MacTarnahan's Spine Tingler - Portland Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.28/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

"I believe that political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism, and it sends shivers down the spine of my generation who went to war against fascism."

--P.D. James

Kruggerand gold with a fine yeasty haziness and multiple streams of uprushing bubbles. The thick chunk of alabaster colored cream is not Belgianesque, but it's no slouch either. Melting brings about a gently rocky texture that is acceptably attractive. Too bad it isn't more sticky, because lace is scarce.

The nose is pure tripel, with plenty of golden fruit and aromatic spiciness. No alcohol is a major plus. If ST can deliver on the palate, then this offering has a chance to be one of the best MacTarnahan's brews yet.

Give the brewers credit for getting the basic outlines of the style right. However, the end result is nowhere near the best Belgian tripels on the planet. Actually, it's nowhere near the best American-brewed tripels either.

Spine Tingler Golden Belgian-Style Triple tastes like a pretty decent American malt liquor brewed with a less than outstanding Belgian yeast strain. On the negative side... it's simple, grainy and raw. On the positive side... none of those is a complete deal breaker.

Specifics include modestly sweet pale grains, lightly grassy-spicy hops, a dash of ground clove, and a splash of lower shelf vodka. Aging might help... and it might not. Warming changes nothing, other than the fact that it pushes both the flavor and the drinkability scores in a downward direction.

A Belgian tripel-like body/mouthfeel was not expected (and couldn't be delivered by this brewery in a million years). It's on the light end for the style and is decently bubbled. No hint of creaminess and expansiveness, however.

Sorry, but MacTarnahan's Spine Tingler does not elicit a spine tingle from this tripel loving craft beer lover. It's good to see the brewery trying something different on occasion, but they need to give us better beer than this.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 12:33:01 | More by BuckeyeNation

womencantsail

California

3.2/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sharing this, Bobby.

A: The pour is a fairly clear golden color with a very large white head.

S: Spices come through right away with a bit of clove and coriander character. Lots of straw and lightly grassy with some banana sweetness, as well as some bread and apple notes.

T: The banana is a bit more pronounced on the palate than it was on the nose. Some green apple, grass, and straw give a strange flavor for a Tripel. Lots of bread, though it's pretty stale tasting.

M: Medium bodied with a medium to high carbonation.

O: Sort of bland for a Tripel with far too much grass and straw.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 23:43:09 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle - $5.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a clear, light golden body with a meringue-like, airy, white head. The head collapses but sustains a thin coating.

Smell: Sweetish nose of pils and wheat malt with notes of honeysuckle, spicy-scented whole peppercorns, aromatic esters of stone fruits and pulped 'nanas, chewing gum, and alcohol.

Taste: Pilsner malts with a tickle of tangy wheat malt. Moderately sweet with a sugary flourish. Splash of tart pear and banana juices. A few green peppercorns. A quarter teaspoon of sweetened lemon cream. Small hint of alcohol. Drying, fruity, and spicy on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Not overly sweet, not too boozy, and not burdensomely heavy in the mouthfeel department -- I kinda liked it!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 04:43:01 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden; for a Belgian style, the head was not particularly impressive though it did leave a few clumps of lace scattered here and there

Smell: Golden Delicious apples, cotton candy and spicy, herbal phenols

Taste: The apple flavor jumps out, up front, though it is not as sweet as in the aroma; by mid-palate, the spicy yeast phenols add a sharp twist; after the swallow, the sweeter elements start to come through, bringing the Candi sugar impact, though the phenols remain pronounced

Mouthfeel: Medium body with prickly carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: A decent stab, but I am not crazy about the cumulative effect; a bit to sharp and phenolic; the alcohol is not particularly well disguised and the sweetness didn't meld well with the rest of the flavors

Thanks, mdaschaf, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 01:48:50 | More by brentk56

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale golden beer appears nicely in my St Bernardus chalice glowing golden honeycomb body with a bright white head forming thick. Aroma has some honeysuckle floral notes, deep mango, and tropical pineapple twang going on just a big ol' mess of fruit esters. Flavor is easily a bit tart with fruit notes, mango, tangerine, pineapple notes with a nice cereal grain accent and herbal hops in the finish with a thin layer of spice and alcohol booze going on. Mouthfeel is a bit sticky at times, but not cloying a bit hot with booze heat, but not over the top. Enjoyable take on a Belgian tripel without the finesse, your classic tripel tastes easy to drink without the big alcohol it goes down easy and creeps up on you.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 23:05:13 | More by WVbeergeek

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a golden orange color with good carbonation and a nice white head. Nose is peepery, belgian yeast, booze. Taste followed closely with booze and pepper, floral, light citrus and perhaps a touch of honey. Sweet with a candy like element. Mouthfeel is beligan yeast, booze, floral and tinge of booze at the end. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 03:27:04 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Starts with a two-finger head, but it settles quickly to only rim lace. Some spots left on the glass. The color is golden with a minimal haze.

