The Tide And Its Takers - Anchorage Brewing Company

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Apparently a collaboration between Anchorage and Dogfish Head, although the Dogfish Head name is hardly made visible on the bottle print. Batch #1, Oct/2011.

A natural, unfiltered looking beer, kinda raw in appearance: super hazy/cloudy pale dirty yellow/gold with a foamy head that leaves gobs of lace on the glass.

Aroma gives off more Chardonnay than tripel, and a whole lot more Brett-y funk than either Chardonnay or tripel. A bit of wood nudges in. Nice fruity layer in the nose, like sniffing a cup of thick, combined, just-squeezed pear and peach nectar.

The spiciness of a tripel comes into the taste, and the Belgian yeast character (Brett, of course) is as assertive on tongue as in the nose. This mingles with the aforementioned pear/peach juice, Chardonnay, and wood. A bit of a green, leafy hop vibe too, and lemon peel. Fragrant, perfume-y, floral vibe overall. Huge waves of Chardonnay coat the mouth in the finish, mingling nicely with lemony hops.

There's such activity and complexity in the taste, I hardly even noticed the feel and probably wouldn't have cared if not reviewing. I mean, it's quite fine, achieving a great balance between fizzy tickle and smooth buttery texture, with the latter winning out just a tad...apparently every aspect of this beer is a winner.

I don't want to see Anchorage back themselves into a corner with all these triple-fermented, white wine barrel-aged beers...except these beers have been incredible so far, so if they turn into a Jolly Pumpkin type brewer (variations on a theme) then hey, no complaints from me. I've recently been won over by several Chardonnays, after not thinking I was ever going to acquire the taste for wine, so this is a real treat, considering big beers are my thing and the tripel is among my favorite styles. So if you're a beer drinker of similar mindset, you're going to want to try this, pronto. As with all the Anchorage stuff. Wow, best newcomer of the last several years, I think...

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 00:00:18 | More by Metalmonk

claspada

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, milky straw color with about a medium size off-white foam head which has good retention and leaves some nice spotty lacing.

Aromas begin with lots of light fruity notes; apricot, tart green apple, white grapes, lemon bar and earthy and grassy notes in the background. As it warms I get a lot more of the barrel highlighted by buttery chardonnay and oak. Faint Belgian spicy yeast in the background; much more a wild ale than a Belgian ale that aspect.

The tastes directly follow the nose with lemon, light biscuity malt, tart green apple and light earthiness. Buttery, oaky chardonnay flavors emerge and begin to dominate. Definitely doesn't taste much like a Tripel, but I don't care because I dislike Tripels. Light clove in the finish.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with copious amounts of bubble scrubbing, palate cleansing carbonation. Dry thanks to the Brett and the ample carbonation.

Overall this was a nice beet that I was surprised I enjoyed because of my distaste for tripels. It's also quite tame for a wild ale at this point as well and I can only see this developing nicely over time. Chardonnay barrels are the forefront right now which is perfect for my tastes as I enjoy 95% of wine barrel aged beers. Wish these weren't so pricey but the quality is definitely there; not for your novice beer drinker for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 16:49:13 | More by claspada

Patrickbrusil

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a winner. Maybe it's because this is the particular anchorage brew in front of me but I'd venture this is my favorite Anchorage out of the Bitter Monk, and Love Buzz that I've had.

The Brett reigns supreme with a hint of lemony citrus. A bit thin for a triple but who cares. The beer is amazing.

One of the few I'd go into the trenches with.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 04:12:08 | More by Patrickbrusil

pmlondrigan

New York

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Eh? Had high hopes, kinda dashed. Looks ok a first pour, clear, translucent, golden, two finger white head, medium white bubbles. Sadly the apperance is not as it should be. The "head" is not rocky as a triple's should be. Very light citrus, phenolic hint, some remaining belgian esters. A hint of funk and barn but just a hint. The flavor brings the party. Initially light, tart and funky. Followed by a lemon lift, and some distinct sweet vanilla, oak and light spice. The marriage between the oak and beer is the best part of this ale. Full rounded and silky feel, dry oh yes very dry. But alas I will not be buying this again, it was a great journy just not the best beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 05:02:03 | More by pmlondrigan

Ralphs66

New York

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Came highly recommended by Vinny at DeCicco's in Brewster NY. I trust Vinny, not only because he looks trustworthy, but he has yet to steer me wrong. Not cheap at $18, but I'm glad I took it on. Looks like a thick Hefe on the pour, but a thinner head. Brett plays a huge part on the nose, with it's funk and citrus. First sip is over the top orange rind, but I know this one'll be a chameleon. VERY complex. Great carbonation, with a clean astringent bite. I like it very much, although I wish it had a little more sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 22:08:54 | More by Ralphs66

DovaliHops

California

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 1. Pours a murky golden color with a medium-large white head that disappears quickly. Scent is quite lovely. Tart lemon notes with light floral hops and oak. Nice Belgian yeast with some definite barnyard funk from the Brett. A bit of honey and white wine as well. Taste is initially sweet citrus fruits...lemons and a hint of orange, immediately followed by some tart lemon. Floral hop flavors with some intense french oak flavors as well. There is a ton of brett in the flavor as well. Quite complex. Finishes with some white wine, wild yeast, and bitter hop flavors. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and crisp. Drinkability is very high. Overall, this is a fantastic beer, but I just wish I had bought another bottle. What they did with the Brett in this beer is just fantastic, so I would love to see how it ages. Crossing my fingers I find more.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 06:44:29 | More by DovaliHops

abrethanson

California

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Quick take as this is the day after from opening.

