Triomphe Belgian IPA - Brewery Vivant

Alextricity

Michigan

4.48/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

No canning date. Bought a 16oz can for $2.79 at Fairway Sav-Mor Drugs in Eastpointe, Michigan. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint Glass.

Appearance: Pretty clear, with some particles floating around. The beer is a sexy amber color. The light brown, soapy textured head is about two fingers or so and lasts quite awhile. Lacing is quite thick and attractive (that's what she said...).

Smell: Wow was the first word I thought and said when I smelled this one. Truthfully, it smells a lot like apple sauce... to me, anyway, and I'd guess that's the yeast. There are some spices in there as well, but an apple aroma is what I'm pulling out of this the most, for sure.

Taste: The apple sauce flavor is really prominent up front, and lasts throughout the sip. On the finish there's a very tasty malt character with a quick burst of hops. Given that this is a Belgian IPA, I was hoping the hops would come through SOMEwhere. A unique as hell beer, and I dig it. A lot. It's easy drinking, the flavor hits you and is gone, the carbonation isn't high, the ABV isn't all that high... this is one I could drink quite a bit of. The bitterness in Triomphe is balanced out very nicely by the apple flavor, as well as the malt. The can claims the beer is "strongly bitter", but it's not. I think it's about middle-of-the-road.

Triomphe is an interesting beer that changes quite a bit as you make your way down the glass. It smells great, has a fantastic flavor, feels awesome going down... I think the Bros. gave this a more accurate rating than the majority have. Of course, that's all subjective.

Regardless, DEFINITELY seek this one out and try it for yourself. For the love of GOD, do it! And YES, I drank this beer sober.

Serving type: can

05-03-2013 15:46:10 | More by Alextricity

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.31/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Thanx Shamrock071521:

Into a chalice:

A: dark golden brown with a two finger white foamy head that quickly dies and leaves one ring and some trickling foamy lacing trying to stick but still sliding

S: tart and sour with some citrus and grapes combing nicely

T: tart and sour again, becomes somewhat bitter, sweet dry aftertaste and finish with some light apples in the finish as well

M: light to medium, sessionable, moderately carbonated, slightly smooth

O: interesting take on a Belgian IPA, a bit sour/tart for my liking, but hey it fits the style, unsure if I'd come back to this but I'm not as into the tart/sour beers, so take my review with a grain of salt

Serving type: can

05-03-2013 14:29:02 | More by kangarooAdam59

downeyj4

Michigan

4.44/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I'm going to go out on a limb here and put this up as one of the best IPAs that I have ever had. If you strictly love the hops, then this won't be a great IPA for you. However, if you enjoy Belgian style beers and also enjoy American IPAs, this is a good mix of the two. It focuses on the hop aroma and bitterness, but still has that farmhouse flavor that Vivant always looks for. I appreciated this adventurous IPA.

Serving type: can

04-30-2013 03:37:35 | More by downeyj4

Thaddeus

Michigan

3.44/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Clear amber color with an off-white frothy head about two fingers high.

Aroma & Taste: Nice hop notes of herbs and pine and medium body. Slight malt notes to it. Overall the beer had good hops that added a nice bitterness to the beer. The beer didn't take to long to finish with no lingering bitterness.

Serving type: can

04-26-2013 16:10:33 | More by Thaddeus

finstadp

Michigan

3.28/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

The Triomphe Belgian IPA from Brewery Vivant was pleasantly surprising. It had an orange or amber appearance with a full body. It had a strong smell of hops. The flavor and mouth feel were very full-bodied. It was both rich and heavy but a great beer all and all.

Serving type: can

04-24-2013 19:08:21 | More by finstadp

Randallt11

Illinois

3.61/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Lovely orange color. The smell is quite sweet and fruity, without any spice or funk. Flavor is too sweet for my tastes, with a lot of cherry/orange and only a little tartness. A nice beer, but I'd prefer something with less fruit, more tart, and a bit of earthiness.

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 16:28:09 | More by Randallt11

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.99/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours dark gold with a finger and a half worth of white head. Left no lacing.

S - Very fruity. Oranges, Grapefruit, grapes, lemon and a little bit of mango. Everything jumps at you except for the mangon.

T - Quite a lot going on in this department. Some slight mango and slight pineapple show up at first, followed by a small amount of dates and an even smaller amount of figs. Bitter grapes and apples also make their way into the finish.

M - Light bodied with extremely heavy carbonation. If you allow it to sit it starts to taste like rotten pears.

O - Overall, It was good but it could definitely use some work. The rotten aftertastes have got to go. I'm sure Vivant could work on this very well.

