Tripel Crown - Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Light tan head sits atop this burnt orange colored brew.
Aroma is fruity and doughy. Malt, hops, and alcohol are there. Hint of vinegar.

Taste shows a toasty, caramel malt backbone. Doughy. Hint of fruit. Decent hop balance. Alcohol is there, but I was surprised to see this beer is over 10% ABV. Vinegar is there as well, but not as prevalent as in their other beers I've had thus far.

Solid mouthfeel and drinkability.
Overall, one of their better beers IMO. Big thanks to OldFrothingSlosh for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2004 03:52:44 | More by PhantomVodoo

tdm168

North Carolina

3.59/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - bright golden orange with a thin, white, fizzy head that fades quickly

S - fruity esters, apples, white grapes, pears

T - grainy, apples, pears, alcohol

M - warm, medium bodied, well carbonated

This is a rather disappointing beer. This beer is one-dimensional. The fruity esters are really all that come through besides the sweet, grainy base malt. I think a bit of spice would be a welcomed touch here. Though this is disappointing, it's not a complete loss. It still has decent drinkability and would probably please most.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 23:36:52 | More by tdm168

Huffs

New York

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

01-31-2013 23:48:24 | More by Huffs

DmanGTR

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

01-29-2013 17:52:50 | More by DmanGTR

SLeffler27

New York

4/5  rDev +6.1%

11-18-2012 05:59:38 | More by SLeffler27

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.75/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

With unusually elevated levels of fruit and sweetness, the hybrid Belgian-style tripel/English-ish ale is about as Dr. Jekyll n' Mr. Hyde as furniture polish and "Fruit Loops".

The eye is drawn to the beer's caramel appearance and creamy froth in a most English ale kinda light. Though the beer may exhibit some Belgianesque character in taste and scent, there's nothing that points in that direction based on the beer's aesthetics. Light yeasty haze, simple head formation, retention, and lacing all portray a nondescript amber ale appearance.

Serious fruit notes leap out of the glass with a vivid display of sweet fruit notes just like that of children's "Fruit Loops" cereal. Apple, pear, strawberries, raspberry jam, cherry, apricots, and mangoes may even allow for a nostalgic stray into "Fruit Roll-Ups". Engulfed in a whiff of butterscotch, the estery and rich taste further say "English" to me. Think citronella and furniture polish.

And the rich sweetness continues in taste as well. Much of the fruit notes in aroma translates to familiar taste in Belgian tripel ales. Except the level of sweetness and semi-artificial fruit notes rise to near-cloying levels. Any balance from dry malt, hops, or spice is timid and leaves the beer decidedly sided with candied malt sweetness. Cloves, pepper, and alcohol offer slight reprieve from the sugars and fruit notions, but only lightly.

Heavy on the tongue, the beer's light carbonation keeps it Englishy but it also causes the full brunt of sweetness to be felt and limits its drinkability. Its long fruity middle palate closes with strong alcohol warmth and mild peppery heat.

This schizophrenic ale doesn't know what it wants to be- either a drier and earthier Belgian ale or a sturdier maltier English ale. In trying to do both, it doesn't do either all that well.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 03:45:41 | More by BEERchitect

ABokononist

New York

4/5  rDev +6.1%

07-16-2012 01:15:52 | More by ABokononist

RyanGoodman

Bolivia

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

04-14-2012 02:02:26 | More by RyanGoodman

asafarc2

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +6.1%

03-08-2012 19:09:59 | More by asafarc2

blackened1339

New York

4/5  rDev +6.1%

12-22-2011 19:24:46 | More by blackened1339

rab53

Massachusetts

2/5  rDev -46.9%

12-02-2011 04:30:23 | More by rab53

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.1%

11-19-2011 04:40:42 | More by jmdrpi

tclapper

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.1%

11-18-2011 00:10:28 | More by tclapper

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a yellowish gold color with a minimal head on it. There wasn't any lacing really. The smell of the beer was a bit sweet, some sugars and fruits on the nose. The taste had a decent usage of Belgian yeast and some spice in the mix. The mouthfeel was on the thicker side which was interesting. Overall I didn't think this was the best example of a Tripel but that just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 03:36:44 | More by Knapp85

fmccormi

New York

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a pry-off 12oz bottle into a Bruery tulip.

Appearance (4.0): deep, hazy orange, moderate head (~1 finger), almost no lacing

Smell (3.5): a little of that meaty Belgian yeastiness, a little sweet, definitely biscuity, with just a light bit of grassy hops

Taste (4.0): I do enjoy that “meaty” Belgian yeast character (always been the best word to describe it, for me – tastes alive). There’s a lightly medicinal aftertaste, which doesn’t detract too much for me, but it’s an interesting combo. The English hops, maybe? The alcohol shows its face, but very subtly – doesn’t taste like 10%. Very bright, bready character with that smoothly bitter (definitely not biting) aftertaste, wedded by the Belgian yeast. As it warms, it gets even creamier and breadier. The grassiness of the English hops become more pronounced, too, and now I’m sure that’s where the smoothly bitter finish comes from.

Mouthfeel (4.0): very moderate carbonation, making it smooth and just a bit creamy – pretty nice and light for something as strong as this

Overall (4.0): Generally enjoy this beer quite a bit! It may not be the truest to its style, but I enjoy this plenty and am quite glad I tried it. It's nice and round, with two faces: Belgian body with English hops.