Sweet and sour nose. Some yeast bite. Some citrus rind even though I do not detect any significant hop. Light alcohol. Classic Tripel smell.

Rich, almost oily, body with a very high level of carbonation. It works. The flavor matches the smell, mildly sweet with a sour bite in the swallow. There is a small hop bite in the aftertaste. Notable alcohol warmth. No yeast in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 23:30:37 | More by smcolw

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a light fizzy head of 1/2 finger, fades semi quickly typical of 8.5%, very clear straw almost watery.

Nose is typical Belgian golden malts, light fruity esters from yeast and light floral spices, hint of bubblegum, apple and pair, hint of booze.

Taste starts with light cereal grains, light belgian malts, fruity esters with apple and pair but light, hint of chewy bubblegum and hint of metallic, light warming and slight tingly booze, hint of solventy, light wheat flavors, floral spices and hint citrus. Finish is light solventy very quick finish, slightly dry, hint of malts.

Mouth is med bodied, decent carb, light warming booze.

Overall meh, interesting flavors but some bubblegum and solvent, very light and slightly watery on the taste, finish is way too quick.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 13:15:34 | More by jlindros

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Lemon coloring with a pristine clarity on the first pour. A pearl white frothy head sits a finger at best with a fair rate of retention. A semi-strong carbonation factor is quick paced within, while the lacing is moderate.

S: Aroma is weak sour lemony musky grains is all I could gather. Some bread and wheat.

T: The flavor is spicy and warm, sharp orange sweetness, lemon and musky grains and wheat. Grain sweetness mixes with a spicy booziness and offers some banana and pear notes from the yeast.

M: Strong carbonation on the mouthful that quickly turns frothy and washy on the hold lacks crispness. Body is light.

O: Overall moderate experience. Sweet, warm and spicy and starts out well enough but a bomber may over stay its welcome. I would recommend splitting a bomber to kept things fresh and interesting as towards the end the flavor gets a bit mundane. Spine tingler is ok, certainly didn’t tickle my fancy let alone my spine but in smaller portions may become more enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 00:08:56 | More by beerthulhu

Brad007

Vermont

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright golden color with a decent one-finger head into my glass. Very good appearance.

Sweet with clove, spicy yeast and a hint or two of citrus in the nose. Been a while since I've had this style.

Raisin, clove and apple are the actual flavors that I detect. Add those to chewy malt and you have an interesting combination.

Lingering raisin and clove. Chewy malt. The works. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I like this. It may just be the ticket that I need to get back into reviewing Belgian ales.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 02:37:21 | More by Brad007

mactrail

California

3.08/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Perfumey Belgian-inspired tripel. Clear golden in the Affligem chalice. Decent head, champagne bubbles, and a fairly coarse carbonation. Light floral and fruity aroma.

Rather appley, in fact I immediately thought of Boone's Farm apple wine. Sugary taste with a rough cider apple bitterness. A touch of an aspirin kind of bitterness. Aftertaste is quite unpleasant with the bitter and sweet together. Not much in the way of yeast or complex flavors. On the sharp side as the sugar subsides.

From the 22 oz bottle scored at Olive Tree Market in OB, San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 05:13:05 | More by mactrail

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.55/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Could only afford a cheap bomber.... so another McTarnahan's Belgian style it is. Shared with the wife... mine is poured into MNFG (Portsmouth Goblet thanks to jrae2424 ... Very Cool Jason!!)

Thin 1/2" white head dies quickly... the brew is a hazed golden.

Nose is heavily phenolic and estery... honestly reminds me of a big German Hefe... plenty of clove.. some pink bubblegum.... banana.

Flavor gives a huge nod to Bazooka Joe... lesser banana and spices... ehhh... okay... just really tons of Belgian Yeast qualities... maybe too much for my taste.

Body is medium with a fair amount of small bubble carbonation.

okay across the board, but I don't know I will buy another.