Serving type: can

02-11-2013 05:36:46 | More by SometimesIfart

buschbeer

Ohio

3.51/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16 ounce can
Served in a tulip glass

A - It is caramel colored and clear. Two inches of off-white head cap it.

S - My first impression was that I had my nose in a pine tree. Further whiffs, revealed some citrus and sugary malt. It reminds me of Christmas with the smell of the tree and baking cookies and for some reason someone is eating an orange and a grapefruit.

T - It has a malty sweetness to it with some juniper taste on the finish. It is not as overwhelmingly juniper tasting as I recalled. It seems a lot sweeter.

M - Moderate

O - I had one when I bought it two weeks ago and hated it. Today it is not as offensive. I'll chalk it up to being drunk the first try.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 04:19:40 | More by buschbeer

barnzy78

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pint can pours copper with a tall, rocky, ivory head that holds excellent retention and leaves some nice lacing on the glass. Awesome nose with floral hops, fruity, tropical notes, citric, spicy Belgian yeast. Tastes are a nice balance of sweetness, bitterness, and complexity; fresh grapefruity citrus shines through the caramely and biscuity malt. Fruity and spicy notes come through with the Belgian yeast, finishes bitter with some pine and astringency. Thinner body, but ample carbonation. Overall, it did pull through in flavor even though it didn't quite live up to the initial wow factor with appearance and aroma. Definitely recommendable.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 00:41:25 | More by barnzy78

CopperMtnPlowboy

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottom of a pint can into my Cleveland Browns pint glass. It's a beautiful clear copper color. Almost no haze at all. It looks like a good beer should. Not much head, but displayed a light effervescence.

Smells a little on the sweet side with a bit of floral aroma.

Taste is better than I expected from the smell. Though it is slightly on the sweet side, the floral and orangey-citrus flavor makes this a tasty brew, though it hits quickly and fades fast.

The feel is slightly on the creamy side which contrasts with the appearance.

Not a bad beer at all. I bought it for my can collection, but would go out of my way for another.

Serving type: can

01-30-2013 04:06:05 | More by CopperMtnPlowboy

shivtim

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A solid Michigan Belgian IPA. Poured into a tasting glass from the can. Hazy straw color, slightly murky but still translucent. Lacy white head. Hops on nose. Taste is a combination of barny hay, hops, and a tangy citrus sweetness. Hops linger.
Good mouthfeel. Nice beer overall.

Serving type: can

01-17-2013 21:43:28 | More by shivtim

mjshearer1

Michigan

4.8/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Golden white with a billowy head, depending on how you pour.

S: Sweet Belgian notes along with citrusy hops.

T: This brew has a great balance between the Belgian character and the hops.

M: Good carbonation, on the thin side, but nothing offputting.

O: Great brew from Vivant. I don't know why I've always hesitated picking this up, but I am definitely going to pick it up more often.

Serving type: can

01-14-2013 21:58:19 | More by mjshearer1

elNopalero

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

No idea when this was bottled but I took the plunge anyways.

I will say, from my first impressions, this beer makes one impressive pour. I am using a “chalice” and just amazed at how nice this beer looks—wonderful creamy head that hangs around for days (or several minutes, at any rate) and a toasted straw with a hint of amber.

There’s a boldly hoppy aroma that states its presence, sharp, crisp and strawlike. The flavor is hop forward with a strong straw presence that finishes with some orange citrus. Very light “Belgian” character, to be honest. This strikes me more as a straightforward IPA with some floral notes at the end, which I suppose is the Belgian aspect. A nicely enjoyable blending of styles which I enjoyed. I certainly won’t have any trouble working my way through the remainder of the four pack.

Serving type: can

01-14-2013 07:29:36 | More by elNopalero

Biffster

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

It's a brilliant clear deep amber with golden highlights. The head is dense and off white, but very quickly dissipates to a low lace.

The aroma is fruity and bready - lots of apple and pear and apricot along with the toasty rye bread aroma. The hop aroma is low to moderate, with some spicy woody hop notes. There is not a lot of citrus hop notes, and there is not much in the way of spicy Belgian phenols.

It is bready and not at all sweet at the sip, and this maltiness give way quickly to a fairly intense hoppy flavor. It is spicy from the hops, but the darker rye crust malt notes linger admirably. The finish is a blend of hops and malt, with the balance to hops. It is not intensely bitter, and the malt note lingers well, but it is hoppy and fairly clean.

The beer had a medium full body but with a nice spritzy carbonation that combines with the bitterness to help dry it out.

