nice.
Pours a nice vibrant golden color with a frothy white head. Aromas of peaches, pears, wheat, cereal and a tinge of alcohol. Flavors upfront consist of dried/candied fruit and bubblegum and finishes dry, crisp and with a hint of alcohol again. Not the best Tripel I’ve had but certainly nothing wrong with it.
A nice cloudy orange color with a white head. A pleasant fruity-yeasty aroma. A good triple taste with a pleasant aftertaste.
Bottle from Whole Foods Market Fair Lakes
Aroma: bubblegum, floral,
Appearance: golden, clear, huge head,
Taste: medium sweetness, lightly bitter,
Palate: full body, creamy, lively, long finish,
Overall: great beer, would recommend
From a 12 oz bottle got in a trade. Pours a hazy, murky straw color. Not great looking. Lots of thick white head which stuck around a long time. Decent Belgian yeast aroma but nothing special. Mouthfeel is actually kinda light for this abv beer. Taste is dry, Belgian yeast, pear and funk. Meh, not special. Tank 7 is similar but somehow waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better. Not going to get this one again.
Poured at home in a large snifter. Golden orange with a serious thick and lasting head. Aroma is sweet candy, slight bubblegum, cereal, biscuit, and light floral notes. Taste is at first some sweet candies and flowers, then transitions into more dry bitterness and cereal. Solid carb, well balanced, big flavors.
Bread, yeast aroma from a yellow golden pour. Lacy white head. Peppery hit up front followed by mellowing hop bitterness morphing into a sweet finish. Pretty complex brew, I’d say!
Clear gold, billowing head.
Pronounced nose, yeasty.
Light body, moderate but pretty flavor, wonderfully balanced, refreshing but also rich mouthfeel, avg length, pleasant finish.
Surprizingly sweet and sour, little bitterness.
Malty, fruity.
Easy drinking, very enjoyable,
Nice head with satisfying retention. Malt, wheat, caramel, spice, and alcohol aroma. Full bodied and creamy. Potent combination of flavours consisting of caramel, citrus, malt, wheat and spice with a mildly hoppy and spicy finish. Absolutely delectable.
Cloudy gold pour, 2 finger fluffy white head. Nose is melon and Yeast. Bittersweet. Middle is creamy malt and spice. Finish is dry and noticeably hoppy with a hint of alcohol,
750ml bottle, from Dutch’s.. Shared with friends. Best by 07-2015. Kind of hazy golden orange color. Pours with an aggressive bigger head. Caramel, mild spiciness, some citrus, fermenty fruit. Big caramel malt. Moderate to bigger sweet taste, light to moderate bitter, some spiciness, touch of alcohol warmth. Bigger body. Sort of smooth, kind of soft light to moderate carbonation. Kind of slick texture. An alright, pretty malty tripel.. Pleasant fruity character to the finish. Appreciate it more as I go.
Best by date of 08.09.13.
Poured from a 12 oz into a tumbler on 12.24.13.
A: Orange with a quickly receding head.
S: Orange, citrus. Very sweet and strong smelling.
T: Alcohol, orange, spicy.
M: Crisp.
O: It does create quite a bit of alcohol burn in the nose and throat. It doesn’t seem very well balanced. It is a slightly old bottle though, but it should have held up at 9.2% ABV. This was a drain pour.
Bottle. Pours golden, with a big creamy head. Aroma is nice fruity Belgian yeast, with oak, kandi and brown sugar. creamy body, with soft to medium carbonation. Flavour is Belgian yeast and kandi, as well as oak and some smoky notes. Sweet, fruity wood in the finish.
Pours a golden body with a medium head. Nice aroma with sweet yeasty tones. Nice and well balanced taste with malty and yeasty tones.
From notes. Tasted some time near the fall of 2012 from a corked and caged 750mL bottle. Pours hazy light orange with an average white head that leaves a thin collar of lace. The nose is candi sugar, spicy yeast, vanilla, and touches of pineapple and coconut. The flavor is sweet candi sugar, coconut, and pineapple up front, moving to the spicy yeast with just a light touch of some toasted bitterness. The body is medium with lively carbonation and a long, spicy, tropical fruit finish.
Pours a nice golden-honey into the glass with a light ring head that leaves light lacing. The nose is of orange and fruity esters. Flavors are of spicy esters with lots of citrus zest and peel notes. There is a hint of ABV in the warming finish, alongside more zest and peel notes. A lingering sweet-n-sour effervescence makes for a complex, medium-bodied offering with an active, yet oily palate. Very nice Tripel indeed!
Brilliant yellow coloring with frothy, almost creamy head and lacing. Damn good looking beer. Belgian yeast, clove, esters, some banana, wheat, hay, and some Belgian sugar. As far as tripels go, this is right on.
12 oz bottle pours gold with a fine-bubbled white head into my Malheur goblet. Quite a lot going on in the aroma: the usual honey and orange aromas from a tripel, banana esters and light spices, fairly prominent yeasts that, at least with foreknowledge, seem reflect an American character, even a Boulevard character. The flavor is relatively sweet, white grape juice bringing honey and spice with plenty of citrus and citrus rind. Very late the yeast character confers a spiced bitterness that is not entirely pleasant. Smooth and a bit oily on the tongue, not too much heat. This beer is alright, but after half a bottle I’m pretty much sated and don’t really need to return to the second half. I don’t recall feeling that way with the better Trappist examples of the style.
Bottle into Trappist glass, cloudy ambery-golden color with fluffy cream-colored head. Aroma of peppery Belgian yeast, honey, banana, toast and faint herbal note. Taste adds bubblegum, fruit (pears, apples, berries), grain, white sugar, slight white wine, faint spices and grassy hop bitterness. Medium body, moderate-low carbonation, creamy with yeasty grassy finish. Solid Tripel.