Left Hand St. Vrain Tripel
The usually peaceful St. Vrain River snakes out of the Rocky Mountains, winding mischievously towards our brewery. Named after Ceran St. Vrain, an 1800’s trapper and trader in the valley, St. Vrain is our version of a classic Belgian Tripel. Light in color and lightly hopped using Celeia hops, a touch of malt sweetness contrasts the warm spiciness hidden within. What at first appears benevolent can manifest into a mighty serpent in waiting.
3.4
344 reviews
Longmont, United States
Community reviews
Ginger ale appearance with a diffuse froth cover. Bready aroma with some pepper notes. On the body this one is pleasantly doughy, with muted clove. Belgian yeast character shines through. Slight Dr. Pepper finish.
Some coriander and florals. Not a ton going on here, but nothing wrong really. Golden pour with good head and lacing. Light sweet finish. Can at Rendezvous.
Clear, Golden color .Medium-sized, white head. Malt, fruits and spices in the aroma. Moderately sweet with slight bitterness at the end.
Typical Belgian style beer - the fruit flavors are strong with some spices lurking in the background. Alcohol level seems a little bit too strong. Still not bad.
Gold with a fleeting, foamy head. Candied fruit aroma. Rubbery too though. A bit of anise. Somehow it’s not really coming together although it’s by no means offensive. Taste has a mild, bready sweetness. The yeastiness is evident, as is a light tartness that rounds out the finish. Medium to full bodied—mild carbonation. A light warmth but the alcohol remains well hidden. Overall, kind of disappointing though.
Wonderful tripel tipple, golden-hued and alcohol-imbued, if you don't like it--go get screwed!
Bouteille: Golden, almost clear, but some tiny floaties are visible, small white foamy layer; mild to moderate sweet fruity nose with cellary traces of yeast and an uncertain bitterness underneath; moderate sweet flavour, accompanied both by a little bitterness and a little tartness, more medium than full bodied; slightly lingering sweet-bitter fruity finish. Not bad, but a bit too monotonous...
Leicht alkoholischer Beginn. Trocken, hefig, geringfügig bitter. Spritzig, getreidig, weicher werdend. Zu trockenes Finish, kurzer Nachhall. Wenig helles Malz. 10/9/10/8//8
Bottle. Gold color with a two finger head. Kind of spicy, but rather weak and watery.
(Bottle) Hazy golden colour with frothy, white head. Malty, fruity nose with citrus, tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, white bread, flowers and spices (coriander seeds?). Malty, fruity taste with notes of tropical fruit, mango, pineapple, white bread, soft peachy malt, coriander, honey and a balanced floral bitterness in the finish. Almost full body, with a certain sweetness. Tasty and well made tripel, but on the safe side. Nice one.
From Oct 2006
Poured from 750ml caged and corked bottle(room temp) a cloudy straw gold with a huge head of foam that shrank slowly leaving a solid layer with lots of lacing.
The smell is all yeasty and has strong notes of dark fruit like plum and fig as well as lemony citrus. A nice nose overall.
The taste has that sweet dark fruit and malt up front but the candi sugar mentioned on the label is what I'm noticing the most...that and a side note of banana that works its way in about midway through and adds some good depth. The finish is a nice mix of sweet and sour that leaves me smacking my mouth in an attempt to keep the flavours going. And..as far as the high abv goes, there's certainly a bit of warming but it's not present in the tasting at all. This is a Tripel that I'd buy again without hesitation!
Bottom line: This is a very good effort and worth trying if you see it in a store near you. My hat's off to Left Hand!
Tap. Hazy golden color with white head. Aroma is straw, spicy, dough, phenolic. Taste is very phenolic, dough, peach, estery. High carbonation, silky mouthfeel. Quite a mess.
A bit dirty. Hazy golden, white lace. Apple, mineral yeasty. Foamy light body, minerals, amateur tripple yeach.
ON tap. Pours a hazy golden color with a fair head. Aroma of yeast, banana, citrus and spice. Taste of malt sweetness, bit of yeast, banana and spice. slight bitterness and the finish is quite dry. Medium body, smooth and flavorful with only the slightest hint of alcohol as it warms. Very enjoyable.
