Triple Play IPA - Lawson's Finest Liquids

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

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

First had: on tap at Reservoir, Waterbury, VT

Served in a Lawson's pils glass, Triple Play poured a slightly hazy golden color with a small cap of foamy white head. Aroma is hop-forward with a distinctive sugary malt base. There was a great equilibrium of bready malts and hops in the taste; citrus and pine hop notes, with a nice balance of caramel and brown sugar, and neither aspect fully taking control. Medium body, lower carbonation, smooth and very drinkable. Not the best IPA in the world, but surely very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2012 19:34:35 | More by Rifugium

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

had this at the vermont brewers fest last month.

this beer pours a light yellow straw color with a big white head. the smell is extremley floral and citrus, very inviting. this beer tastes the way it smells hops hops hops with no malt extremley dry and well carbonate. this is wat ipas should taste like, i love it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 16:31:20 | More by rowingbrewer

SFLpunk

Vermont

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had to try this award-winning IPA. Went down to American Flatbread Burlington Hearth and had 2 x 12oz pours.

Just a quick review: Decent clarity, with a little haze on a pale amber/gold body and some white head. Nose and palate are all about tropical fruit (guava, mango & papaya) plus some citrus (orange, blood orange and pink grapefruit). Bitter but so fruity it's almost "tart" with hop juiciness (no funk acidity though, just so we're clear).

This is a guard in the new Vermont-style IPA. The texture is chewy and dense with hop oils. Normally I'm not the biggest fan of Citra, but I think it plays an awesome role in this beer adding tropical fruit flavors to the Simcoe and Centennial. A true Triple Play and cheers to Sean!

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2011 04:04:26 | More by SFLpunk

popery

California

4.46/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

It's a cloudy glass of beer. Dark orange in the shadows and glowy yellow-orange in direct light. Medium head, off-white. A blanket of little bubbles. Good lacing and retention. The aroma is a very bright blend of citrus and tropical fruit. It smells like a smoothie made of oranges, tangerines, pineapples, mangoes and papayas. Rich and fruity and citrus sweet. Very little malt character. Just a pungent load of hops. My only knock is that the aroma could be a bit stronger. This bottle is pretty fresh, but I wouldn't be shocked if a pour off a newly filled keg would raise my score. The taste has wonderful hop flavor, particularly for a 7% abv beer. It's just packed with complexity and delicacy. The bitterness is fairly mild. It's just got a ton of flavor. It has that same mix of citrus and tropical fruit. Very bright and sweet, though there's little malt sugariness. It's just all fresh, tasty hops. What malt can be found is light and a bit cracker-ish. Long finish full of grapefruit-ish hop bitterness. Pretty dry. Mouthfeel is medium. Really fills the mouth with flavor. Nice dry finish. Good platform for the hop flavors. This is an excellent IPA, on par with the best of the style. I've been very impressed with all of the Lawson's beers that I've tried, and I'm thrilled to be able to sit down and have a bottle of Triple Play to myself. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 04:33:55 | More by popery

Hendry

Vermont

4.8/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

It is difficult for me to understand how beer enthusiasts outside of Vermont are getting their hands on Lawson's Finest Liquids, but more power to you if you can make that happen. I live an hour from where they make this stuff and it has become extremely difficult to purchase multiple bombers depending on their production.

Again, thanks to my buddy & hop mentor for the opportunity to try Triple Play. All I can say for these Lawson's elixirs is WOW! There is a pride and closeness to attention that make their small batch hand crafted beers extra special, and Triple Play fits squarely in that category.

Triple Play pours a cloudy, hazy off orange color, and the nose is delectable. Simply varying degrees of excellence between this and the Double Sunshine. All of the best attributes in tropical fruit aroma/flavor and aftertaste are delivered but in a slightly heavier consistency than the run of the mill DIPA or Triple IPA. The body is the heavy side of medium, and it rests on the palate. The aftertaste is enjoyable with every slow sip, as this is not a beer for quaffing.

I very much look forward to getting my hands on multiple bombers of Lawson's for my beer archive in the coming months. If you can find this one, chances are good it while make you smile.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 20:53:11 | More by Hendry

oline73

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a goblet.