This is a very interesting beer, definitely worth trying if you’re open to this kind of cross-over style. I love the fact that Middle Ages decided to interpret a tripel in an English sort of way. And it’s pretty smooth for something so strong – did a double take after seeing it was 10% or so. Check this beer out, enjoyable and very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 02:20:43 | More by fmccormi

brew3crew

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

had during a middle ages tasting.
A-hazy yellow with a white head that sticks around
S-fruitness comes through. Definetly smells like a belgian
T-way more flavorful warmed up. Nice fruity overtones
M-medium body and goes down so smooth.
D-awesome. Would have guessed way lower on the abv

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2011 00:25:55 | More by brew3crew

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- pours a slightly hazy golden orange. A bit of head that disappears

Smell- fruity yeast smells on the nose.

Taste- Fruity flavors and some light citrus and yeast on the tongue. Can taste slight booziness on the tongue

Mouthfeel- light but still full bodied

Drinkability- fairly drinkable at 10 %

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 20:13:43 | More by Urbancaver

depechemode1983

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got got this one in a trade with shrek806.

Poured into a Duvel tulip.

A- Dark golden color with a bit of haziness to it, with a nice foamy off-white head. Head has good consistency. There are also bits of splotchy lacing.

S- Nose is malty and fruity. Lots of sweet orange coming through with some floral hops and citrus notes in the background.

T- Taste is very sweet up front. Sweet apricots and oranges mainly. Its balanced out nicely with citrus notes coming in towards the finish to give it a slight bitterness.

M- Mouth feel is soft and the beer goes down very smooth. Carbonation is just right on this one.

D/N- I would say this is a very drinkable Tripel. Well balanced and very flavorful and aromatic. I might try and get some more.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 20:36:41 | More by depechemode1983

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to zdk9 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is very fruity with some yeast and grassy hops. The flavor is yeast, cherries, apples. raisins, tropical fruit and biscuit malt. A very fruity beer that also has a fair amount of spice in the flavor. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 06:27:04 | More by Mora2000

Psydrith

New York

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark Golden to Amber color, one finger head with some lacing and lightly carbonated

S:Flowery,piney,fruity

T:Very flavorful head with sweet malts and piney hops with floral and citrus easily detected as well.

M:Medium mouthfeel presence and smooth.

D:Very drinkable, hides the ABV well

This beer is very well balanced across the board and doesn't have the distinctness that some beers have but is complex enough to be tasteful and it's attributes mesh well.
Succinct in delivering it's flavor profile to your tongue.

I can see it pleasing a wide variety of palettes.

It's biggest fault is poor head retention.

Very flavorful I will be drinking this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 17:44:28 | More by Psydrith

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.8/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours out a clearish, amber-hued body with a scant, whitish head.

Smell: Sweet-scented nose of pale, lightly bready malts with a strong waft of a concoction made from juiced Red Delicious apples and distilled alcohol. A bit discouraging, really.

Taste: Sugary sweet maltiness with a minor breadiness and taste of caramel. Fruity flavors of green raisins, but, mostly notably, it's straight-up apples. The high alcohol content, as was the case with the aroma, is quite obvious. The taste of apples alternately pairs up with the alcohol to give an impression of apple schnapps or the high sweetness for a flavor of caramel apples. Either way, it's kind of wearying. Plenty of peppery alcohol precedes the sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Slightly sticky mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A sugary sweet, alcoholic mess without the charm to help me look beyond its glaring faults. At first, I found the idea of a Belgian Tripel with a British twist to be interesting, but this is just a reckless beer. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2009 16:16:51 | More by ChainGangGuy

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased from the brewery.

The 12oz bottle pours with a half finger head over hazy golden orange body into my Chimay goblet. Head fades fast to a thin covering over the body, eventually disappearing completely.

Sweet, almost candy-like. Toffee. Fruit. Apple. Butterscotch. Alcohol in the background that slowly comes to the fore as the beer warms.

Fruit scent carries over into the way it tastes. Fruit is orangey. Buttery and moderately boozy. Sweet with a mild tea-like bitterness in the finish. As mild as the bitterness is, it lingers.

Lightly carbonated, body on the light side of medium. Slick. Very smooth, very easy to drink. Easy to drink one or two, but the high alcohol limits how many you can have.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2009 19:32:00 | More by mintjellie

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours out a hazy gold with a weak head. Nose is very sweet and floral with apple and alcohol. Flavour is very sweet but with a heavy balancing bitterness. Body is slick. Lots of apple and fruitiness and a herbal hop. Seems to grow on me a little bit from an cloying first impression. A bit boozy as well and not really a subtle brew. Takes some time to get used to.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 03:30:52 | More by allergictomacros

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stroing, inviting aroma is more like cider than beer, being mainly of apple but having a hoppy undertone. Pours a nice orangy-golden amber with a fairly thick cream-colored head. Lively flavor is strongly fruity - one can hardly taste the alcohol - and has a bit of malt and a bit of hops. Smooth, tingly texture helps it gallop down the pipes.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 03:08:49 | More by Cyberkedi

Mazeraski

New York

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into a goblet.

A - Pours a hazy dull orange with yellow-tinged edges. Pours with very minimal head, and what little is present dissipates quickly.

S - A nice mixture of hoppy grapefruit, pale bready malt, light estery notes and a slight phenolic aroma.

T - The spiciness last throughout the sip, only on the tongue however. A mix of general estery notes, hops, yeasty sweet malt and alcohol. The combo of the sweet malt and spiciness from the hops and carbonation play well off of each other.

MF - Light-bodied with a higher amount of carbonation.

D - Relatively drinkable due to the nice mix of spicy and sweet, although the high ABV drops this down a notch.

Notes - A very interesting brew considering the phenolic aspect (that I hadn't encountered until now). Overall I liked the opposing flavors that brought the brew together and created a bit of depth for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2009 02:14:09 | More by Mazeraski