Sawyer's Triple - Stone Brewing Co.

flexabull

California

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a bright and hazy gold color with a faint white head.

Aromas are creamy and kind of sweet, with some spice, and citrus. (a touch of lemon)

Taste has a light candied and creamy sweetness. Full and thick mouthfeel, light citrus, some banana, bubble gum, lemon crispness, spices, and a touch of cloves. Finish has a nice mineral hop bite that balances out the malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel as mentioned before is nice and thick, with enough carbonation to balance it out.

Drinkability is very good. Another winner from Stone. No real surprise there, these guys seem to produce nothing but high quality beers, and this complex and very drinkable Triple is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 00:43:08 | More by flexabull

DIM

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a: This was a bright golden color, a little on the dark side. I couldn't coax much of a head out of this one.

s: Sweet banana esters, mild cloves, candied sugar, and a little flowery heat. Nothing overpowering, this was very balanced and complex.

t: This starts off with sweet bananas and some fairly strong clove flavors. The cloves linger into the fnish with some dry, flowery warmth.

m: This had a very viscous body, but the carbonation was surprisingly gentle.

d: Thanks to rallison for a very tasty tripel. If this was a bit less spicy, and the carbonation was tweaked a bit, this could have been great.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2009 10:43:53 | More by DIM

WaXHeLL

California

3.33/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a pint glass - tasted on 4/27/2009:

Appearance - Yellow with a moderate white head. Looks like a "fizzy" yellow beer, as per Stone. Nothing to write home about, and other Tripels have a better appearance. Good amount of lacing.

Smell - Nose is slightly floral and fruity with the typical Belgium yeast undertones. Banana is the first distinctive flavor to hit me. The other flavors are mixed together, with a blend of spices (almost like Christmas spices, but not really) as the only other smell that stands out. Not much of a nose, especially when compared to other Tripels.

Taste - Slightly sweet tones, Finishes with a significant banana aftertaste. The taste definitely has fruit undertones to match the taste. The spice flavor is most distinctive during the finish, with strong nutmeg flavors. The nutmeg flavor is quite good, but still pretty low-key. The flavors are straightforward and muted.

Mouthfeel - The sugars come out in the mouth feel, sticking to your tongue. The lingering aftertaste definitely has a banana tone to it, and sticks to your mouth/tongue like a banana. Not bad, but not great. Significant amounts of carbonation, but not excessive.

Drinkability - Very easy to drink. Decently high ABV, but noting special. Could be a sessions beer, but that would be somewhat pushing it.

Overall -- A little overkill on the banana (which is not my favorite flavor), which is a shame, because some of the other flavors and tones would be much more interesting if they came out stronger. Would definitely prefer a Belgian Tripel over this. Compared to other Stone beers, I'd definitely recommend something else from their strong selection.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2009 04:31:39 | More by WaXHeLL

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy light straw yellow with an off-white head. Nose was nice and fruity sweet but not over the top sweet. taste is spices are quite there too. Touch of hop bitter bite at the end aswell. Nice chew of a mouthfeel and the brew goes down easy. This beer is hotter than it lets on by the ABV. Pretty good Tripel and worth a try for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2009 03:10:10 | More by barleywinefiend

katan

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber into a "glass" from a hotel

A - Pours a darker golden color - very thick looking. Head formation is very strong, leaving behind a 1/2" foam. Very well retained. Very carbonated looking.

S - A tripel no doubt - has a nice combination of yeast spice and boozy phenolic notes. Reminds me somewhat of a syrup for waffles or pancakes. Some bready undertones.

T - Starts off easy - just a bit sweet. Starts to develop a belgian yeast bite through the mid-stream. Finishes with a nice sweet bready malt hit combined with a lingering phenolic warmth. The spicing exists throughout the beer, somewhere in the vein of a clove. Overall the flavors are fairly muted.

M - The carbonation that I see doesn't translate into the bite I taste. The sugary backbone of this beer does hang out on the tongue big time.

D - Low ABV for the style is a big plus for me. Tripels are moving above witbiers as my favorite style. Not at all abusive to the palette from the flavors, nor is it very filling. A highly drinkable tripel.

Glad to support the fight against ALD - and a superb beer to boot. Straight from Stones today from a brewery tour - I doubt it can be more fresh.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 01:37:21 | More by katan

willjschmidt

California

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a New Belgium globe glass.

A: Bright orangish golden color with a nice sized white head.

S: Some light sugar and spicy Belgian yeast.

T: Pale malt base, slightly sweet from the sugar. A nice spicy finish from the yeast. Some light fruits as well.

M: Light bodied, prickly carbonation.

D: A very drinkable tripel. The low ABV for the style helps in this regard. A nice attempt at the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 02:43:44 | More by willjschmidt

HopDerek

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A surprise offering shared by Kegatron.

