White Birch Barrel Aged Tripel - White Birch Brewing

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From the 25 fl. oz. corked bottle dated November 2010, Batch PN1, and #93 of 276. Sampled on April 26, 2011. It has been shelved for six months. It pours a cloudy yellow tone with a short-lived fizzy white head and a whole lot of bubbling carbonation almost like champagne. The aroma is full of malts, yeast, sweet sugars, and overripe fruit. I was a bit disappointed about the thin body but the taste was also nicely balanced with malts, yeast, sweet sugar, pepper, and lemon zest. This one seems to have generated a number of bad reviews which is unusual for White Birch. I will admit that some of their beers are better but this one holds its own very well.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 00:11:51 | More by puboflyons

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +19%

04-23-2013 05:33:11 | More by Kelp

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev +4.2%

03-07-2013 03:38:27 | More by t0rin0

IdrinkGas

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -10.7%

09-30-2012 02:36:01 | More by IdrinkGas

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A corked and caged 750 mL from Bert's Better Beers over a year ago. Aged out nicely, I hope.

A: The tripel, I'm guessing, didn't spend time in any red wine barrels (despite the 'PN' on the label that I assumed to be Pinot Noir), a golden yellow that is radiantly clear. A wispy white head, a thin webbing, rests in the center of the glass.

S: A medicinal lactic aroma, almost Berlinner-like, leaves off. It's not exactly tripel material but it is that White Birch house aroma. The oak is fast on its heels, bringing a vanilla laiden aroma and plenty of wood to the stage. I'd go so far as to say that the age has done the beer some good.

T: Well-carbonated, the bubbles jump around quite a bit. The house flavor is here, can't really avoid it I suppose, popping up immediately after the bubbles subside and then again in the finish. The middle of the sip is the highlight, where the barrel coalesces against ale. Vanilla and oak are present, not overpowering, and help draw some of the sugary candi flavors out of the tripel. As the tripel settles in to room temperatiure, the flavors mature nicely. The tripel's sweet strength is obvious, a warmth that pairs nicely with the oak barrel. A good tripel by the end; the barrel doing nice work.

M: Easily one of the best that I've had from White Birch, the oak and tripel taking their time to emerge. When they do, the candi sugars, strength and oak come together nicely.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 02:11:33 | More by akorsak

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.35/5  rDev +29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 10/6/2009 Batch 1 22oz wax dipped
Pours a clear solid golden color with a good sized white head that quickly dissipates to a ring on top. Smells of bourbon, vanilla and oak mostly. There's a faint aroma of light fruit and spicy yeast deep underneath. Taste is pretty complex actually. I get the barrels contribution first, lots of vanilla, oak, tannins, bourbon up front. That's followed by a sugary malt sweetness as well as some light strawberry and apple flavors. Leaves a long lingering brown sugar and fruit sweetness in the finish as well as a touch of ethanol. Medium to light body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet fruity sugary mouthfeel. Wow that beer has done well with some age on it! Clean smooth complex and flavorful, I wish I had squirreled a few more of those away.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 00:05:53 | More by johnnnniee

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -10.7%

01-02-2012 01:01:58 | More by InspectorBob

jophish17

Georgia

2.5/5  rDev -25.6%

12-24-2011 07:51:55 | More by jophish17

nathanjohnson

Vermont

1/5  rDev -70.2%

12-18-2011 00:14:39 | More by nathanjohnson

photomike

California

3/5  rDev -10.7%

12-15-2011 04:47:52 | More by photomike

alamode

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +19%

12-14-2011 23:31:47 | More by alamode

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +19%

12-12-2011 15:33:32 | More by FrankLloydMike

rab53

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -10.7%

12-10-2011 04:03:57 | More by rab53

bum732

Maryland

2/5  rDev -40.5%

12-01-2011 18:54:36 | More by bum732

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +19%

11-26-2011 18:34:05 | More by Rochefort10nh

waiting4lunch

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +48.8%

11-23-2011 14:29:32 | More by waiting4lunch

bob727

Florida

4/5  rDev +19%

11-22-2011 08:02:09 | More by bob727

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

2.53/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle November 2010
Batch PN1
Bottle 255 of 276

