Beerhive Tripel - New Holland Brewing Company

JayQue

Virginia

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a good Tripel....American or Belgian. Looks good. Nice clear light amber color, small bubbly white head that fades fast, like most higher octane Belgians. Leaves a short lasting covering of the goblet, Ring around the edge lasts a lot longer. Some filmy and smotty lacing on the sides of the goblet.

Aroma is pretty solid as well. Light fruit (apples and pears) and Belgian yeast. Most of my favorite Tripels have a ripe-cheese-like aroma and flavor (most likely the yeast). This one has that aspect.

Taste is solid as well. Light fruit, Belgian yeast, spices (black pepper and a very subdued ginger presence. The honey is present as well....sweet and very smooth.

Mouthfeel is rich, the spicing is just right. The only flaw is a bit more alcohol presence than many of the good Belgian Tripels. The ginger might contribute to the "bite" I usually associate with alcohol.

Good beer, good take on a Tripel.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 03:46:06 | More by JayQue

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

New Holland Brewing : Beer Hive

Pours a golden yellow, perfectly clear, with a short lived head. Aroma of honey suckle candies, honey on bread, pretty much clover honey. In the flavor, a nice mix of honey, fresh tasting ginger and Belgian yeast. Pretty refreshing overall when cold, as there is little hint of alcohol. As it warms, honey and hot booze fight for dominance, but the ginger helps. I'd say this is best served chilled. Medium bodied feel, we'll carbonated and a bit sticky. Overall I thought this brew achieved what it was going for. Worth the try.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 15:36:33 | More by Stinkypuss

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Poured out a coppery amber color with two fingers of cream colored froth that lasts for about three minutes, leaving behind medium amounts of lacing on the glass. Medium body and lower side of medium carbonation levels.

Compared to a Belgian Tripel... this beer has a definite emphasis on honey and ginger in both the aroma and flavor, but conversely seems to have lost a fair portion of the banana and clove character, and lacks that typical silky smooth mouthfeel. It's also rather hot with alcohol, and my instinct tells me that cellar aging to reduce the alcohol burn would most likely also drop the bananas and clove down even -further- to unacceptably minimal levels, so I'm not going to bother trying. I do like the prominent ginger and honey, however, it needs a higher level of the normal Tripel characteristics to support itself than this.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 17:50:28 | More by WastingFreetime

tectactoe

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a burnt amber, slightly copper color. Lots and lots of bubbles race to the top and a thin, off-white head remains around the edges of the glass on top of the beer, but not so much in the middle. Little lacing on the glass.

The initial smell is like a tripel with a strong honey overtone. Slightly spicy and fruity with hints of malt and sweetness along with a touch of alcohol. The first taste that hits you is a bit of peppery spice along with a slight tartness and sweetness from the fruit. White grape is the most noticeable. Very bready and yeasty - think biscuit with honey. The alcohol is noticeable and provides a strong warmth, especially as the glass goes on. Near the end of the tongue, the spice gets more harsh and the ginger finally comes out as pretty potent. Upon swallowing, the mouth is left with a bit of a burn and slight honey. The beer is volatile, but not as much as most other tripel ales. Medium body, somewhat creamy.

I'm a big fan of tripel ales. This one was pretty good. I like that fact that they tried something different and in some ways it worked wonderfully - the honey was a nice, sweet addition, and the ginger really came out in the end. However, the alcohol burn was more noticeable than it should be at 8.4% and I feel like it covered up many of the traditional tripel flavors that I was looking for (clove, banana, citrus, more spices). Overall, a good beer that I would have again. Definitely a sipping beer, though.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 14:45:10 | More by tectactoe

zeff80

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, copper color with a one-finger, white head of bubbly foam. It left some thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of honey and light ginger notes with some spice and grains.

