Game Day Beer Review: Anderson Valley Brother David's Triple Abbey Style Ale

(10.00% ABV) Brother David's poured a cherry reddish brown, with a delicate, fizzy head that dissolved almost instantaneously. Thee beer was poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a chalice at the corporate office during a recent after-hours Friday night boozer.

The beer smelled primarily of yeast and light fruits. Upon tasting, it leads with a banana sweetness that was ultimately followed and smoothed over by a slight maltiness. It's an incredibly smooth offering from one of our favorite -- underrated, as well as understated -- American breweries. A-

Game Day Beer Review: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project Fluffy White Rabbits Tripel Ale

photo by rossjl	via PhotoRee

(8.5% ABV)   An excellent beer from a very talented husband and wife team that are "gypsy brewers" in the Boston area -- meaning they don't own their own brewery, but they aren't contract brewing, either.  Instead, the Pretty Things team controls all aspects of the brewing process in someone else's brewery while their beer is under production.  The duo are very hands on during the beer making process, and it clearly shows.  We were fortunate enough to taste their most recent effort last week:

Fluffy White Rabbits poured a brilliant deep gold color, with a tiny whisp of a head noticeable. Fluffy White Rabbits also left behind some lacing and a trail of clear alcohol on the side of the glass, a testament to the legs in the beer.

The beer smelled primarily of hops and peppery spices, with a subtle note of Belgian yeast also apparent.

Fluffy White Rabbits combined an orange citrus flavor married with the drying restraint of hops and Belgian yeast. The beer offered a relatively viscous mouthfeel with nice carbonation. Recommended. A-

Game Day Beer Review: River Horse Brewing Tripel Horse Tripel Ale

(10.00% ABV) Poured into a red plastic solo cup as the scent of Christmas cookies baking in a nearby oven wafted throughout the room.

Tripel Horse smelled of rum, raisins and yeast, with a definite sweetness filling the air.

The beer was well carbonated and boozy, with both a spicy and sweet taste evident -- likely from the combination of malt and various spices, including coriander and clove. There was also a ton of citrus flavor in the beer.  All in all, a nice break from the ordinary, and definitely drinkable for such a high ABV. B

Game Day Beer Review: Bieres de Chimay Speciale Cent Cinquante Tripel Ale

(10.00% ABV) Brewed to honor the 150th Anniversary of the world famous Chimay abbey and brewery, Cent Cinquante poured a pale yellow at the bottom and darker gold color on top. Absolutely alive with carbonation, the beer had a massive white head which would not recede.

Upon pouring, the yeast was noticeable from across the room. The beer had a slight barnyard straw smell, backed by a citrusy lemon and orange zest.

Cent Cinquante yielded a rich, yeasty taste, and it was oh, so smooth. The beer was crisp and clean, and offered tart apple flavors. The booze was quite well hidden for such a high ABV beer.

We'll gladly wait another 150 years for another beer from a brewery that's this good. Buy it if you can find it: A

Game Day Beer Review: Bieres de Chimay Cinq Cents (White) Tripel Ale

(8.00% ABV)  Chimay Cinq Cents was poured into a chalice from a 750 ml bottle, and makes its first appearance into the world colored a hazy, golden orange. The ultra-white head lingers lovingly, not in any hurry to disappear, unlike so many of its brethren. This thing could have easily lasted 10 minute or more -- but I'll never know because I needed to dive in for a taste well before then.... The beer smells beautifully of oranges and yeast, reminiscent of a Belgian white.

Cinq Cents is crisp, with just the right amount of carbonation, creating an ultra-luxurious mouthfeel  This is definitely a serious beer, but it's also very drinkable -- it strikes just the right balance.

It tastes of yeast, bread, and hops offset by a subtle fruity sweetness. I love it -- if it weren't for the ABV level this would easily be a favorite session beer. A-

Game Day Beer Review: Dark Horse Brewing Sapient Trip Ale Tripel Ale

(8.50% ABV). Poured into a styrofoam cup and smuggled into a Third Coast beach club, Sapient Trip Ale was a mellow orangish-gold, almost amber-like, as it entered the cup. The overwhelming smell was of ripe bananas and belgian candy sweetness.

Upon tasting, Sapient's burnt caramel and clove flavors were readily apparent.  It's a fairly straight forward tripel, and well balanced, but ultimately not great. B.

Game Day Beer Review: Brouwerij Van Steenburghe Witches Brew Blond Tripel Ale

(9.30% ABV). Poured into a wine glass, Witches Brew appears bright orange with a huge headful of white foam that stays and stays...and stays. I get hops on the nose, as well as a slight sense of Belgian sweetness. It's got a light-ish mouthfeel, and is decently carbonated.  Witches Brew has a sweet taste -- maybe too sweet? -- and a melange of spices and alchohol are clearly present; I get toffee and honey, too.  It's not bad: B+.