A - super pale, very champagne like, with a light straw with almost a rosy/peachy complexion, the pour wells up a huge frothy virign white head that fades away swiftly to a lacy ring fed by steady fast carbonation

S - dry, the aroma is also a la champagne, apples and grapes, particularly grapeskins, some honey like sweetness

T - fruity, at first, apples come to mind, then more beer like elements shine through, but the mild hops are fleeting into tropical fruits and a menthol like finish

M&D - effervescent and sharp, almost acrid at times, not like any other tripel I have had, perhaps it had too much age on it, although many other reviews have espoused similar characteristics, perhaps its just not a great tripel.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 02:20:28 | More by sinstaineddemon

Mac19872

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +19%

11-17-2011 02:48:15 | More by Mac19872

richbrew

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -10.7%

11-16-2011 01:37:08 | More by richbrew

ZacharyJ

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +19%

11-16-2011 01:37:03 | More by ZacharyJ

ktrillionaire

Florida

1.27/5  rDev -62.2%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Pours a light and hazy yellow hue, with a sparse cap of thin white filmy froth; poor showing for a Tripel. Smells like fermented horse’s urine (or worse.) The flavor is not directly suggestive of urine or feces, as the nose is, but nonetheless it is generally very poor, like a nightmarish 'Herbed/Spiced Beer' and nothing like a Tripel, also nothing like something that has seen Pinot Noir barrels (though it allegedly has.) The smell of this beer is beyond disgusting, and far worse than anything I could’ve possibly expected. This is likely the worst beer I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, this tasting has featured two straight-up ‘F‘ beers, with the other one being Brasserie Des Rocs Grand Cru, which was just as bad, but for different reasons. Oh yeah, this was batch PN1.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 04:30:44 | More by ktrillionaire

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

1.88/5  rDev -44%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Batch PN3, bottle 123 of 252

Appearance was most unimpressive. Hazy tannish yellow with no head, despite a rough pour, and no lacing at all.

Very yeasty smelling, along with coriander and earthy funk. OK at best.

Not too impressed with the taste. Coriander, lemon, yeast, cardboard, funk.

Feel is very poor for a tripel. Watery as hell, little carbonation, thin, watered down yeast aftertaste.

Overall it's in desperate need of some work. I see the reviews are all over the place, some stellar, some terrible, but there aren't enough of each individual batch/barrel type listed to spot an obvious trend. I suspect there's a large variation in batches. This batch wasn't good at all.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 15:13:58 | More by AlCaponeJunior

womencantsail

California

1.7/5  rDev -49.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Corked and caged bottle. I got a couple of these. Thanks to those who sent them.

A: The beer pours an incredibly pale yellow color. This is a tripel?

S: The aroma is almost meaty. Quite woody with a definite coriander note. Some light spices, wet cardboard, and lemon are also present. It's also got a definite hot dog water aroma.

T: It's sweet with wet paper and cardboard flavors. A touch of yeast followed by an overwhelming flavor of hot dogs. Just a bit of pale malt and pears. This was pretty awful.

M: Very light bodied for such a big beer. It has medium carbonation.

O: Not a proper color, not supposed to smell and taste like hot dogs. Not sure much was done right on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 23:21:34 | More by womencantsail

AgentZero

Illinois

1.4/5  rDev -58.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

A - Oddly light looking beer for something that is barrel aged. Hazy yellow color, confusing more than anything else.

S - Smells like rotten vegetables, vitamins, and fusal alcohol. There's some faint wine notes also, but none of this is good.

T - This beer is bad. It's not just bad for beer, it's bad for pretty much anything. Tastes like medicinal alcohol, vitamins, rotted vegetable matter. I have no idea how this gets into a bottle, either the brewer didn't taste it, has no taste buds, or hates us.

M - Lighter bodied with some moderate carbonation and a dry finish.

O - I swear you have to be trying to make a beer this bad. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 23:20:07 | More by AgentZero