The beer pours a slightly cloudy orangish amber with a layer of off white head. There is a strong sweetness in the nose along with an aggressive hop note. The taste is bitter right off the bat. Citrus peel hops, more of an east coast profile. Nice light bready malt background. Really bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 01:01:49 | More by oline73

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.46/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a medium to dark orange color with a dense, creamy layer of white foam that hangs out on the top and doesn't go away, a very thick lacing ring as well and very sticky on the sides of the glass.

S - Lots of pungent tropical fruit: mangos, oranges, and pineapple, sweet hoppiness but not sugary aroma, light floral. The aroma is dense and dank.

T - Buttery for a brief moment right off followed by a wave of spicy sweet tropical fruit, faint caramel malt, and morphs into a massive wave of sweet grapefruit and floral bitterness that lingers for minutes afterwards. The hop flavor is resiny, thick, and dense.

M - Heavy medium body and silky smooth on the tongue. Coats the mouth with a orange/grapefruit/floral bitterness

O - Another fabulous IPA from Lawson's that's a must try.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 23:31:03 | More by jzeilinger

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.21/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a murky yellow with brown tint, big off white head, looks a lot like Double Sunshine.

Smells dank and spicy, sweet pineapple and orange, floral notes. Mmm.

Taste is sortof darker, fairly sweet with an almost oaky character, rye like spiciness, not as citrusy as the nose but a touch of pine.

Mouthfeel is rich and thick but great carb too--Lawson's really nails the mouthfeel on their IPAs.

8.5/10

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 02:42:01 | More by AlexFields

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.35/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

A: Pours a hazy golden color with god carbonation but yielding a small whispy white cap that seems to fade away quickly leavng some bubbles and a white collar.

S: Lots of fruits hits sniffer; mainly in the way of citrus...orange peel, grapefruit with a dash of pine and a light whiff of mango perhaps, something tropical

T: The citrus is front and center and pretty much dominates the flavor profile. Fresh juicy citrus at that. A nice bit of breadiness on the body, really refreshng, a bit sweet, almost no booze.

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated, balanced for sure with a healthy dose of Vitamin C courtesy opf the hops.

O: They packed a lot of flavor and body into this single IPA. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 16:29:58 | More by barleywinefiend

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A-light golden amber color with a nice white head and decent lacing

S-tropical fruit, pine, citrus, slight herbal notes

T-citrus, orange, pine, light malt character, slight grassy,a hint of sweetness, moderate bitter hop finish

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, crisp and slightly dry

O-a solid IPA, this blend of hops was interesting, but not my favorite of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 03:50:45 | More by MDDMD

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.45/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bottle procured at the Montpelier Farmer's Market on 3/2/2012. Served in a tulip nonic. Pours a pale, straw gold hue with a translucent clarity and a loose, quarter inch bright white head that eventually settles into a soapy slick - no lacing on this one. Nose on this beer is fantastic - tropical fruits are revealed upfront, followed by faint aromas of cat pee and evening out with an herbal/earthy finish. Taste follows nose; however, the tropical fruit is a bit more intense and has an almost candied quality, while the Simcoe character blends in with the earthy herbal qualities culminating in a light, lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with an assertive, slightly prickly carbonation and light oiliness to the texture. What can I say, this is a fantastic IPA with so much tropical goodness - I wish I picked up a second bottle, but at least I got to enjoy several offerings on-draft as well. I'd love to see more IPAs with this complexity and flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 01:18:30 | More by Jwale73

owend

New Hampshire

4.66/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Hazy, golden-orange with a one finger white head that fades quickly, but leaves behind nice lacing

S- Tropical citrus fruit with a dank, piney undertone.

T- Taste follows the aroma, strong citrus taste with a good dose of resinous piney flavor as well. A bit of malt carries through on the back end, but bitterness returns to dominate the aftertaste

M- medium body with a dry crisp finish that leaves you going back for more.

O-A complex, beautifully hoped IPA, that is deceptively easy drinking. Another great beer from Lawson's.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 00:04:39 | More by owend

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.01/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Slightly hazy orange bottle. Wispy surface after a chunky head dissipates. Thin collar.

Smell - Less citrusy than I thought. Grapefruit and orange hops, but musty resiny hops balance. Hardly any malt presence.

Taste - Follows the nose. Even more of the pine hops than the nose. Strong grainy malt here that I didn't get from the nose. Finishes with just a hint of sweetness.

Mouthfeel - Dry and very bitter. Well carbonated and fairly light.

Overall - I expected more from Lawson's. Every other IPA has been fantastic from them, but this is merely good. First world problems?

