Cerberus Belgian Tripel - Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #36 (Jan 2010):

While the head might fall short, the lacing does leave some rings behind; light haze within the golden color. Faint lemon candy, taffy, ripe papaya, shortbread and peppery alcohol in the nose. Lemony and medicinal flavors start it off, and peppery alcohol rounds it out with some sweet but vague tropical fruit. Grainy; dry maltiness mixes well with the nutty yeast component. Warming alcohol never gives a feeling, even on the breath. Maltiness and an herbal flavor make up for a very pleasing aftertaste.

Perhaps not as refined or polished, but brimming with flavor. The complexities hit all the right spots for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 01:56:18 | More by BeerAdvocate

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