Hoperation Tripel Cross Belgian IPA - Phillips Brewing Company

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

4.34/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

New bottle tried on 04-28-2013
A substantially better bottle than the first. Crisp bitterness with Juicy Fruit hop aromas & flavours coupled with Belgian esters. Very nice beer.

04-20-2013
650 mL bottle newly arrived at the MLCC Crestview. Bottle label appears to be notches 2 - Aug. WTF does that mean? I hope it is BB, not bottled last year!! Bottle claims to be 7.3% ABV. Served ~7-8C into a stemmed beer flute.

A: Crystal clear straw yellow with a nice white head that laces gloriously. (5)
S: Muted herbal hops and some peppery esters - expecting a lot more from an IPA's aroma. (3.75)
T: Meh. Not atrocious, just nothing like what I was expecting. Sweet malt, with a corn like finish along with some light belgian estery notes (pepper, maybe a hint of stone fruit) and some light earthy & herbal hop flavours. Very weak on the hops. (3.25)
M: Bitterness is low, but slowly builds. Carbonation comes off as being lower than expected, but it is a good amount.(3.75)
O: I was expecting so very much from this beer. Is this not always the way? Build something up, you will be disappointed. Come in with low expectations, be amazed. Sigh. (3.5)

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 15:44:25 | More by kjyost

Muhly

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on April 1 according the label. Poured from a bomber into a round beer glass.

Pour a slightly cloudy yellow with a nice white tight-knit head and strong lacing to boot.

I can smell both a good dose of light bready malts and a yeast smell that borders on funky, but doesn't stray into Saison territory. Hops are present in the background emanating a pine and earth smell.

Bread, malts, mildly phenolic peppery notes and a good, but reasonable dose of hop bitterness.

The quaff is round and smooth and coats the tongue a bit. Finishes with some astringency, but allows some sweetness and pepper to shine through as well.

I don't think throwing a bunch of hops in a belgian pale ale or whatever is a terribly inventive or creative thing anymore, but Phillips does a great job of it here. It is more or less what you expect, but everything works together in concert to provide a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 04:04:41 | More by Muhly

smekermann

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had a few of these Belgian tripel/IPA hybrids before which tasted similar yet sodomized your palette with an unholy collection of widely disparate tastes and flavors that had no business trying to meld together (basically, the less said about Stone's Cali-Belgique abomination, the better), so I initially approached this beer with caution.

Beer pours a hazy, slightly pale orange, with a decent off-white head and persistent lacing on the glass. Smells of floral hops and Belgian yeast sort of assault your nostrils. First thing you taste is hops: a really strong, floral aroma that somehow manages to smoothly give way to Belgian yeast and Candi sugar with almost no beta acid bitterness. Despite the somewhat sweet aftertaste, the beer manages to feel fairly dry: the dryness of the initial hop aroma and the sweetness of the Belgian malts and yeast make this a fairly neutral beer in this respect. It also hides its alcohol content really well; I doubt many people would say this is over 6-6.5% in a blind tasting. Basically, this beer will make you think you could handle three bombers because it's so delicious and easy to drink and the next thing you'll remember is waking up on a park bench somewhere the next morning.

Overall, this is one of my hoppy mainstays, especially since it's fairly easy to find in the Lower Mainland. The hop profile is actually pretty gorgeous, especially for a Canadian beer - it's reminiscent of something you'd see brewed in California, although probably a bit mellower compared to the usual fare down there. Undoubtedly my favorite beer from Phillips Brewing and one of the better examples of this style of beer.
---
Editing this review to say that I've had multiple bombers since the beginning of the year and I've found them pretty lacking in hop profile compared to past experiences. The gorgeously aromatic, flowery hop nose and mouthfeel simply aren't there anymore Not sure if something changed in the recipe or I'm just constantly picking up old beer. I'm not getting any off flavours from the beer, though, so I'm reasonably certain it's not old. Anyway, a fairly disappointing turn of events, in my opinion. I'm going to leave the original rating up for posterity, but I'd probably rate it a 3.7 nowadays.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 14:40:01 | More by smekermann

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer is light golden, quite clear. A nice solid white head on top. Good retention, good lacing.

Smell consists of yeast, soapy and grassy hops, pine, a bit of a damp scent. As it opens up, a nice light fruit scent makes itself known.

Taste is similar to the nose. Belgian yeast, some light fruit (banana, apple), grassy hops, lemon, pineapple. Fairly bitter.