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 01:38:24 | More by Alieniloquium

claspada

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a big foamy/soapy white head that recedes to leave some sticky lacing.

Aromas begin with big crisp fresh citrus and floral hops. My buddy and I guessed Centennial and Simcoe even before we read the label. Huge grapefruit, pine, tropical pineapple and mango with some underlying resiny and grassy as well.

The tastes begin with huge grassy, resiny, grapefruit and floral hops flavors on top of a small amount of pale sweet maltiness. Really can't add much more here because it's just an assault of citrus and pine on the palate.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is dry and bitter, just as it should be.

Overall this was a great IPA with loads of flavor and body for a single IPA. A lot of hop complexity for a single IPA as well. The Citra, Centennial and Simcoe play amazying together and create a fantasic treat. A bit resiny toward the end but excess Citra will sometimes do that.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 14:46:47 | More by claspada

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a snifter

Thanks to Hojo for bringing this back for me

Pours a bright orange color with a one+ finger of ecru foam. Good staying power with huge sip marks inside the glass.

Tropical fruit sweetness, pine needles, hop oils, and some lightly toasted bready malts. A touch of honey/sugary sweetness is also present. The aroma is tightly wound. A quick burst of hoppy goodness on the olfactories.

Pineapple, papaya, mango, and apricots come right over top. Excellent tropical feuit melange. Some bready malts and a residual sweetness before a burst of pine/citrus bitterness.

Medium body with excellent carbonation. A smooth, creamy feel with a moderate bitterness. The bitterness is partially balanced by the fruit sweetness.

A damn fine beer that I savored with every sip. Triple Play definitely warrants consideration at the top of the elite list.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 22:33:53 | More by ColForbinBC

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle To Dogfish Head IPA glass

A: Orange honey colored that is totally completely cloudy and to ally opaque. It has a bright white heady that goes up about 2in but dissipates quickly. Not the cleanest IPA but matches the hop profile

S: wow citrus fruit city there is definitely some oranges in there and some mango as well, but they are definitely hops in there. It smells juicy and fresh i really just wanna dive in

T: The taste follows the nose with lots of citrusy and juicy hops, however that is not all that is there by any means. It has a crisp taste a nice more subtile hop bitterness (given this is clearly a hop bomb) and is not overwhelming in fact it is almost delicate as apposed to resiny and lasts on the tongue for quite a while for each sip. Has a lot of flavor for a single IPA but is well balanced as well which is not easy to do.

M: It has a crisp bitter feel upfront it is not quite resiny though. It is very light for an IPA and so thin its almost watery. The carbonation is almost undetectable but it goes go down very easily given the alcohol content, super drinkable.

O: This a a great really drinkable hop forward IPA with lots of juicy citrusy hops, but it is well balanced. This is the best single IPA i have had from lawson's and is actually a close second to Double Sunshine I remember not being blown away in the past but having it fresh it really is a high quality beer I highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 12:22:06 | More by Pinknuggets

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz gold foil topped bottle purchased at Warren Store two days ago. Served in a Lawson's snifter.

Pours a hazed dark golden amber with a frothy off white head that fades to a thick collar, thin film and abundant clumps of lace. Green, resiny and dank nose of Citra and Simcoe hops. Light malt notes, with earthy and leafy hops balancing the citric and tropical hops. Medium thick, well carbonated body with a sticky dry finish. Taste is green, resiny hops, simcoe forward with more cent. hops in the finish to balance out the sweetness. Not quite as bright as Double Sunshine or Hopzilla, a more textbook IPA that still lives up to the Lawson's HYPE.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 01:26:20 | More by yourefragile

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lawson Triple Play IPA pours a hazy light orange with small creamy head. The foam is slow to dissolve leaving behind spots and lines of lace.

The aroma has strong orange and grapefruit citrus. Some sweet caramel malt and lemon rind are also present.

Each sip of this full bodied beer is smooth and slightly creamy with moderate carbonation. The flavor is loaded with orange and grapefruit citrus, grass, tropical fruit and some lemon peel. Some sweet pale and caramel malt are in the background and help sweeten the beer. It finishes very bitter with lingering grass and orange citrus.