Poured a clear golden yellow with a nice white head. Retention doesn't last long but leaves some spotty lacing cling. Smells of green apple, pineapple, candy, peppery spices, honey, and yeast. Tastes of mango, pineapple, orange peel, green apple, banana, clove, coriander, honey, Belgian candy, cracker meal, and yeast with a peppery finish. Medium in body with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a nice fruitiness and some spicy notes. A good Tripel that is easy to drink and isn't too boozy.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2009 18:05:29 | More by HopDerek

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Stone Sawyer's Tripel pours up with a modest whitish head that barely rings the bright, deep sunset-peach golden body. The white head dissipates rather quickly leaving some light lacing in its wake. The aroma is ripe with fruity esters (bubblegum, green banana, peach pit) which emerges more as it warms along with some earthy (arugula, coriander, cilantro), floral (hibiscus, redbud, rosehip) & spicy (black peppercorn, coriander) notes from the chosen Belgian yeast. Alcohol is notable, but doesn't detract. The flavor starts off with some honey & candied fruit sweetness which is underscored by a light but unabtrusive bitterness that carries towards slightly sweet, fruity & spicy, cheek warming finish. Sawyer's Triple is one of the better microbrewed tripels that I've had in a good while. Here's to a fine beer for a great cause fighting ALD!

CHEERS! Beertracker

Taster's Note: Thanks to RodBurg for the opportunity!

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2009 03:31:30 | More by Beertracker

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Viggo shared this one. thanks eric!

22oz bottle. sampled march 21/09.

pours crystal clear golden yellow with a small very fine white head. the head quickly drops to a thin ring around the glass and leaves only a few spots of lace.

aroma is great. tropical fruit - pineapple, mango, papaya. nice light belgian yeasty spice. bit of alcohol. crackers and white bread. great caramel and honey sweetness.

taste is good. light honey and caramel sweetness, but it never approaches cloying. the tropical fruit is here too, but not as prominent as it was in the aroma. white bread and a touch of cracker. light belgian yeasty spice.

mouthfeel is good. just over medium carbonation. a little under medium body with a fairly dry finish.

drinkability is good. great balance, hiding the alcohol very well. love the fruity and light spicy character. quite a nice tripel, especially from an american brewer.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 02:00:38 | More by grub

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to googzoid10 for sending this bomber my way in a trade.

Pours a crystal clear amber golden, very nice colour, thin white head forms, quickly settles down to a thin ring and layer, some lacing sticks to the glass, looks alright. Smell is nice, sweet and sugary up front, orange peel, coriander, yeast, some toasty malt, light floral and tropical fruit, wheat, a bit of vanilla and spice, very nice, light citric sourness in the finish. Taste is sweet and fruity, mangoes, honey, sweet orange peel, dry wheat and biscuits in the middle, caramel, coriander, pepper, dry and yeasty in the finish, very fruity. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation, very smooth and drinkable. Alcohol is there but in the background. A real nice tripel, not too sweet, and lots of great spice and fruit character. Thanks Greg!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 01:50:40 | More by Viggo

wiseguy142

New York

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A buddy of mine picked this up for me on his trip to CA. Here it goes.

Pours straw yellow with a brilliantly white head and lots of visible carbonation.

Aroma of yeast, bananas, and sweet fruit and sugar.

Taste is incredibly malty with more flavor coming from the malt than from the yeast. Odd for this style, but very tasty. Very sweet and a slight alcohol presence and fruity finish.

Mouthfeel is very slick and heavy. Not a lot of feel from the carbonation. Considerably more drinkable than many

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2009 02:00:01 | More by wiseguy142

dfillius

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed in a wine glass. One of many unique beers I found at the World Bistro shop during my visit home for the holidays.
A: Moderate pour yields very little head, why so little? Tiny bubble ring, but overall disappointing head level. Dark gold/slightly amber color liquid that is slightly cloudy. Too dark for tripel I would say - pretty, but unconventional. More head please.
S: Belgian fruit, banana, musty farmhouse ale smell, holy basil.
T: Sweet, musty, coriander and clove, nice malt character, honey.
M: Slightly syrupy. Tingly from spicy and herbal character (not carbonation). Good feeling in the mouth.
D: Good. I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. Wouldn't order another, but would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 02:34:24 | More by dfillius

largadeer

California

1.9/5  rDev -52.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Bomber into a Stone tulip. Golden-amber appearance, semi-hazy, with two fingers of pure white froth. Signature tripel appearance. The nose is bubblegum, pure bubblegum. I honestly can't pick out anything else. Whatever yeast they use for this stuff, I'm not a fan. Tastes like a bubblegum sandwich; light breadiness mixed with shitloads of bubblegum. The mouthfeel is sweet from start to finish; where's the dryness? I've never been a huge fan of Stone's attempts at Belgian ales, but damn, this one just sucks.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2009 04:22:21 | More by largadeer

HalfFull

California

2.68/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From a 22 oz. bomber into a large wine glass. Pours a mostly clear light golden in color with a short lived head and just a touch of haze. Retention is brief, surrendering to a surface cap for the duration of the glass, or a surface ring more accurately as this soon looks like apple juice. You really need to force the pour if you want a good head here.