T - Tasted f sweet honey with a subtle spicy bite of ginger. There is some Tripel characteristics of frutiness and yeasty bite.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is a nice Tripel. I'm not sure the honey and ginger help it much.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 05:34:52 | More by zeff80

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a super-effervscent orange with a sliver of beige head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: Pears & appleskins that fade quickly

T: Follows the nose, some pineapple as well up front. More pears, slight boozeyness & honey dryness, not really getting any ginger here. Finished dry with green apple skins & a touch pineapple & white grape juice

MF: Medium bodied, fairly light carbonation, this skews a touch sweet

Drinks easy, but nothing special

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 02:59:08 | More by russpowell

Tone

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, amber color. 1/2 inch head of a white color. Good retention and good lacing. Smells of sweet malt, slight yeast, alcohol, and spice (all spice?). Fits the style of a Tripel. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation. Tastes of yeast, sweet malt, slight biscuit, alcohol, slight spice, and a hint of citrus. Overall, good appearance, mouth feel, and body.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2012 00:35:20 | More by Tone

daledeee

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A rather different name and then I found out it was brewed with honey.

Poured very nicely. A dark brown body with medium head and some lacing.

Right away there was some good fruit without picking up the glass. Brown sugar or honey and caramel are present. The nose got weaker as the beer aired. The fruit seemed to go away.

Taste is sweet with a pretty good malt kick. Some spice and apricot finish out the mix for me. This beer is on the heavy side. Pretty rich. Very drinkable though. Oh yes, average carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 00:27:56 | More by daledeee

warnerry

Michigan

3.28/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a beautiful clear amber, bordering on mahagony, with one and a half fingers of light tan head. Head has decent retention before fading to a cap, with small amounts of lacing.

S - A surprising amount of apple in the aroma, along with candi sugar, some yeast notes, a bit of grape and faint spice. Doesn't smell like the most traditional tripel, but not bad.

T - Belgian yeast up front, with apple, honey, grape, some candi sugar and dry spiciness mixed with ginger and apple cider on the finish. Definitely not very traditional, and the finish isn't really that appealing, but still an interesting twist.

M - Medium mouthfeel with a sweet start followed by a dry, somewhat earthy finish.

O - I appreciate the attempt at something different, but there any number of more traditional tripels that I would rather have. Glad I tried it, but probably wouldn't have this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 20:31:18 | More by warnerry

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Amber leaning to dark, clear with a few bubbles rising to a small ivory head that disappears fast. Poor retention & next to nothing for lace. It is a nice color, but too dark for style. Not really a “Belgian” look.

S: Honey – but not all that strong and not much for character. Narrowly sweet, light-colored honey rather than dark, floral, rich honey. Minimal anything else. Hint of dark fruit. Hint of toffee sweet & doughy malt. That is about it – weak & not at all a triple nose. Lacking a Belgian / yeast component most of all.

T: More going on here. Honey sweetness opens the show with just hint of floral character. Muted ginger and some softly peppery yeast / alcohol spice follow right behind. Some doughy & sweet toffee/dark caramel malts show up through the middle. Also jumping in at the middle are some herbal & grassy hops with rather large bittering. Some honey & floral sweetness re-emerges towards the end. Hops / yeast get earthy in the finish.

M: Just a bit over medium body, but it lays heavier due to low & soft carbonation,. A bit fuller than usual for style. Some sticky sugars and hop tannins for texture. Despite initial softness and sweetness it is fairly attenuated, and it does go firmly drying mostly from hops Slight soapiness lingers late in the finish.

D: Mead-like, more a braggot than a triple. Too dark for style and lacking in Belgian character. It does have some alright stuff going on, but it doesn’t find a groove and components do not really meld. A fair drink, but out of style and disjointedness hurts enjoy-ability.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 19:01:41 | More by SickGnar

Sdesenberg

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought a Joe Lewis at a local liquor store for around four dollars. This tripel pours a dark amber color with about a finger of biscuit colored head which dissipates quickly. The first sip is a little much, with the sweetness of honey and citric like hop flavor. As it warms, the flavor mellows and it gets much better. Good beer, but for my money their Dragon's Milk is mo' betta. I'd go with that one.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 01:20:49 | More by Sdesenberg

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a really nice looking gold color with a thin white head on top. The smell of the beer was sweet from all the honey that was in it. The beer hardly smelled like a Tripel. The taste of the beer was very nice in my opinion. It reminded me more of a Braggot Ale than a tripel. The mouthfeel had a good amount of body to it and a creamy feel. Overall this beer was very nice I thought. It's something I would buy again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 08:25:50 | More by Knapp85

EnJeiBee

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - It pours a transparent amber, producing a thin white head that leaves great lacing in its wake.