3.5/3.5/3.5/4/3.5

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 04:06:14 | More by JohnGalt1

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Aroma is not strong but still inviting, fruity, malty and a little yeasty. It pours a clear solar yellow with a thick, fluffy and rather persistent white head. Rich flavor has firm pear, banana and yeasty notes with a malty underpinning and a subtle alcohol nip. Lively, fizzy flavor gets the attention of your mouth and trachea - you can feel it all the way down to your tummy. A spine tingler indeed!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 20:28:33 | More by Cyberkedi

ccrida

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into my large St. Feuillien goblet, Spine Tingler is a lightly hazed dark gold with a tight white head with decent last leaving foamy lace, fed by a steady stream of lazy bubbles.

Smell is very estery, overripe bananas, lychee. Love it.

Taste is also estery, the fruits but also some spiciness, just a very light hint of cereals and a whisper of alcohol, clean and tasty.

Mouthfeel is very creamy, medium-light bodied.

Drinkability is solid. I love big estery Belgians, and this one is also smooth and value priced. I think people have a negative bias towards all these Mac's specialty beers based on the low priced and the depth of flavor of their year rounders. But I've been impressed and have really enjoyed them so far, and this one is no exception. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 00:15:22 | More by ccrida

avalon07

South Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a yellow color and a clear consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Not a whole lot of lacing.

S: A strong aroma of light fruit, yeast, and some malt.

T: Tasted of Belgian yeast, malt, phenols, fruit (citrus mostly), and some spices (pepper, e.g.). An excellent flavor: well-rounded, robust, easy to drink.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a prickly, lively finish. Medium-bodied.

O: One of the better examples of an American version of a Belgian-style beer. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 13:05:01 | More by avalon07

nickfl

Florida

3.46/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with one finger of loose, white foam on top of a clear, golden body. The foam settles rapidly and leaves little lace.

S - Clove and pineapple with a bit of pear.

T - Some cidery malt up front with a bit of pear flavor. Honey and clove in the middle with a transition to melon as the beer finishes. Lingering notes of honey, clove, thick malt and a touch of spicy hops.

M - A fairly thick body, moderately high carbonation, and a cloyingly sweet finish.

D - The head is sad, the aroma is kind of promising, but the flavor profile and excessive sweetness lock this in as a sub-par effort. Sadly, like many American examples of the style, it has too much malt character and way too much sweetness to be properly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 06:29:34 | More by nickfl

tdm168

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - translucent gold with a short-lived white head

S - yeast, alcohol, some faint spice

T - fruit, alcohol, light malt, white grapes

M - warming alcohol, medium bodied, well carbonated

This is a pretty alcoholic. It's boozy. The flavor is simplistic. It's all booze with some fruity yeast notes. Ultimately, this is a simple, one-dimensional beer that I won't be having again.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 02:25:13 | More by tdm168

flagmantho

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a tulip. Bottle says to enjoy by 6/10/2010.

Appearance: light golden color with a touch of haze and a finger of compact white foam. Pretty nice, though the foam seems to be dissipating somewhat rapidly.

Smell: very nice malt aroma with appropriate fruit characteristics: pear, Granny Smith apples and a light cherry character are all present. The nose also has a hint of floral aromas and a little warming alcohol. Quite appealing.

Taste: flavor is quite bright. More pure malt flavor comes through in the flavor than in the aroma, which is quite nice. The sweet fruit qualities are still here, though dampened. Personally, I like the contrast between aroma and taste. This is also a tad sweeter than the average tripel; not a bad thing, necessarily, but a touch too sweet for my liking. Hops here are very subtle but appropriate.

Mouthfeel: I think my love for creaminess is one reason I like tripels so much. Here, Spine Tingler does not disappoint: medium-thick body which is already a little syrupy also has a big does of carbonation which makes for a delightfully creamy liquor.

Drinkability: very good, but the extra sweetness is just enough to make this merely "good". It's still a very nice beer which I would gladly have again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 02:52:30 | More by flagmantho

superspak

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into chalice, no bottle dating. Pours fairly crystal clear golden amber color with a small foamy white head with poor retention, that reduces to a thin ring of lace. No glass lacing, and a fair amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big apricot, banana, clove, bread, pepper, grass, apricot, apple, pear, candi sugar, and yeast spices. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good strength and complexity. Taste of big apricot, pepper, pear, banana, clove, bubblegum, bread, earth, candi sugar, and yeast spiciness. Fairly dry on the finish; with lingering notes of banana, pear, apricot, pepper, clove, bread, and earth spices on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of sweet/peppery flavors; with no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a slightly creamy and slick mouthfeel as expected for the style, with crisp carbonation. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming after the finish present. Very smooth and easy to sip on. Overall this is a damn nice Tripel. Very nice flavor balance and complexity; and very smooth to sip on. A really well done effort. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 03:12:34 | More by superspak

