Cerberus Belgian Tripel - Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

ProudBeerSnob

New York

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Been a long timer since I've had a tripel, so here goes...

Poured from bottle into Ommegang chalice. Nice cloudy golden color; the head is a bit thin for the style, but does leave nice lacing.

Fruity and a bit boozy in the nose. Flavors of dried apricots, golden raisins, a bit medicinal. Finishes with a sharp tang and a bit of boozy bite (which is about the only hint you get of the 10% alcohol)

Solid effort. I look forward to enjoying the others in the 4 pack that sit in my cellar.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 23:38:11 | More by ProudBeerSnob

Wrigfen

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

04-22-2013 17:49:55 | More by Wrigfen

Skott1123

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5%

04-14-2013 04:44:41 | More by Skott1123

tastymug

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

03-31-2013 17:01:08 | More by tastymug

waiting4lunch

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-24-2013 23:10:00 | More by waiting4lunch

alelover

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-13-2013 19:11:06 | More by alelover

Stinger80OH

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

03-11-2013 18:23:38 | More by Stinger80OH

MAUEX_MFA

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +5%

03-08-2013 02:36:36 | More by MAUEX_MFA

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -27.8%

03-06-2013 00:09:11 | More by Molson2000

Kalev13

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-14-2013 15:07:53 | More by Kalev13

Erockss

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +24.7%

02-09-2013 19:25:12 | More by Erockss

bacher468

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-05-2013 20:53:08 | More by bacher468

rcjennings

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5%

01-21-2013 01:16:11 | More by rcjennings

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle was poured into a snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured a minimal head that reduced to nothing quickly. It is a pale light orange color with great clarity and bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: Very traditional aromas here. Vanilla, spices, yeasty esters, boozy alcohol, super sweet malts, and a bit of apple and pear.

Taste: sweetness mellowed out here. Smooth boozy alcohol in the back of the palate here too with a tiny bit of bitterness in the end. Nice stuff.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, light to medium bodied, medium carbonation, a little bit of boozy alcohol, and easy to drink. Too easy.

Overall: A nice tripel in my opinion. It could be a little less sweeter, but I'll take it.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 10:06:28 | More by Flounder57

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a lightly hazed, golden-colored body with a medium-small, fleeting, white head. Nil lacing.

Smell: Yields a somewhat sugary nose, but also an aroma of fruit cocktail, with alcohol replacing the precious juices with which it usually packed.

Taste: Simple, modest malted grains glazed in simple syrup. A little bubblegum, a bit more sugar advancing, then, some fruitiness of strawberry, peach, and melon juice. A couple whole buds of clove. If it stopped there, I'd be content, but it has a real sharp sting from the alcohol, with a touch of acetone to it, leaving a lingering singe in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-low carbonation.

Overall: Hot, but not in a good way. It's harshness and brash character overrides any goodness. This is unfortunate. Instead of a bottle capped with gold foil, it deserves to be sheathed in a brown paper bag.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 23:45:44 | More by ChainGangGuy

Fitwitchik

Ohio

4.98/5  rDev +30.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First time on tap @ TD October 2012. LOVED it as I am a huge trippel fan. Told it was not sold in bottles....yet. Found today at Whole Foods in C'bus Ohio. BAM!

Golden colour with a creamy head. Sediment particles sink float to the bottom of my
glass.

The fruity malted fragance tells me I am about to have a quality Belguim.

DANG! Bottled version does NOT lack. Forgot how much I enjoy this excellent trippel.

Balanced with carbonation & flavour. Feel like I just won the lottery with this lovely brew.

Thirsty Dog has created an outstanding trippel. Pass it on.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 23:37:58 | More by Fitwitchik

jminch

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -27.8%

11-24-2012 14:57:04 | More by jminch

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

11-23-2012 19:50:16 | More by st9647v3

flagmantho

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: medium golden hue with plenty of haze and a thick finger of frothy ivory foam. Quite good.

Smell: quite sweet with a good malt component and aromas of pear and green apple. This thing definitely has an alcoholic kick, however, and the overall aromatic effect is a bit messy. There is some good stuff here, but it just doesn't come together terribly well.

Taste: sweet malt with that same nice fruity apple and pear quality, although a bit toned down with respect to the aroma. Alcohol definitely also plays a part in the flavor of this beer. Yeast flavors include a bit of a phenolic finish which, while not bad, doesn't necessarily play terribly well with other aspects of the flavor. I'm a little on the fence about this one, but I admit it could be better.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and a nice, smooth creaminess. Works for me!

Overall: this is an interesting example of a tripel. I like the fact that the flavor profile is a bit out of the ordinary, but in this case it doesn't seem to work quite right for me. Not bad, but not a tripel I'd reach for given other options.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 17:09:10 | More by flagmantho

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Small, but solid head. Leaves chunky lace. Starts very clear but the end of the pour shows plenty yeast cloudiness.

Sweet like brandy with an alcohol kick. Very much a Tripel smell.

High alcohol flavor and aftertaste. This dominates the taste. Mostly creamy and slightly sour. Very warming. Full bodied with a low-ish carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:17:09 | More by smcolw

Peter_L

Sweden

2/5  rDev -47.5%

10-28-2012 17:58:37 | More by Peter_L

Envelopes

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

10-26-2012 14:46:42 | More by Envelopes

crobinso

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

10-20-2012 19:29:19 | More by crobinso

gfreed

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The vanilla, oaky milkshake aroma was very attractive, as was the puffy, fluffy head. Beyond that... meh. There's a dry finish, thanks to the hoppy edge, some bubbles and a few lines of chest-beating text on the label. Beyond that, there's not much to recommend. Tasty enough for one try only.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 01:55:48 | More by gfreed

SaintBenedict

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle with a gold foil cap, despite the poorly designed label.

Cerberus pours a slightly hazed amber-tinged golden color, with a fizzy, white head that quickly vanishes.

The nose is sweet and malty with faint Belgian yeast, a kiss of rock candi, a significant amount of sweet cookie-like malt, some ripe juicy berries, crisp orchard fruit (like green apple and pear), and a touch of anise and clove.

On the taste buds, Cerberus is sweet and malty, with tangy, peppery clove-like citrus spiciness. There's also a dash of dark berries for good measure, and more fresh tree fruit. Most surprising is the fair amount of bitterness that Cerberus offers. The tripel-style ale finishes tart and dry.

Medium-to-full-bodied with prickly carbonation, Cerberus is a solid tripel, though it may lack some of the bright fruitiness characteristic of Belgian models. The ale is rather malty, with a bitter dryness that strikes me as somewhat uncharacteristic of the style (though it never crosses over into Belgian IPA territory).

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 03:46:33 | More by SaintBenedict