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, somewhat oily.

Overall, pretty good. Not one of the top Belgian IPAs by any stretch, but pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 00:50:22 | More by jrenihan

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle from Rutager, 650ml into a tulip. Thanks Brad!

Hazy yellow body, couple fingers of soapy white head. Good fluffy retention, and nice lacing. Nose has a soft lemony citrus and floral bouquet, some Belgian notes as well. A bit of spice, light grains. Taste is a bit of step down, some grassy herbal hopping. Lighter citrus, some zest, a bit soapy and some Belgian yeast. Reminds me a bit of the Cuvee Houblounee III from A La Fut in terms of the yeast character. Medium body, medium high carbonation. An OK beer but I'm not a big fan of the way the yeast comes through.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 03:05:01 | More by liamt07

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured slight hazy beige with some orangey color notes with a large foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of floral hops notes with some sweet malty notes. Taste is a bit sweeter then I had expected with some notes of dry hops with light citrus undertones. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Finish is quite dry and interesting though malt profile is a bit too sweet with not much complexity; Belgian yeast didn’t real come through. Interesting though lacking some balance and not something I would drink on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 14:49:07 | More by Phyl21ca

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Cloudy golden body with one finger of white fluffy head.

S: Loads of pine, mixed with citrus fruits, apples and some earthiness.

T: Very strong notes of earthy pine, which over powers the subtle notes of fruit.

M: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. Very dry and bitter aftertaste with subtle notes of alcohol.

O: Intensely hopped IPA, which was good in the hops domain, but felt that it could have been better balanced and had more of the fruitiness come through. Easy to drink none the less.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 18:58:59 | More by Long813

BashOnABike

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

4oz taster @ The Island Beer Festival, Club 919

A: Hefeweizen-IPA-esq, light-gold with fair head but nice, clean lacing

S: Bananas, Clove, hoppy but still sugary, some malt

T: Light banana and clove, hoppy but more floral than scent, very complex palate!

M: Light and foamy like a weizen, lingers on tongue

O: Great fusion (IMO) of two of my fav styles, which I guess constitutes a Belgian IPA! Definitely a winner.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 05:05:31 | More by BashOnABike

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another gem of a trade care of my western care package partner.

A - Pours a hazy golden orange colour, finger of head with solid retention and some nice sticky lacing.

S - Sweet citrus, soapy notes, cedar and earthy scents.

T - Citrus dominates, the earthy cedar and pine come through, bitter grapefruit and a hint of cloves and spice. The higher ABV is undetectable, making for a dangerously drinkable ale.

M - Medium, smooth and a touch of dryness on the finish.

O - I can understand why this one is so highly rated. Perfect fit for the style, solid hop presence with the Belgian flavours providing a solid backbone for a full flavoured ale. Do yourself a favour and snatch up a few extra bottles when this is available, because you'll wish you had more to grab at once you take one down.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 19:46:34 | More by andrenaline

Intrinsic

Quebec (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

PHTC pours quite clear for a Belgian IPA, with a thin head that manages to leave some nice lacing. The most noticeable smells are the Belgian yeast and the hops, however mild. The flavour is actually a little watery, but still representative of a Belgian IPA. Again, the yeast and hops are what stand out here. It finishes nicely, not dry, mild carbonation. Overall, its ok. Not a homerun though.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 03:27:30 | More by Intrinsic

timtwoface

British Columbia (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is one of those brews that really walks the line for me. While I 100% respect the style of the Belgian Tripel, it's not really my forte; that said, I 100% love the Northwest Hop-Bomb IPA, so I still had to give this one a try.

Besides, the label is eye-catching and just friggin' awesome.

THe first sip is filled with hops but also all the fruitiness that a Belgian tripel is known for - to be fair, it took a while to get used to, but with subsequent sips it died down and I "got used to" it.

If you're a fan of either Belgian Tripel or the hop-bomb IPA style, I suggest you give this a try to see what you think!

Merry Christmas!

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 06:17:53 | More by timtwoface

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

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

Appearance - Hazy golden yellow with a finger-width of white head.

Smell - Pine, citrus fruits, pineapple.

Taste - Very strong hoppy flavour with a bitterness that lingers around the roof of your mouth. There is a piney quality, as well as a hint of the pineapple and citrus.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied ale with good carbonation. Slightly tingly from the bubbles. Overall, pretty smooth.

