MacTarnahan's Spine Tingler - Portland Brewing Company

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

Nerudamann

Arizona

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

Poured from a bottle into a snifter glass.

Look - light golden in color, with slow carbonation, and about a finger's worth of foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell - interesting smell, almost smells like a barbeque salt, but at the same time has elements of a yeasty smell.

Taste - much like the smell, there's a barbeque-like essence to it, but it does taste a bit more on the yeasty side. You can somewhat taste or tell the abv. Not a lot of bite, mostly sweet and smooth.

Mouthfeel - a little bubbly, but otherwise pretty well-balanced, leaning a little on the watery side.

Overall - interesting and thought-provoking. Good-tasting and definitely worth the try.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 03:57:52 | More by Nerudamann

DovaliHops

California

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal-clear golden color with a medium white head that disappears instantaneously. Scent is very sweet with some candied sugar and green apple aroma. A little bit of bubble gum. As the beer warms, more bubblegum pulls through. Taste is initially somewhat floral...almost like potpourri. Some earthy characteristics with melon and green apple. A bit of alcohol with bubblegum and Belgian yeast. Very crisp and fruity. Mouthfeel is light bodied and highly carbonated. Drinkability is high. Overall, definitely not one of the best tripels, but a good effort.

Had to edit because after sipping on this for quite sometime, the taste morphs from quite enjoyable...to a little less enjoyable. There is a strange lingering aftertaste. Still a tasty beer though.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 08:07:16 | More by DovaliHops

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: Clear, between amber and straw color. Nice white head with lots of bubbles.
smell: Sweet and fruity. Some creamy fullness and nice hints of spice and a pinch of sour.
taste: Fruity sweetness up front almost immediately replaced with a dry finish. Not as full of complexity and balance as the nose.
mouthfeel: Lots of carbonation.
overall: A nice enjoyable tripel.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 23:38:27 | More by cindyjeffsmith

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a 1.25" fine velvet custard head with medium lifespan. The body is a hazy yellow between straw and golden. I'd expected a little more from the smell but it does have some tropical fruit and hints at candied sugar. The taste far exceeds the smell with fig, butterscotch, the candied sugar, and even some vanilla hints. It has a medium rich body and a medium long finish. Quite enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 08:45:04 | More by MoreThanWine

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

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

RickS95

Indiana

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

A little light in color, golden straw, but the nice white head makes up for it. Good retention with solid lacing as the bubbles fall. Not quite clear.

Lots of pepper spice, grape, pear and candied sugar. Very champagne-like, you can almost smell the carbonation.

Tastes like it smells. Pepper and white grape dominate with only hints of the sugar. Slight alcohol in the swallow. Pilsner malts are obvious.

A bit rough around the edges, not real smooth. The spice is aggressive bringing some heat with it. A bit tart and mostly dry in the finish.

It's a sharp beer, not subtle and that keeps the score down a bit. Not as refined as a Belgian.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 03:57:21 | More by RickS95

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

JackieTH

Minnesota

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

Picked up a bomber while traveling through Nebraska.

Poured a glowing golden with a huge, white, pillowy, rocky head that persisted until the beer was drained.

Smell is all about yeast with banana, clove, green apple, coriander.

Taste is bananas and cloves along with green apple, pepper, crackers and bread, and sweetness reminiscent of bubble gum.

Body is medium with a creamy mouthfeel. Well carbonated. While not transcendent this is a pretty darn good tripel.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 03:19:42 | More by JackieTH

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

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

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

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

GratefulBeerGuy

New Hampshire

3.15/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This one starts out with a bang, golden hued haze, bubbly with a high fluffy head. Aroma is pretty classic, heady yeast, sweet malt, maybe too sweet...sour and tangy fruit combo and slightly earthy.

The flavor also starts out really nice, a classic balance of heady, earthy, fruity yeast that adds layers of natural and wild flavor's but the malt is simply too much, with a hot overtone that is not hidden well by the other aspects. The yeast is also not exactly as complex as some other classic Abbey's or American-Belgian's from this style.

The feel once again, starts out active and lively and then as a short time goes by, it relaxes, the head dissipates and is gone. The yeast feel dies out too fast leaving only too much malt.


gotta pass on this one because there is way too many wonderful Belgian or Belgian-style Tripels out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 22:03:26 | More by GratefulBeerGuy

rdilauro

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Golden light beer with a tiny white head. Definite Belgium Hop and Yeast bouquet which was very pleasant.
Clean and very crisp with subtle pear/peach like overtones.
The finish was just as crisp as the start.

After tasting so many of the bigger stronger Belgium this was a pleasant surprise. Its a good spring beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 01:01:45 | More by rdilauro

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Got this before it was released in nj from a brew rep, pumped to try it. Here it goes.

Wow. Brilliant looking beer. Super incredibly clear light gold color with about a fluffy 3 finger bright white head. Nose is big on banana, nuts, and clove with a touch of bubble gum. Some earthy notes are present as the beer breathes.

Wow. Damn, damn, damn good beer. Medium in body yet somehow feels fuller in the mouth due to the complexity and blending of the flavors. Drinks like one sturdy wave of flavor
over the tastebuds. Good carbonation, better than most tripels. Just enough to cut up the body without being over bearing. Classic Belgian flavors present like those present
on the nose but other unique flavors really give this beer a unique spin. Tart green apples with a touch of citrus and a more noticeable hop presence than most. In a good way
though, balances the beer so incredibly well. So incredibly clean as well.

This is an amazing tripel and I can't wait to get this on the shelves.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 05:04:10 | More by jtierney89

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

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

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

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

philbertk

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

MacTarnahan's Brewing Company--Pyramid Breweries, Inc.--Spine Tingler--Golden Belgian-Style Triple--2010 22 oz. Bottle. 8.50% ABV. 23 IBU's. (4.0 / 5.0) Thin no lace head. Hazed thin bright rich straw gold color. Rich aromatic Belgian fruit ester banana coriander front. NW hop hint. Light sediment. Zesty sweet rich Belgian Candy fruit ester pilsner malty body. Bottle conditioned CO2 notes. Clean rich dry sweet citrus hint Belgian spicy mild EtOH end. Sampled 5/16/2010 & 8/28/2010. $4.79 Each.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2010 22:11:34 | More by philbertk

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

Elimination

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 into goblet:

Ap- a yellow that has a drop of brown 'piss colored'
but hey im not saying in a bad way, thin lacing on top, a few bubble trails climbing

smell: fruit, wheat, spice, corianger, banana, a pilsner maltiness, sweet and sugary. I love triples, but this doesnt scream triple to me.

Taste: butter, sweet, spice yes there it is. attribute of a triple, but it feels like its not full boar. Very malty and sugary, disapointed in taste but makes up for in drinkablity

mouth good, has few bubbles when hitting tongue, goes down easy

drink- good for introductory in belgians but if you have had some good ones then this does not compare. good price but thats about it

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 23:44:13 | More by Elimination

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