Smell is somewhat sweet and yeasty but offers little depth. Notes of sweet rollup fruits plus some alcohol. Improves with warming. Sweetness easily trumps any yeast notes here, this is the antithesis of a good Belgian in the nose. Yeast notes abound when agitated but settle down rather quickly and remain cloaked in malts of secrecy most of the time.

Taste is a bit soapy sweet and again offers only moderate depth. What's there is citric sweet to a degree, with orange notes dominating.

Decent feel and drink but not really. The beer seems rushed and has a malty sweetness that offers little reason to linger.

Surely an American Triple. Malts are uniform and without a lot of character, yet the sweetness is apparent though not complex. As I embrace Belgian Tripels I question American versions thereof.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 06:34:56 | More by HalfFull

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a clear golden color ale with large foamy head with good retention and good lacing. Aroma of fruity ester is dominating and quite enjoyable. Taste is a nice mix between some fruity ester and light sweet Belgian style malt. Taste is really smooth and alcohol is well hidden as well as any peppery yeast notes usually associated with the style. Maybe a tad too sweet but very well done overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 04:01:58 | More by Phyl21ca

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

4.3/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

GLASS: Chimay Goblet
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 45 degrees
Big thanks to RodBurg for this one!

Pours a clear, golden, orange color, with a hint of amber. One finger head of frothy white foam that dissipates quickly. Lacing is decent, but minimal.

Nice sugarey sweetness greets me first. Followed up with some nice fruitiness and a touch of spices. Slight hints of malts.

A very good, mild triple. Nice fruit flavors, accompanied by a touch of floral. Apples, pears and a touch of banana, are mixed with corriander and clove. The spices are balanced by a nice level of sugar sweetness.

Nice and creamy smooth feeling, in the mouth. Enough body to interest you, yet not enough to overpower. Perfect level of medium carbonation.

If you want a brew that doesn't ask too much of you, this could be it. Very smooth, light, and easy to drink. Recommended, if you have the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 06:13:45 | More by coldmeat23

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to organicbrewer for this Stone bomber. Very touching background based on the description on the bottle, and I applaud Stone for the efforts to raise money for ALD research.

The beer is crystal clear and gold colored with almost no head. The smell is spot on for a tripel, I'd assume Golden Monkey if this was a blind test. Sweet sugary aroma with some spice and a little alcohol. The taste is very sweet, spicy hops breaking up the sugary flavors very well, an after-taste almost like anise? The body is appropriate for the stylelight and drinkable. A very nice take on the style, not overly hopped as you might expect (and want) from Stone, but there's nothing wrong with hitting a bulls eye.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2009 01:34:16 | More by TurdFurgison

KevinBrewer

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a clear orange-gold with a light white head. Moderate retention and minimal lacing.

Aroma of cloves, banana skin, light spices, and flowery hops. Slight sting of alcohol.

Light, sweet fruity taste (pears, bananas) mixed with floral hops, followed by spiciness and alcohol. Light clean hop bitterness at the end. Aftertaste of grain husk and alcohol.

Medium light body with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.

The alcoholic qualities limit the drinkability for me, but otherwise it is a nice brew.

Serving type: growler

01-30-2009 01:19:22 | More by KevinBrewer

rallison

California

3.53/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

New bottling of this beer.

A: Golden orange with a minimal white head that dies relatively quickly.

S: Phenolic sweetness with a coriander sort of spice character. Decent, but not all that inviting for me.

T: A bit on the sweet side with touches of caramel and a somewhat sharp spice and alcohol bite toward the end. Not all that complex and doesn't intrigue like the really good triples (a tough feat though, apparently). Meh.

M: Decent carbonation, but it just isn't lively on the tongue. Something about it seems to weigh it down in a way I don't enjoy. I suppose it could be a tad more dry - that could help.

D: As above, meh.

Maybe some age will help, but this is not really a great triple. Admittedly, I've had few American triples that were truly good, but still. Well, let's see how it ages..

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2009 03:21:43 | More by rallison

sweetbrew82

California

4.63/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bottle into a snifter/ No freshness date

Big thanks go out to Joe for this!

P: Pours yellow from the bottle, and sits apricot in the glass. Barely a 1/2 inch head of off-white foam that disappeared immediately. Not much lacing.

A: Citrus-flavored bubblegum, ripe bananas & pears, light malts, dash of pepper, and a slight alcohol presence. Smells good!