Overall, I find it to be a very tasty and approachable beer, very friendly to food. I am guessing it would be a little more versatile with food than most IPAs. The Belgian notes? Meh. Id like some more phenols and fruity esters to give a more characteristic Belgian flair.

Serving type: can

01-06-2013 23:59:17 | More by Biffster

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in an Ohio State shaker pint glass.

The idea for a Spelunky drinking game came to mind during this beer: every time you die, you take a drink. Could be deadly. Anyway, this stuff pours a partly-cloudy sunset amber topped by a finger of slightly-glowing off-white foam. The nose comprises pine resin, grapefruit rind, light grass, and very light Belgian yeast. The taste brings in more of the same, but with a good amount more grapefruit. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda drying finish. Overall, a nice Belgian IPA. Though nothing amazing, it'll definitely quench your BIPA thirst.

Serving type: can

12-19-2012 00:28:07 | More by TMoney2591

ChadQuest

Illinois

3/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Body is a vibrant rustic golden color with a large amount of billowing carbonation.
The nose is pears and fruity yeast notes with a bit of earthy hops and citrus american hops.
bright and floral with more sweetness then bitterness all around. A light amount of citrus hops give a the only bitterness found, but the soft fruits of the belgian yeast overwhelm them.
low carbination, slightly creamy, and medium bodied.

c/3 = Average

Serving type: can

12-18-2012 02:41:56 | More by ChadQuest

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16 oz can courtesy of mseguin pours a mostly clear, dark copper color with a small-bubbled tan head. Retention is average and lacing pretty nice.

Nose is just about equal parts Belgian yeast and citric-ly earthy hops. Biscuity malt and has an English maris-otter character to go with it. Pretty good, one of the better smelling Belgo-IPAs Ive had.

Taste again shows great balance and has a firm, assertive malt presence. The yeast gives it more of a phenolic flavor than most of this style. Hops are grassy and don’t seem to fight the yeast as much as a tropical or overly citric variety. Mouthfeel is a tad watery; despite the sweetness...maybe some more CO2 is solution would be better. This is a good beer, I think it is one of the better Belgian IPAs I have had, admittedly not a favorite style for me.

Serving type: can

12-16-2012 19:48:15 | More by twiggamortis420

lstokes

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy copper with a beautiful head and steady lacing. The smell is fairly sweet, with the yeast and clove prominent, and it tastes kind of like a mulled IPA--citrusy hops but also cinnamon, clove, even a touch of nutmeg? I'm digging this one. Mouthfeel is also creamy and smooth with a pleasant lingering spice. Will definitely buy again.

Serving type: can

12-03-2012 03:33:21 | More by lstokes

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a nonic)

A- The slightly hazy aged copper hued body has a thick butter cream head that fades to a thin ring and sticks to the glass with each sip before sliding back down. There is a wall of gentle carbonation working its way to the surface.

S- The abbey yeast aroma is fruity with a hint of dry slightly fruity hops to follow. The aroma fades as the beer opens up.

T- The fruity yeasty character blends with dry unripe fruit cocktail hops flavor that lingers to the finish. There is a hint of bitterness in the after taste that offers a nice contrast to the hops flavor. As the beer opens up the hops take on a new sneaker taste that is just a bit of green citrus pith in flavor.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat and a gentle crisp fizz.

O- This beer has a great blend of fruity and abbey yeast characters that blend with nice hops flavors. The beer is fairly dry with is a good balance with the fruity flavors. It just loses the aroma to quickly. Very nice Belgian IPA

Serving type: can

11-28-2012 14:46:10 | More by rhoadsrage

Bitter_Echo

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours coppery bronze, like so many of them. Smells a little sweet, like a distant bakery, and malt, and grain, and breads, and only sweetish fruits and desserts. Taste is malt and sweet, and biscuits and some bitterness, but subdued for an IPA. It has the feel of a Belgian, that's for sure. Mouthfeel is fussy and refreshing, and zippy and dry...great here. Overall, a fine offering.

Serving type: can

10-25-2012 22:46:36 | More by Bitter_Echo

KDawg

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Slows bbq. Poured into a pint glass and pours a medium gold color with a nice and foamy head.

Nice aromas of citrus, hops, oranges and spices. It doesn't have that much depth to it, but is nice.

Very good medium/full feel with nice depth and notes of citrus, navel oranges, and spices. Nice and smooth feel too.

A quality belgian ipa. It was also nice to have with some brisket.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 05:32:35 | More by KDawg

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Can with no freshness information poured in to CBS snifter.

A - Cloudy medium orange colour with two fingers of thick cream-coloured head.

S - Spice, Belgian yeast, clove and a floral hop aroma up front with a bready malt backbone.