Overall - Good tripel from Phillips. Not for those who are faint of strongly-hopped brews. The flavours balance fairly well, leading to easy drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 04:03:26 | More by leaddog

qthompso

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grabbed this bottle on a recent trip to BC. Poured into a Summit EPA glass.

Light golden hay color. Very thick (at least two fingers), billowy white head that only seems to keep growing because of the scoring on the bottom of this particular glass.

Aroma is very reminiscent of a nice, spicy Belgian tripel. Banana, clove, spice. For being a Belgian style IPA, I'm definitely getting more of the Belgian and less of the IPA.

The taste certainly highlights the hops more than the aroma. A very biter IPA with not a whole lot of malt to back it up. There's plenty of bready, sweet character to support the Belgian style but it's still a very bitter, dry beer.

Mouthfeel is quite dry and bitter. Good carbonation to create a nice full feel to it but fades quickly and the crisp finish doesn't leave much lingering on the tongue.

Overall, a pretty balanced, flavorful beer. Not a style I have a whole lot but this one has a good balance for hop flavor and spicy characteristics that I associate with a Belgian tripel.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 22:06:23 | More by qthompso

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Part of a gift from my aunt that my brother brought back on a recent trip to their place in Surrey.

Poured from a 650ml. bottle and shared with my dad.

Appearance: A banana gold color, with good lacing. Sheets rather than chunks.

Smell: Banana, pineapple and hops.

Taste: Herb-like upfront with a touch of tropical fruit and some yeast. Hops are felt.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation with some nice bittering.

Overall: It was quite good. Has a decent hop bite with overtaking the Belgian side of it.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 13:23:23 | More by papat444

beerayrton

British Columbia (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Oooh, IPAs....don't get me wrong, I love a good IPA, it just took me some time as a novice beernerd to get into them. But it's definitely a style I appreciate.

Appearance - Golden colour, very beautiful. One finger of head settling into a lacing of foam.

Smell - Hops right off the bat, as it should be. Smells like an atypical heavy IPA, as I believe it has a goodly number of IBU's. has a sweet, almost earthy pine-y smell (if that's a word)

Taste - Hoppy, of course. You taste them right away. It doesn't detract from the flavour though, like, say a a moylens hopsickle would. (There's another beer I need to re-try, as I had a bad experience the last time I had it.)

Mouthfeel - again, forest-y/pine-y...little carbonation (not so much that it hits you over the head.) it lingers, but not overlong.

Overall - Supremely drinkable. In my not so humble opinion, one of the better (read: sweeter) IPAs i've had. Definitely one i'm going to have again.

Plus. how can you not like the bombs dropping on the label? I love it.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 04:53:01 | More by beerayrton

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This has kinda become my go-to Hop fix lately so maybe a review is in order...

Pours a slightly cloudy dirsty straw amber( hey!..it's what I see) Sticky, merangue-like head that leaves gobs of lacing the size of some small Pacific Islands on the sides of the glass

Can certainly pick-up the citrus and a wiff of spiciness. Some grain dust malts as well.

Starts with some of that spicy, sweet Belgian action before the dry hops open the door and holler, " Get the hell out of my way"! Explosion of citrus and dry hops that threaten tastebud genocide before allowing a hint of malt sweetness to sneak in the back door. Not even a hint of 8% ABV until the finish.

Will echo Hoser in that this is great Belgian IPA for the buck, mind you at $.95 more than he's paying...;))

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 23:25:35 | More by Shadman

hoser

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

What can I say a five dollars a bottle this beer is outstanding. Dry Hopped to the fucking nuts and a nice interplay with the Belgian yeast at a third of the Belgian and French Canadian examples in our province you can't go wrong. The only thing I could complain about an it small complaint is I would like a creamy denser head but once again at five bucks a bomber that is a very small complaint.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 18:46:39 | More by hoser

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 650 ml brown bottle. Pours out a bright clear golden hue, short creamy white head that settles to a thin cap.

Leafy and citrus rind hops on the nose, some peppery spice, and dry grainy malt in the background.

Dry grains and spice up front in the flavour, finishing with dry grapefruit rind and pith, more herbal down the line and into the aftertaste, with an astringent mouthfeel long into the aftertaste.

Lighter-bodied mouthfeel, texture gets a bit sticky from the hops, moderate carbonation.