T: Bubblegum flavors burst onto the scene from the opening sip, accompanied by floral (and slightly citrusy) hops, bruised bananas, apples, pears, and cloves all tied together by a light malt presence. Sweet for the first second, then leans toward being a bit more bitter & spicy from the pepper & alcohol. Finishes dry with a much more pronounced malt, and a kiss of yeast to balance things out. This is damn tasty!

M: Medium-bodied, smooth, clean, moderately carbonated for a good bite.

D: Very drinkable. I sit here writing this wishing that I had another to enjoy.

Notes: I sure am glad that I was able to get my hands on one of these puppies. I enjoyed it immensely! Complex, full-flavored, and downright satisfying. What else would you expect from Stone. Outstanding!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2009 03:48:39 | More by sweetbrew82

mikedashg

California

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pored into a Stone sniffer. Pours nice with a thick white head that comes very late in the pour. Nice and easy pour. Golden Yellow / Apricot in color. There is some light lacing, but it disappears very quickly.

Smell: Clove, Banana, Light Hops

Taste: Clove, banana, vanilla, moderate bitterness, very hefeweizen like. Would be a good entry level craft brew for someone who is use to adjunct lagers.

Mouthful: well carbonated and moderate mouthfeel

Very good drinkability on this one. Nice and smooth, good carbonation. Not too heavy, not too light. The ABV on this one isn't over the top, but more then your average brew.

I would bring this to a party of adjunct lager drinkers and open their eyes to good taste, flavor, a little higher ABV and still REAL drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 03:15:14 | More by mikedashg

badbeer

Iowa

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Apricot color with a white head that doesn't really leave any lacing or retention. Smell is grainy and has some nice clove, bubblegum, and some other spice to it. Taste is sweet, grainy malt with some light spice, clove, bubblegum, and lemon to it. Higher than medium body with relatively light carbonation to it. Might be a bit better if it was more dry, but it's still pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 03:37:18 | More by badbeer

ArrogantB

Colorado

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

22oz bottle thanks to mashmaster, nice golden orange clear color, decent head, decent lacing. Smells like a fruity tripel. The taste is subtle but nice spice, fruit flavors, usual tripel profile. I was actually surprised to like this as much as I did but it was good and the lower (for a tripel) ABV was welcome.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2008 05:01:57 | More by ArrogantB

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of numbeercruncher - thanks!! Split w/ dkachur and poured into a cervoise.

Appearance: Pours a clear, filtered orange gold, very vibrant and bright. The half-finger white head fades distressingly quickly, unfortunately, and the lacing is splotchy, runny, glittery. Carbonation is faint as well, though what is there is fast, fine, quick. The color's really nice, though I really wish the head had a little more to offer.

Aroma: Now that's more like it. Very crisp and clean, with tons of fruit, spice, and great Belgian malt notes. Pineapple, clove, and bubble gum seem to be the dominant three representing from each of those category, though there are deviations - pears and bananas, coriander and faint cinnamon, honey and other sweet, pale pils malts. Faint herbal notes - thyme, mint - are faintly noticeable. Very complex and full-bodied.

Taste: Halfway between sweet and dry, and very similar to the nose - fruity, spicy, and malty. It's really very similar to the nose, in fact - pineapple, banana, melon, clove, bubble gum, cotton candy - but with a soupcon of tartness that detracts ever so slightly from a few of the flavors.

Mouthfeel: Well-carbonated and medium bodied, but incredibly even and thin. It's fantastically delicate and smooth, but still somehow crisp and lively. Great.

Drinkability: What a fantastic beer, and for such a fantastic cause too. I'm very, very glad to have tried this one - many thanks again to a fantastic trader, numbeercruncher - and definitely would recommend it to others. Alcohol is not unreasonable for the style and well-hidden, the flavors and aromas are wonderfully complex and inviting, the mouthfeel is smooth yet crisp ... I'm gonna have to call this one a definite winner.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2008 08:01:30 | More by CrellMoset

GClarkage

California

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12/17/08- Purchased at Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, CA.

Presentation- 22oz silk screened bottle. Not sure of the freshness. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

Appearance- Very clear orange-amber colored pour. Smaller 1/2 inch, quickly dissapating head. Leaves some light streaks and a few spots of lace.

Smell- Mild whiff of alcohol, lots of brewers yeast, some corriander and a bubble gum nose.

Taste- Bubble gum is quite heavy. Could actually pass for a hefe, or maybe a kristallweizen. Good amount of corriander and some light sugar. Alcohol is present, but not overwhelming. Flavors meld together decently enough. Hops come through at the end of each sip.

Mouthfeel- Medium to a lower carbonation level. Very crisp with a very slight hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste.

Drinkability- Good job by Stone. Not great, but definitely drinkable. Worth every penny for the cause. I would by more if it were available out here just for that reason alone.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 16:06:07 | More by GClarkage