This is the third beer that I’ve reviewed from Dark Horse Brewery, and I plan to do a few more (I’ve already reviewed their One and Too). I’m finding that I like their beer more each time I drink it. This might be my favorite thing by them so far. As the name implies, they are going for a Belgian Triple style Ale here. They actually do a fairly good job on a style that is hard to do well. Here is my review of this beer.
When I poured I immediately noted that the beer is perhaps darker than most any Belgian Triple Ale that I’ve had. Of course, Belgians generally make many of these beers characteristically blond (this is not always true, especially in the field of Trappists, but you get the point). Having said the above, the beer came in at a light copper blond with a finely carbonated and stable head. The beer came off pretty clean looking in the glass.
As far as aromas go, this beer had plenty of fruit qualities. More than anything else, I noted pineapple. There was a touch of smoked meatiness (it sounds strange but isn’t really that odd). The combination of the smoke and pineapple almost gave the impression that the pineapple was cooked with a smoked ham (smell-wise). The yeast and alcohol aromas were also very present in the beer. Let me reiterate, before I move on, that the smoke and pineapple was not overpowering, nor was it off-putting.
The typical tastes of the Belgian style were present. Candy sugar type qualities were readily noticeable. And a very nice soft and delicate mouth-feel was also apparent. Dryness, which I’m sure was alcohol driven, came through solidly on the end. In addition, the yeast spice came through in the finish of the brew. The other notable quality that I got was the smoked malt on the nose.
This beer was, perhaps, a little more malty and smoked than many triples that I’ve had. Yet, it certainly does not venture outside of being a reasonable facsimile of a Belgian Triple. In fact, I think Dark Horse did an excellent job on the beer.
Mike’s Rating:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other American Versions of Triples:
Among Belgian Triples: 
How was the attenuation (dryness vs. residual sweetness)? I’ve had some that have been too sweet on the back end.
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I think it had a decent amount of residuals but it wasn’t cloying. I noted a some dryness on the end but not cotton-mouth. I always expect a Belgian to have a little sweetness (comparatively speaking) on the end because of the candy sugars already thinning the body of the beer (too much attenuation really does dry and thin these types of beers out…as I’m sure you already know). Given the pineapple fruit, the sugars were nice. I don’t think I would worry about the attenuation not going far enough. It might be a little more sweet than dry but I tend to mention if a beer is out of balance (I’m saying this because it’s hard to remember what other notes I took on this beer).
By the way, thanks for asking these types of questions/statements…it really is nice to have some great interaction happening on the site.
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[...] Overall, I would try this beer again. Who knows, I could have gotten hold of a bad bottle. At this point, though, there is very little to commend this beer to our readers. As I always say, only you can taste the beer and see what you think about it. If you want a better version, try Dark Horse Sapient Trip. [...]