The Trip XV (Buckwheat Belgian Style) - New Belgium Brewing

n2185

North Carolina

2.89/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

A: Pours a murky brown with a finger of off-white head that fades into a thin ring with no lacing.

S: Belgian spices and candy sugar with dark fruits like plums and dates dominate. There are some bubblegum and yeast notes as well.

T: Belgian spices here as well with candy sugar, slight dark fruit flavors, and a lightly bitter yeastiness. The finish has a big of a steamed veggie flavor to it.

M: Medium body with lowish carbonation, this beer is a little on the watery side.

O: An interesting beer overall that isn't quite successful.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 03:28:32 | More by n2185

hreb

Washington

2.71/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

22oz bomber served in pint glass. Beer pours a very dark red, almost brown, with nearly no head. Aroma is pretty rich, suggesting dark fruit, like maybe prunes. Flavor is deceptively light. Well not light, but I was expecting a flavor bomb. But the mouthfeel is thin, and most of the flavor is in the back. There are mixed sweet and sour fruit flavors, cherry and dates, along with a very slight chalky bitterness. I'm not sure what to make of the buckwheat, or of the grain in general. All around the flavors seem pretty muddled, but most of all I'm just not enjoying this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 03:35:44 | More by hreb

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a quite dark mahogany amber with a fine one finger light tan head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of Belgian yeast, toasted and caramel malt, light and dark fruit and a hint of milk chocolate. Unusual. Interesting flavor of toasted malt, dark dried fruit, chocolate. Finishes with an engaging unidentifiable fruit / herbal flavor that must be from the buckwheat and dandelion. Medium body with nice creaminess. This is a quite complex and well integrated ale with elements reminiscent of porters and dark Belgians, but different from any Belgian stout I've tried. Very nice flavor progression. I really enjoyed this for a very nice change of pace.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 04:22:55 | More by LiquidAmber

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.66/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Found this one on the way home from work tonight at Brewer's Haven on Vista.. Paid a pricey $9.. Poured into my HotD goblet... short lasting khaki head .. decent lacing.. the brew is dark chestnut..

Interesting nose.. bigger roast and sorta burnt caramel notes show big in the front.. some minor fruity Belgian esters (I guess) but no Belgian phenols make their presence known... a bit of char in the aroma with room temperature.

Dark malt and light fruity esters make me think raisin/date... some background roasty malt and a persistent toasted malt lingers.. very light Belgian yeast profile... it is there, but it is light.. as it really warms up, more fruitiness and malt complexity grows... dark toasty notes linger on the finish combined with a mild sweetness and a slight dark cherry fruit presence.

Body is medium with light/medium small bubble carbonation.

Pretty good.. I don't know exactly what buckwheat smells/tastes like, but I suspect a bit light roasty element. This brew makes me think of a very light (all around) Belgian Stout.

3.5/3.5/3.75/3.5/3.75

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 06:16:08 | More by JohnGalt1