Sawyer's Triple - Stone Brewing Co.

erica

California

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I only got to taste a small sample of this one but it was enough to be able to say it's good. It was a light amber color and smelled spicy, fruity, like a tripel does. There was a lot of flavours then when I took a sip, sugar, honey, spices, tiny bit of that banana flavour I sometimes get... it was well-balanced, well-blended I felt. The mouthfeel is on the thin side, which took away from the taste a bit for me because I thought it seemed watery then, but the overall flavours were pretty strong so the thinness didn't hurt too much. Drinkability, 4 because of the big flavours with watery mouthfeel. Almost balances out.
Good beer, and I'm very sorry about why this beer came to be.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2003 18:21:47 | More by erica

FLBeerGuy

Florida

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

Poured from a 22 oz bomber secured from the World Bistro

Pours a hazy golden orange with a very thin white head that leaves no lacing.

Smell is yeasty and sweet with some fruit

Taste is hop bitterness followed by Belgian sweetness then some
spicy peper notes

This is a great belgian tripel, worth picking up if you can find it.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 02:50:43 | More by FLBeerGuy

neorunner

Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked this bottle up last year this time when I toured the brewery. 22oz bottle poured into a tulip. Appearance is a nice golden hue, but there is little to no carbonation which is slightly disappointing. Aroma is mostly banana and clove. Mouthfeel is tart and sharp on the tongue. Body is fairly smooth and taste is mostly banana and some mild spice. I love the premise of this beer and the fact that it is for charity, however its not an outstanding tripel. Which I find surprising considering the history that Stone has brewing Belgians.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 02:59:26 | More by neorunner

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

Brewsmith

California

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

From a 2L growler fill at the brewery. Golden yellow with a small white head. Clear. Aroma is banana and bubblegum with a little spice. Malty with more of the bubblegum fruitiness. Clean and dry with a little more fruit in the finish. Some alcohol in there. Balanced and drinkable.

Serving type: growler

12-04-2008 08:40:29 | More by Brewsmith

chrisafari

California

3.45/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: subtle spice, easters (banana) and bubble-gum.

Pours golden amber with thin white head. Easy to make a nice with a quick swirl, but fades quickly.

Flavor: similar to the nose. Pronounced flavors of sweet and pungent fruit: subtle citrus with mostly plum. There is a nice spicy finish in the throat.

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-light body. No lacing. Nice carb., though.

Drinkability: medium to medium-low. The bubble gum easters take away from the drinkability.

Overall: ok. Seems a little weak for Stone. Not my favorite. The bubble gum easters were too overpowering for me, in the nose and in the flavor. I wish there was more spice and more complexity.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 02:59:51 | More by chrisafari

nycwinter

California

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

I bought two of these at the brewery about 6 months ago after our tour guide told us Sawyer's story. I had one soon after, and now the second one is poured into my Chimay chalice. Reading the story on the bottle again, and drinking this tasty tripel really makes me wish I had purchased more at the time.

A: Golden orange hue. Minimal head and lacing to speak of.

S: A very fragrant brew. Cloves and faint banana nut sweetness on the nose with a floral alcohol backbone.

T: I can tell this is a Stone brew right off the bat (hop character maybe?), but it is definitely true to the Belgian tripel style (with a SoCal touch). The malt sweetness sits on the tongue, but the yeast (i think) gives a alcohol bitterness that spreads around the whole mouth and makes the deliciousness stay for a while. Soooo yummy.

M: Medium-light body with alcohol hotness. Carbonation takes a back seat here, but still lets you know it's there.

D: I could go for another bomber. Especially because I'm a sucker for consuming things of which the proceeds go to a good cause. Fight ALD!!!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 04:11:14 | More by nycwinter

dalion037

California

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had not heard of this beer so when i saw it on tap I had to have one. This is a very typical Belgium Tripel. The color was golden brown and it had a nice head on it. The aroma was strong with coriander. It felt like a tripel in my mouth. The evervescence was that of champagne which was nice on the palate. I very good tripel from a bunch of California Yankees.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2008 02:08:48 | More by dalion037

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

joebrewer

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at the brewery.

Clarity: clear. Gold color, poured with little head. Average carbonation: maybe 2-2.5 volumes.

Smells of fruit and flowers (orange blossom?).

Citrusy hops complement the yeast esters. Tastes of fruit all the way through. Maybe a little clove as well.

Tons of fruit flavor in this beer.

Mouthfeel: clean, light body.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2009 15:09:09 | More by joebrewer

Boolshot

California

4.47/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Looking back on my rating notes from a while back: A friend and I split a case of this to help the cause. Truly sad circumstances that made this beer come about. Excellent spice and fruit scent. Tastes of banana, apple, citrus, alcohol, hops and something else which I can't put my finger on. When Stone does a Belgian, they do a great job.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2006 04:48:43 | More by Boolshot

goodspeed94

California

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

A: More of an orange, copper color than others of this style. Fair head retention, transparent body. I'm interested.

S: Yeast, citrus, also see the Chiclet type gum smell. Hints of coriander, ginger. Hard for me to stop smelling this and actually write something because it smells really good.

T: Something is going on here where I feel like I am being brought fast up some flavor roller coaster, and then as I'm about to make the 200ft drop, the ride breaks. Not that the taste of this one is bad, far from it, I just feel like it is stealing it away from me. This is probably just me. That said, the upfront citrus and lingering yeast taste is really nice, very smooth, spices complement well.

M: Good body, light on the palate, large citrus profile, one of those where you let out a big sigh after a sip. Perfect after a long Sunday at work (I know).

D: The difference here is drinkability. Would easily drink this all day, would love it in one of those Adirondack chairs out in the Stone gardens on a good sunny, fall San Diego day.

Fairly different than other Tripels, glad this one was brought back. And to justify drinking this beer as charity, can't be beat.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2008 03:46:34 | More by goodspeed94