S - The honey is very pronounced. It smells sweet and pleasantly fruity.

T - Again, the sweetness of the honey is present at first, followed by a warm nutty aftertaste. Unfortunately, I don't get the ginger at all, which is completely fine with me (although, since NH says it's brewed with ginger I would've liked it to be there).

M - Medium bodied and creamy on the palate. There is virtually no warmth from the booze either.

O - I think this is a pretty interesting brew. The honey seems to have added some complexity and weight to the typical notes you expect from a tripel. Obviously, this wouldn't be a good thing to some, but I really appreciate that this is unique. I would certainly grab another one.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 03:11:47 | More by EnJeiBee

TTAmod

Michigan

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2011 bomber poured into chalice

A: Dark, clear amber with a little off-white head. Leaves heavy lacing. It's okay.

S: Smell is actually quite nice. It's fruity, sweet, and yeasty.

T: Taste is....interesting. Starts off nice with a nice Belgian yeast taste and apple. Then the honey takes over from there. Once the beer goes down, there's a really interesting, cream/honey tasting aftertaste that sticks around for awhile. Somehow the honey seems to have its place in a tripel.

M: A tad heavy, but not too bad. Goes down very, very nice as you would expect from a Belgian.

O: Nice mixture between a traditional tripel and something different. Truly an experiment. I think the honey on the back end is a bit too much, but if they toned it down, it would be quite nice. Got it on sale for $5, so it's all good.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 03:28:48 | More by TTAmod

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: pours a clear amber color with a big tan head that dissipates to create a layer of fine foam on the top.

S: honey was first, then apple and some spices.

T: very full of flavor, and not bad at all. It's a bit off near with the aftertaste - salty and sweet and spicy. The beginning taste is fine, with a large yeasty presence along with fruity esters and honey. Some ginger mixed in.

M: very smooth, less carbonated and thicker than most tripels I've had.

O: the drinkability is kind of rough. It's certainly complex, but the entire beer just doesn't come together for me. I'll likely skip this one in the future, but it's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 02:29:50 | More by Holland

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Cleariish dark orange with a nice 2 finger head.
S- Whoo, smells like honey and bitter Belgium yeast. Dark fruits; raisins and plums and raspberry. A fruity beer, something different at least.
T- Creamy malts and sugars, dark fruits as well. Smooth fruit finish. The honey is definetely there but doesn't stand out. The flavors are good but its not too complex which is what I look for in a tripel,.
M- A creamy texture and good carbonation, an alcoholic aftertaste. A sipper for sure but not too hard to drink.
O- A good beer but nothing too special, I wont complain and I wont tell the world of this beer. Try it if you can but it may not be worth the 10 or so $ if there are other options.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 08:54:04 | More by TwelveOunces

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Very deep amber in colour with a small but persistent whit ehead.

Smell - The first thing you notice pouring this beer is the raw honey aroma. The yeast esters that should be present in a tripel are somewhat overwhemed by the honey. Some ripe fruit and vanilla are present, but buried. A little spice from the ginger is the only noticeable smell other than honey.

Taste and Mouthfeel - More honey. It's not as dominant as in the aroma, but still the major flavour. It's sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, with a bit of earthiness, peach, spice, and no bitterness to speak of. It is medium-bodied and fairly well carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 23:02:51 | More by

jsisko01

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a golden amber color with a centimeter thick head. Has nice lacing.

Smell - Citrus, honey, caramel, lemon zest, and ginger.

Taste - Very, very sweet beer.. It has a strong flavor of honey and ginger. Hints of caramel and molasses as well.

Mouthfeel - Thick body with low carbonation.

Overall - Not a beer I would just drink by itself, but would be really good paired with something. The sweetness is intense, but good.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 04:05:58 | More by jsisko01

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a New Holland tulip glass.
Vintage 2011, 8.47% ABV, 19° P, "F301"

A - Beerhive Triple pours out a gorgeous clear goldenrod amber in color with a tall ivory head. The foam had medium retention but no leave left on the tulip. One of the best colors for a beer that I've seen!

S - Hints of spicy ginger lay behind subtle Belgian yeast esters that present white pepper and earthy clay hints. Caramel malt, pils sweetness, and raw honey notes with no hop profile to speak of.