T - Moderate bitterness up front with floral and light citrus flavours. Bready malts, spice, clove and Belgian yeast add some balance and background flavours.

M - Light to medium body with moderate carbonation.

Serving type: can

08-31-2012 02:12:44 | More by TheSevenDuffs

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a can of Brewery Vivant's Triomphe Belgian IPA last week for $2.59 at The Lager Mill. This is the last of their year round beers that I have yet to try and I thought that I shouldn't ignore this one, so lets see how it goes. No visible canning date. Poured from a 16oz can into a Belgian Tulip.

A- I like the way the can looks, the guy riding the horse almost looks biblical and is pretty bad ass if you ask me, Brewery Vivant makes their cans look good. It poured a little hazy golden orange color that a golden that took on a dark almost amber color when held to the light with four fingers worth of rocky white head that died down to a thin layer that stayed till the end and left some nice chunky and sticky lacing. I really like the way this beer looks for the can to the color to the head, it just looks really good and it was pretty close to being perfect.

S- The aroma starts off a little sweet with some malts that impart some bready and light caramel aromas. Up next comes the hops which impart some earthy, grassy, and slightly citrusy aromas. I only get a slight bit of Belgian yeast that imparts a really light amount of spices. The aroma was ok but I would like some Belgian yeast and citrus hop aromas.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with some malts that impart some sweet, grainy, and bready aromas. In the middle I pick up some Belgian yeast that stuck out just a little more then it did in the aroma and impart some light spice flavors, mainly cloves. Towards the end I get some nice grassy and earthy hop flavors along with a light amount of citrus with a pretty light amount of bitterness and a slightly malty and grassy aftertaste. This beer tastes ok, but I wish the hops stuck out a little more and I wish it was a little more bitter and some more Belgian yeast wouldn't hurt either.

M- Really smooth, crisp, a little dry, on the light side of being medium bodied, with a higher amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was ok but I thought that carbonation could be toned down a little.

Overall I thought this was an ok beer and a slightly above average example of the style, it was going in the right direction but it seemed to be a little rough around the edges. It had good drinkability, it was pretty smooth and refreshing, I could drink a pint or two but that would be my limit. What I liked most about this beer was the appearance and the drinkability, this beer looked really good and was much more drinkable then I thought. What I liked the least about this beer was that the flavors seemed just a little muted and not as intense as they should be, it might be a little old but with no canning date I can't be sure so I'm holding that against them. I would buy this beer again, I would like to try it fresh and I would recommend giving it a try if you are into this style. All in all this is another solid beer from Brewery Vivant, it seems to me that all their beers are pretty solid at the least and that is really reflected in their three year round beers, I would say this is my second favorite, with Solitude being my favorite and Farmhand being my least favorite. Good job guys, you make some quality beers and you can beer sure that I will be waiting for the next new brew from Brewery Vivant to hit the shelf's, I see good things in the future for this brewery.

Serving type: can

07-08-2012 03:56:11 | More by StoutHunter

dorianmarley

Ohio

2.95/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

16oz can poured into tulip

Appearance is golden orange with a very fluffy, white head and extremely sticky lacing.

Nose is filled with sharply fresh hops, vanilla bean, pine, and oak.

Taste is bland for a Belgian. The sharp hops fall flat on taste. There is an interesting sour component, but there is little to compliment or contrast with it. You are left with mostly sourness, with some vanilla and a bit of hops. But it is way too light.

Mouthfeel has a carbonation similar to seltzer, and does not have enough body to support a Belgian.

Overall, I have been to Vivant and know they are better than this. Try a different style of theirs.

Serving type: can

07-08-2012 03:22:37 | More by dorianmarley

MadScientist

New York

4.23/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Can purchased from the brewery.

This pours a medium amber with an orange glow and a large, rocky off-white head.

Hops are the first thing I smell with a medium citrus and pineapple aroma and a moderate grass note. The belgian yeast aroma, thought faint is there with a mild orange ester and moderate peppery spice with a pleasant earthy and dusty notes. There is a malt sweetness in there as well.

The flavor is a blend of American hops and belgian yeast. The hops have flavors of citrus and pineapple with a touch of pine while the yeast brings flavors of an orange fruitiness, a moderately strong pepper and some earthiness. There is a medium bitterness with a bit less malt sweetness and a dry finish.

This has a medium-light body with a medium high level of carbonation. There is a slight prickle towards the end.

This is my kind of beer with good hop flavors and bitterness built around good belgian characters of fruit and spice.

Serving type: can

07-08-2012 00:08:30 | More by MadScientist