With seeing an instant fluctuation in traffic in the past few days due to the US tariffs being put in place in the near future, I want to say welcome to BeerCrank.ca. If you're new here, I write and review predominantly Canadian beer for the casual beer drinkers out there.Today's sampling is straight out of Winnipeg - Brazen Brewing's Jol Mandarin Norse Farmstead Belgian Tripel. This beer came out back in November and the liquor commission listed it as "soon available" at my local LC any day now. Well, it's February now and it was just brought in stock a couple days ago.. and it's already on its way out. What a shame, I love Belgian-style ales more than most, but hey.. I do get to try this beer after all.
From the label: Legends say thirteen Santa Clauses visit the children of Iceland during the 13 days of Christmas. Our Chieftan remembers a fragrant and delicious mandarin left in his stocking or shoe from one of the Santas, probably his mom! This decidedly non-traditional Belgian Tripel is brewed with juice and aromatic oranges to pay homage to such a delicious tradition. 9.5% ABV
Appearance: A deep amber ale with a more copper-reddish hue to it. Lots of floaty bits(tm) in the beer that settle to the bottom. It's been a good few years since I've seen a Belgian Tripel with floaty bits. The head is pretty thick with a yellowish-beige hue to it. The head diminishes pretty quickly, leaving behind a bit of a beige lacing on the side of the glass.
Aroma: Decently sweet Belgian Tripel with definite notes of mandarin but not too much. There's a bit of Belgian spice to it - coriander and clove. There's a bit of a syrupy sweetness to it, no noticeable booze burn for the nostrils yet but we shall see..
Taste: Very mandarin/orange forward this time around - it's reminiscent of back when one would order a Belgian witbier and get an additional slice of orange even though the beer already has a enough sweetness and spice to begin with. Following the sweetness of the mandarin is a slight sourness from the fruit again. There's a hint of bubble gum, a hint of coriander and clove. Fairly dry for the mouthfeel and the aftertaste is a bit of a sour orange taste to it. It's one of the smoother Belgian Tripels I've had in recent memories.. but the 9.5% ABV will for sure sneak up any moment now.
Overall Thoughts: Believe this or not, this is probably only the third Belgian Tripel I've ever had from Manitoba in my life, with the other two being from Nonsuch. Solid Tripel with a hefty amount of mandarin to it. I don't really have much to say about it, but with the Christmas vibes from it.. I wish I got to review this several weeks earlier, but this is one of those beers that won't age poorly like most IPAs.
I'll be reviewing their almond stout hopefully sometime soon.. I've had three people asking me to review it.. I'll get there, it's just a matter of time and money.. but mostly time!
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