This beer has tons of flavor. Lots of citrus with a fair amount of sweetness to try and balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 00:45:35 | More by WanderingFool

UCLABrewN84

California

4.08/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to drewone for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a murky honey orange with a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and tropical fruit. Taste is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, and some herbal hop flavors. There is a medium amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a pretty amazing aroma but the taste just doesn’t quite match up.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 01:10:14 | More by UCLABrewN84

SawDog505

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Got this from Dr. Hennig, thanks so much. Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass. Pours a slightly hazy orange, with a one inch stick white head that leaves beautiful lace. Smell is a tropical citrus mango, pineapple, tangerine, papaya, and grapefruit. Taste is just amazing, very well balanced, with grapefruit dominating the finish in a wonderful way. Body is medium, plenty of life, with a dry finish, and so easy drinking. This is possibly the best IPA that has ever touched these lips, Vermont knows Citra hops like nobody. Wow it is so special. My first IPA or DIPA perfect score.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 21:23:47 | More by SawDog505

aasher

Indiana

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

This bottle was shared by muskabeatz, thanks Evan!

This beer pours a light bodied light amber on color with a slight one finger, soapy white head. The nose features light Citra hops, slight caramel malt, light centennial hops,, with some sticky pine. It drinks with moderate bitterness and it's hoppy and piney with a slightly sweet malt backbone. It has nice flavor and doesn't show any alcohol at all. It's a nice beer. It's a little too dry and too sticky, because of the malt for me to rate higher. I'm glad to have tried it though.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 01:47:19 | More by aasher

raffy313

Texas

4.2/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle poured into a standard pint glass. This bottle was an extra thrown in from a recent trade with cbeer88. Thanks a ton Carl!

A clear golden orange color, with half inch worth of off white head that dissipates rather quickly and leaves behind some spotty lacing. Some interesting looking "floaties"/sediment appear on the bottom of the bottle, when held up to the light.

Aromas are an awesome citrusy, slightly piney and definate fruit sweetness. Bitter grapefruit, with a hint of sweet orange. Also present are some bready malt aromas that round out the nose and make for well balanced beer. Digging the nose alot!

Although abit more muted, when compaired to the nose... the flavors are very similar. A definite bitter grapefruit bite, with some tropical fruit(pineapple, and holy crap... mango! I loooove mango!).

Medium body with a perfect amount of carbonation. Very bitter, very dry finish... yet quite drinkable.

This was my first ever Lawson's offering, and so glad I finally got the chance to try one! As far as aroma... probably Top 3 of all IPA's I've ever had(and I've had some good ones!). Overall... a definate Top 5 in IPA's. Would definately recommend, and absolutely love to try again!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 00:48:55 | More by raffy313

GregSVT

Texas

4.05/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a tulip

A: Pours a clear golden orange with a nice white head that fades to a layering and leaves some nice lacing on the glass.

S: The nose is full of tropical fruits, pine, and a bit of grapefruit. The caramel malt is apparent in the background.

T: The taste starts with a big punch of pine and bitter grapefruit and melds with the tropical fruits from the nose on the finish. The malt is there but it's hard to pick out. A very normal yet tasty IPA.

M: The feel is crisp yet creamy...it's actually very close to a DIPA in the feel. Medium bodied for sure.

O: This is pretty tasty and something I could see myself growing to like if I had access to it. It's nothing mind blowing but it's a solid example of its style.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 06:07:32 | More by GregSVT

sendsilk

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Joeybones for this beer in a recent trade.

Ahh, the much heralded and sought after Lawson's. I have only had 1 other beer from them, the Maple Nipple, and I was not overly impressed.

This beer pours a fairly bright orange but there is a lot of sediment floating around in it. a decent sized head that sticks around the entire time I drink it.
The smell is wonderful and intoxicating on it's own. Grapefruit forward and extremely citrusy. It smells very promising.
Taste- Very nice and refreshing on the front end. There is the promised grapefruit there but the end is a little too bitter for my tastes. This is much more like a double or triple IPA to me. I thought it may be with the name 'Triple Play' but it says on the label it's an IPA with 3 hap varieties, not a double or triple.
Mouthfeel is very nice.

Summing it up, a nice IPA but a bit too bitter for me tastes. It could finish a little bit cleaner for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 22:48:48 | More by sendsilk

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy yellow with a tinge of orange, and a significant foamy head. Hoppy aroma. The taste is a bit vegetable. A good malty backbone and good drinkability and fits well into the style of IPA rather than DIPA.Above average mouthfeel.John’s bottle.Very nice but a little disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 23:49:04 | More by northyorksammy