Reidrover

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle from Fred Meyer in N.Salem..with a very ugly label! Ok beer to look at. a slightly hazy orange with a small frothy off white head. Copious lace. Rather phenolic aromas..much bubble gum and some peach Ok Very sweet in taste to begin with then a sourness and bitterness balance it out dry fnish leaving a salty after taste that invites another sip. OK on the palate, well carbonated and goes down well. Overall not a bad beer but not a good Tripel.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 00:02:28 | More by Reidrover

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomer into a snifter, the beer is a bright, slightly hazed, corn yellow coloring with a thin, sparse, filmy white coating on the surface. Aromas of bready richness, a light and fruity sweetness, both citrus and banana, and spicings of clove, nutmeg, coriander, and pepper. Flavors are all over the palate on the initial tasting, covering every tastebud. Fruitiness turns a more tropical head, supporting the more peppery and slightly cayenne spicing that highlights it. Tangy sweet backbone also has touches of more traditional Tripels, such as caramel and old world fruits like date and fig, but overall this has an updated approach, with the spices controlling the puppet strings, so to speak. The spicy bite at the end of the palate continues to grow as you continue to drink, but never lingers behind to cause a long-standing burn. Impressive control of flavors. The carbonation level and spicing also help to keep the body light and smooth. Tangy fruit aftertaste, mostly the pineapple, banana, and melon, but again with a touch of the date and fig. The finish is clean and smooth, with only a slight buzz that lingers shortly after. Looking forward to having this accent a spicy dish in the very near future.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 00:32:33 | More by GarthDanielson

mdaschaf

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear golden color with a two finger, white foamy head on top, great retention. Nice, sticky lacing clings to the glass.

S: A bit of lemon and green apple with some grainy malt. Very slight Belgian yeast aroma. A but of alcohol comes through.

T: Very light fruit ester flavors with a little bit of spice/yeast mixed in. Some light grainy/pale malt with a touch of alcohol coming through here as well.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: An average tripel, the alcohol coming through hurt a bit. At least it was only $1.99.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 01:40:08 | More by mdaschaf

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #39 (Apr 2010):

Great to see that Belgian styles are becoming more commonplace these days amongst craft brewers.

The head may not stick to the glass as much as we wanted, but the thin layer of lacing is unwavering from the never-ending stream of active bubbles racing to the top. Mildy hazed, pale golden color. Hints of taffy, bubble gum, Band-Aids, vanilla wafers, chalky yeast, exotic fruit and a hint of herbal hop make for a very complex aroma. Crisp, with enough fluff in the moderate-size body, it flaunts it like a Tripel. Dry malt palate throughout with cracker, bread crust and dried grass flavors. A little lemony, herbal and certainly medicinal ... hello, phenols! Hops are very modest here, which is fine, as the alcohol does drop a bit of peppercorn and heat to counter the malt. A little juicy and fruity middle to end, though the dryness takes hold in the finish with a long linger of medicinal phenols, fading alcohol and a clean graininess.

Mac has done us a solid by brewing this beer. If you listen close enough, it's screaming to be paired with a sharp cheese.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:14:23 | More by BeerAdvocate

Pencible

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This poured a clear light gold with moderate white head.
S: It smelled like grassy and waxy hops, with some sweet candi sugar and lemon zest and wild honey and alcohol.
T: It tasted like white wine and lemon zest, with some grassy hops and candi sugar and wild honey. It had a clean and sweet aftertaste with a little lingering sourness.
M: It was oily with lots of carbonation. Full and lively body.
D: This was an interesting tripel with good scent and unique zinfandel-esque taste. The body was nice and the finish was surprisingly mellow, so it was quite easy to drink. Not for aging, already nice fresh.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 19:17:24 | More by Pencible

Kendo

New York

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from the bomber into a Duvel tulip. Body is hazy golden-honey in color with a small white head on top. The occasional splotch of lacing clings to the side of the glass.

S: Definitely some barnyard funkiness going on here. Bubblegum sweetness and yeasty fruitiness, with a touch of lemony bitterness.

T: Follows the nose - modestly sweet malt and stone fruits - think apricots, ripe nectarines. Finishes with a lingering lemony bitterness that provides nice balance - in fact, it seems to become more bitter as it lingers on the palate in the aftertaste. Heat from the 8.5% ABV is felt in the belly.

M: Excellent mouthfeel - real nice Belgian-like airy-light fizziness that makes it seem lighter on the palate than it is.

O: Good stuff. Well worth the 99 cents I paid for the bomber. . . .

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 02:06:37 | More by Kendo