Reminds me a lot of a Saison with its dryness, but since this is a new-ish style anything kind of goes at the moment. Quite enjoyable for what it is, I'd go back for more.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 05:45:33 | More by IronDjinn

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - poured into a tulip, a clear bright golden, solid white head left consistent lacing as it dissipated slowly
S - yeasty aromas of sour citrus and banana, herbal and grassy hop smells, very interesting
T - grassy hop bomb up front followed quickly by pungent ripe fruit yeastiness, finishing with earthy and floral flavours, the layering of the flavours is unique and special
M - light with medium carbonation, a strong bitterness dominates
O - an unique and outstanding blend of flavours that come through in layers, a hop bomb as the label depicts with the big belgian flavour creating a unique dichotomy, in my opinion Phillips is one of if not the absolute leader of Canadian craft brewing

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 00:49:02 | More by joemcgrath27

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber from a trip through Abbotsford, BC., earlier this year.

This beer pours a slightly hazy pale golden yellow colour, with two fingers of thin puffy, foamy white head, which leaves a decent layered array of webbed lace around the glass as it fades away. It smells of orange, pineapple, and kiwi, amongst a pervasive, but subtle yeasty character, over top a dry grainy malt. The taste is somewhat sweet and tangy fruity malt, the zestiness lingering, grapefruit and pineapple rind the most culpable, some mild Belgian yeast edginess, and mildly grassy, floral hops. The carbonation is average, the body medium-light, and fairly smooth given all. It finishes mostly dry, with a slight grainy malt push in and about the latent hop zig and yeast zag.

An agreeable Belgian IPA from Canada's English Central - the yeast and booze perception both kept rather restrained. We're left with a nice and drinkable, hoppy IPA with a slight Flanders predilection.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 04:32:29 | More by biboergosum

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Vancouver private store. Initially hoppy, and then a good balance, malt and yeast. Tasty, great drinkability. Would like to get more bold citrus hoppy flavour, but still one of the best of this style.Pours cloudy light orange body with a generous head and lacey.Smooth mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 03:59:44 | More by northyorksammy

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

650ml bomber poured into tulip 3/7/11

A very hazy golden orange with just enough clarity to see the slow raising bubbles that feed a tight two fingers of head that retains well leaving lots of lace on the way down

S big on the Belgian yeast with lots of tropical fruit, pineapple, faint grapefruit rind among others, and just a little peppery spice

T much like the smell but more rind and the yeast works very well for it, perhaps some faint caramel but more hops then anything and the booze is well hidden

M light and fluffy with a little bitter bite to it

O very nice representation of the the style with the yeast and hops leading the way, very solid beer that went down a little too easy

I think this is my first crack at Phillips, well first review anyways and I'm impressed for sure. I think they did a great job with this one and can't wait to try some of their other stuff. Its a hop bomb but not the west Coast style were all used too but I loved the yeast profile and will be drinking this again

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 04:13:29 | More by wordemupg

maclean25

British Columbia (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got a couple of 650 mL bottles while in Vancouver.

It poured with good, creamy looking, off-white head. The head reduced in a few minutes and left good lacing. The body is cloudy with a gold colour.

It had a fruity (mostly grapes) and floral scent. Had something of a wine bouquet to it. The taste was big on ctirus hops, then yeast, and left with little aftertaste. I agree with one of the reviewers below that it has a 'boozy' quality to it. I found it had big carbonation (which I like) and a medium body.

Overall, I can see how this excels for its category. Though it isn't my favourite type of beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 05:47:55 | More by maclean25

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: 5/8" soapy white head. Beer is copper coloured and somewhat cloudy.

S: Very hoppy smelling. Plus floral, and citrus.

T: Bitter, hops, grapefruit. Slightly boozy finish. This bottle isn't nearly as good as some other bottles I have had so possibly it is a bit dated...

M: Slippery with medium to low carbonation.

O: I really enjoy this beer normally but was a bit disappointed with this bottle. Regardless of this bottle, this is an excellent Belgian IPA and a great summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 00:12:12 | More by DaftCaskBC

trail77

British Columbia (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

3X is a really nice representation of a brewery doing a casual version of an experimental contemporary style. Pretty obvious the cross of typical Belgian pale ale yeast with a bright fruity NW hoppy profile... clearly cloned or at least inspired by Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel... this regular 22.oz. bomber at local Victoria shops is a welcome addition to the already impressive Phillips' hop styles...
Presumably, if delving into this rare breed, you know what to expect... if not, good luck!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 07:31:37 | More by trail77