T - Wild flower honey is apparent right away. Not fully fermented out, the flavor adds nice sweetness, body, and complexity to the brew. Hearty caramel and Belgian Biscuit malt keep the base bold while mellow Belgian yeast adds faint ester notes. A touch of ginger on the finish lends a nice undertone that draws away from the otherwise bold sweetness. Just a pinch of earthiness from hops comes in.

M - Medium-full bodied, the powerful-but-not-yet-cloying sweetness really fills the mouthfeel out. Soft carbonation and spice hints round out the finish in place of hops very well.

O - I'd really like to experience this brew with a little drop in both body and sweetness. The notes of ginger work very well but could add something significant with just a bit more. While not completely traditional, I find New Holland's unique approach with Beerhive Tripel rewarding. I just think drinkability can be improved with just a little more life in carbonation and lively yeast esters.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 03:17:49 | More by BeerFMAndy

maximum12

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -39.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Grabbed a bottle of this locally. Long been a fan of New Holland, but they've been missing for me more than hitting lately with some of their oddities. I'm a fan of oddities. Split with my wife after a nice Saturday evening out with friends.

Pours a dark, clear, true amber. There might be prehistoric things trapped in this brew. Nose on this is very good, sweet honey, spices (presumably the ginger), very little in the way of yeasts, unusual for a Tripel.

Beerhive is thin. More than any taste, it's a short-cut to the style, watery, weak. Sure, there's a touch of honey, earthiness, & the yeast that's absent in the nose finds sunlight. Otherwise, blah.

Less water, more ingredients, please. This doesn't even rise to mediocre, & the terribly thin mouthfeel is like a late Friends episode: annoying. Why would you do such a thing? Not worth the price of admission.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 05:05:30 | More by maximum12

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a pint glass

A: Pours a deep dark, roasted caramel hue with an off-white, almost grainy gray colored foam head.

S: Smells very sweet with honey; wafts float out of the pour immediately without any effort. There’s also some zesty lemon and ginger spicy freshness, a very bright aroma.

T/M: The abundant sweetness assaults the tongue up front with a medium amount of carbonation, molasses, honey and dry malt. Ginger offers relief from the sweetness with an almost metallic spiciness. It’s not quite as refreshing as the aroma indicates but not bad either.

An interesting profile combination overall. Yes, interesting is the word.

TheBeerAlmanac.com

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 01:06:25 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

cindiwindi1025

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- light amber with a light fluffy white head that dissipates and leaves a thin lace

S - smells like stale fruit

T - raisins, bananas, and somethink funky that tastes like bandaids smell. Slight astringent flavor that lingers. No honey or any tripel characteristics whatsoever

M - prickly and warm from the booze

O -pretty disappointed in this one, its not horrible but not great, certainly not worth the price

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 00:28:50 | More by cindiwindi1025

GreenGoblinCC

Ohio

2.35/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Honey overload....was not a fan of this beer. The taste was overpowered by honey and banana overtones. Very,very sweet! With a little less honey character and more balance, I believe this Tripel would be unique in its class. 22oz bottle was hard for me to finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 02:36:00 | More by GreenGoblinCC

morimech

Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Vintage 2011

Reddish, dark amber with two fingers of head that quickly settled to a thin cap. Moderate amount of lacing is left on the glass. Not golden colored like most tripels, this is a lot darker.

Aroma is rather straight forward. The fruity esters come through nicely with hints of ginger and green apples.

A lot of ginger upfront in the flavor. Then there is a pecular fruit flavor that dominates the rest of the beer. It is like a combination of tart apple and pomegranate. Not a particular good combination. Honey is not tasted. Alcohol is hidden but gives some warmth.

Medium bodied with carbonation that is a little low. The beer lays on the tongue lazily.

Not a successful attempt at the style. For the same money I could buy a Belgian classic.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 17:15:16 | More by morimech

AaronHomoya

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Vibrant, clear red/auburn color. Big, light tan head with pretty nice retention. A healthy amount of carbonation. Aroma clearly contains honey and also flowers, and a lot of apple cider. Sweet, not too overly much. Dries out at the finish. Maybe getting some of the ginger at the end. Mouthfeel is pretty thick, but the carbonation and dry finish keep it from being too overpowering. A nice beer worth giving a taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 00:47:19 | More by AaronHomoya