Emelisse Triple IPA - Bierbrouwerij Grand-Café Emelisse

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Emelisse Triple IPA on tap at Max's (of course) in B'more, MD, served in a standard pint.

Appearance: Sunrise over New Delhi, cloudy polluted morning. The hazy orange glow after a nuclear fallout. No head, almost no carbonation or lacing. Feels like a cask, or a first pour at Max's (sometimes it happens, the keg needs to flow for a couple of pints before settling into "the perfect pour").

Smell: Citrus all over, in juice and puree. Reminds me of Lagunitas Hop Stoopid and Maximus on cask, incredibly citrus-y, almost too much so. Some booze comes through in the nose as well. Also sugary sweetness, like a well-made dessert, and a strange tad of herbal tea with raspberry essence (in nose only, briefly).

Taste: Thin in the beginning, then some bitterness. But really, where are the hops? This is a like boozed-up glass of juice. Some banana and pineapple at the end, sweetness. More of a West Coast IPA.

Mouthfeel: Great balance, goes down well. Low carbonation and body, though (again, it might be the tap). Not too sweet, not too bitter, but too citrus-y. Nicely done anyway, perhaps more bubbles needed.

Drinkability: Great! This is the beer's winning aspect. It is 10%, but feels like 6% or 7%. Immensely drinkable. Not boozy at all, tasty, flavorful.

I miss some carbonation, body and hops, but still- this is a winner. Hardly a "Triple IPA", though. Why are brewers going for that? Double ain't enough anymore?

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2010 17:17:59 | More by DoubleSimcoe

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is copper in color and very cloudy so you can't see through it. It poured with a finger high beige head that quickly died down and left lacy patterns of bubbles floating on the surface.
S: There are moderate aromas of grapefruit hops in the nose.
T: From start to finish, there's a strong amount of bitterness in the overall taste, yet this is balanced enough by the underlying malts so it isn't completely overpowering. There are flavors of grapefruits and hints of apples, malty sweetness and yeast.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very thick on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The finish is rather dry and also has some warming from the alcohol.
D: The alcohol is well hidden from the smell and taste so drinking this beer isn't too difficult as long as you can handle the strong amount of bitterness. This is definitely a beer that should be sipped given its strength.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 15:19:39 | More by metter98

richmof

Belgium

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Brasserie de la Senne tulip a deep orange amber umber with a nice two finger cream head. Decent retention and lacing.

Malty as well as some earthy hop coming through...a different nose to the double for sure.

A good triple IPA with some deep citrus flavours: orange and orange rind, grapefruit, as well pretty clear biscuity malt undertone. Nicely hopped but the sweet malt and hoppy bitterness are somewhat balanced out. Very smooth for such a strong ABV.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 23:46:47 | More by richmof

Brabander

Netherlands

4.45/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer was on tap at the Molen Borefts festival last weekend. After i had numerous stouts on the festival i wanted something completely different. This triple IPA was very different.

Poured in a De Molen tasting glass the beers looked smashing. A nice and big broken white head and a cloudy golden fluid. Intense bitterness with some grapefruit and other fruits.

Glad i tasted this one.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2010 09:18:19 | More by Brabander