Appearance - golden yellow with (1) finger head. Looks like I would imagine a tripel / belgium style beer would look.

Smell - really good. fruity, fresh, and a little funkiness.

Taste - outstanding. Tastes pretty much as imagined with the sweet complexity of a tripel and funkiness from the Brett in the back end. Really enjoyed the spices and the dryness. A little citrus built into the body and some surprising hoppiness along with the funkiness.

Overall - Awesome! It provided a refreshingly tasty option to wash down our homemade meal. Would drink this anytime.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 21:17:34 | More by abrethanson

flannelman808

California

4.58/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First batch 2012 (doubtfully the last)

A: Hazy milky straw in color with about a half inch of cinnamon latte like foam which has good retention.

S: Apricot, tart green grape, Crab apple lemon bar On a window sill over looking a grassy field (faint).  Cardamom and earthy spice shows as this warms up.

T:  More bitter than expected here but in a very clean dry feeling sort of way.  In a way this stuff hits like soda water.  The oak is present but makes a better window than a door (white oak sawdust?). This is really the post modern beer which perhaps began with Westmalle and then Unibroue.  Like Rothko of brewing this beer plays with the perfectly complex simple... Or the idea of honing in on tight areas. Pimp.

A Utopian marriage of flavor though one struggles to name more than a few of them.  Here's an idea and a painting.

  A house sits:  Tippy toed, and defensively stilted amongst sun bleached, oak driftwood  lined, and beachgrass peppered dunes.
Atlantic ocean floor sands, loosing their war of land to sea life and salt water.     Atop a flowery, herbaceous, and mostly purple garden;  stone fruit trees grow while a soft breeze speaks it's surroundings through windows agape.

M:  rich frothy Mad Dog like carbonation with a tingling finish.

O:  underwhelmed and then stunned to some degree.  What's the story with this beer?  Every Anchorage beer I've had to date has treated Brett like Gordon Ramsey or Tom Colicchio treat Risotto... To near perfection.  

This beer is great because it does the same thing but in a totally different way.  It's perhaps the perfect funk beer.  Herbal , spicy, fruity, earthy and let very little defines itself (making the whole greater than the parts). This is no different but it's done very differently from love buzz and bittemonk. I get the feeling this is what de proef initially intended on with it's wild beers. Though this works like high art.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 12:57:25 | More by flannelman808

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.78/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got lucky and happened to roll into Craft on a Wednesday when this had just came in. Poured the usual hazy gold with lots of brett to it, chunky white head. Even though this was 'lots' it seemed lesser when compared w/ the saison, dipa and the witbier.

Belgian yeast thankfully restrained to only the best qualities, which is not a face bracing amount of clove, instead light citrus and chardonnay barrel noise.

Taste as usual hides a high abv, thought the bretty and tart notes were on the lower side for an Anchorage release. Far better than your average belgian trippel for my palate, but the price point on these are always going to be somewhat prohibitive from becoming a regular part of any lineup.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 23:44:41 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Rollzroyce21

California

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 1 purchased from Hacienda.

22oz. bottle poured into tulip.

I get a little bit of a citrusy tripel at first, and then the mellow, chard oak comes in. But the finish is quite interesting; a tingling peppery-ness swirls in and leaves with a bit of dry finish. This is definitely a different take on the tripel that I quite enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 16:04:51 | More by Rollzroyce21

hopsbreath

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured in a pair of New Belgium globes and shared with TulipSnifter. Corked & Caged 750ml bottle picked up for $13 and change in Portland.

A: Slightly hazy gold body with a copious white head that leaves great lacing. 4.5/5

S: Decent citrus, huge pepper, and in your face brett character. 4/5

T: This doesn't fit my typical expectation for Tripel, but none of Fletcher's beers do fit into a defined style. I usually just rate them as their own thing anyway. Lemon specific citrus hops is the front characteristic followed by the spicy brett funk that is omnipresent in Anchorage beers. Nice vanilla essence finishes the beer off with a lingering reminder. 4/5

M: Full silky body with high carbonation to keep things fresh. Would pair well with a soft fatty cheese. 5/5

O: Another good beer from Anchorage. There's a signature to all the beers I've had from them so far that they'll be riding to the hall of fame for sure. 4/5

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 05:13:48 | More by hopsbreath

Reswald

Alaska

4.93/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Let's face it, after the first three marvelous beers Gabe's released, we all know that his next offering was likely to be pretty special, and the tripel does not disappoint. It poured a lovely gold color with a nice white head. The aroma was interesting, with some spicy Belgian yeast notes intermingling with some bright, crisp citrus elements (likely from the Sorachi Ace hops) and just a touch of brett funk. Most of the same flavors were there on the palate, plus a touch of woodiness from the aging in Chardonnay barrels. Mouthfeel was good, and the brett funkiness reappeared significantly on the finish. Given my experience with Gabe's previous beers, I expect that cellaring will greatly increase the brett character, so if you don't like your tripels funky, drink this one fresh. It's 9.0% ABV and 30 IBUs, and one of the best tripels I've ever had. Another masterpiece from Gabe Fletcher's brewhouse.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 21:51:29 | More by Reswald