Tripels Continued
Well the six-pack is finished and I feel like I took a trip around the world and back. Overall, the beers were delicious, but some were definitely better than others were. Now I am no expert on beer nor can I yet explain the textures and subtle tastes each beer exudes in detail, but I will do my best.
The Westmalle and Duvel were the lightest of the six with the Westmalle containing a little more flavor than the Duvel. Though the Duvel gets very high ratings on Beer Advocate, it was my least favorite of the group. It was very crisp and light, but compared to the others, it lacked character.
The Maredsous 10 and Watou were darker than the Westmalle and Duvel and had a bit more flavor. The Maredsous 10 had a slight hoppy taste along with some light spices, but nothing that stood out. The Watou was very crisp and tickled my tongue with a carbonated nutty almond taste.
Now I don’t know if it is because I am just used to an American style of exaggerated hops, but my two favorite beers were definitely the Victory Old Horizontal and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley wine. They both contained deep character and flavor explosions. The Bigfoot was no doubt tough for my palette to adjust to at first, but after a couple of sips, it quickly became a favorite of mine.
The Tripels and Barley Wines are very strong beers, but some of them are deceivingly smooth and light in taste. I may next try to find some beers aged in an Oak barrel and do a review on them. If you have any beers that you would like me to taste and review, leave a comment below.