Bottle @ home, Cellared for four years. Pours a cloudy yellow liquid with a white head. Nose has yeast, honey, white bread, spices, dusty phenols. Taste is medium dry with malt sweetness. Medium body. Flavors include white bread, honey, malts, alcohol heat, phenols, banana, some stale malts, almonds, earth, and lemon
From the 650 ml. 2017 vintage bottle, which is good until 2020. Hazy pale yellow pour with a quick lasting white fizzy head. Slight haze. The aroma has some banana, some booze, soft white bread, and an herbal quality. Medium or so body. The taste brings out a meaty fruitiness, white bread, and an alcohol burn at the finish. I couldn’t tell whether that bur was more of a bitter bite but it ended sharply.
Bottle. Hazy yellow pour with a medium foamy white head that has good retention. The aroma is strong with Belgian yeasts that have a bready aspect to them. There is also a hint of sweet white fruits (candied peaches and pears) in the aroma. The taste featured sweet apples, pears, a deft touch of coriander and a bit of yeast. The palate is medium and oily with lively carbonation. Flavors drop off in the finish--finishes sweet with rock candy. Overall: Fairly good Tripel, flavors are understated and more on the subtle side. Its good to have a subtle beer every so often.
Bottle. Yellow color. Well carbonated, which this style should be. Some wheat, honey, and it is very sweet. A little fruit and sweet finish some spices. good palate, but given how sweet it is, I am glad I shared the bottle.
Bomber shared by JK, thanks John! Clear golden pour. Bitter wheat corriander aroma. Taste pretty much follows, decent triple.
Bottled. Cloudy golden pour with whiye head. Mostly Clove fruit sugar yeast flavors.
Bomber. Spicy Belgian yeast aroma with notes clove, banana, citrus and a bit of hops. Pours clear pale golden colored with a thin white head that has little retention or lacing. Starts with bright banana and citrus flavors with a bit of clove. Finishes smooth and a bit dry with spicy Belgian yeast flavor with a bit of hops. Pretty nice tripel.
Pours a hazy golden yellow color. Aromas of yeast, some fruit and spice. Taste is yeasty and medicinal, can really taste the alcohol in this one.
Average tripel. Aroma and flavor of sweet malt, honey, Belgian yeast and grain. Somewhat alcoholic. Light palate and smooth.
Bottle shared at the Cotteridge Convention 2015. Pours clear, pale yellow with a creamy white head. Sugary pale bread in the nose, wheat, dough, light yeast expression. Big sweet flavor with more pronounced Belgian yeast now, some alcohol, ripe lemon, banana. Full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Warming and sugary on the finish with notes of alcohol, doughy wheat bread, mild phenols. Pretty OK tripel.
Pours hazy straw into the glass, with an initial fizzy head that diminishes to a tight ring of suds. The nose is of hay, sourdough and light yeasty esters. Melon notes on the tongue are followed by fruity esters, hay, light barnyard grains and finish with pie spices. The mouthfeel is soft and round, medium-bodied with enough carbonation to provide activity on the palate. A very decent Abby Tripel; complex, substantive, and amply provides the necessary complexities for the style. Quite quaffable and yummy. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Appearance: Hazy light golden color with a thin white head that fades quickly.
Aroma: Slight metallic scent, an alcohol aroma, and kind-of a peach aroma.
Taste: There is a faint caramel sweetness that is a bit watered down. There is a light tang and a bit of banana pudding flavor.
Mouthfeel: It has a nice thick coating feeling on the palate. Not quite as dry as I normally get out of a tripel, but nice.
Overall: A decent drink but pulled in too many directions like taffy, and very thin in the flavor department.
Bottle split at the Cotteridge Convention, thanks to Garrold, 24/01/15.
Clear pale golden with a moderately appointed off white head.
Nose is straw, citric rind, spice, grapefruit, light caramel.
Taste comprises yeast esters, bitter orange, farmy, straw.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Ok for style, masks ABV well and more importantly for me doesn’t get overly sweet.
Bottle Share at Cotteridge Convention 24/01/15
Pours a hazy amber with light off white head, Hints of sweet fruit, herbs and malts. Unusual but a bit too sweet for me.
Bottle share at Cotteridge Wines. Pale yellow, green-ish hue, still, small ring of white head. Aroma is fruity with some cucumber. Body is medium, foamy, low-ish carbonation. Taste is sweet, malty, tangy tripel character, touch of yeast, faint spice. Basic tripel.
Bottle at the Cotteridge Convention thanks to Garrold. It pours clear pale gold with a small white head. The nose is sweet, grainy, toasty sugars, straw, grain, stone fruits and mild sweetness. The taste is bitter, grainy, straw, spice, icing sugar, alcohol hit, apple pie, pear and residual sugar with a sweet, warming finish. Medium body and average carbonation. Not as sweet as I had feared. OK.