Mephistopheles' Metamorphosis
Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's

Mephistopheles' MetamorphosisMephistopheles' Metamorphosis
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From:
Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's
 
Kentucky, United States
Style:
Tripel
ABV:
10.9%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.53 | pDev: 16.15%
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
29
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 19, 2019
Added:
Nov 29, 2003
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  0
Begian Tripple brewed with 100 percent Pilsner malt and a blend of three Belgian yeasts which impart a fruity and spicy flavor and aroma.

31.3 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by heysuz from Indiana

Jan 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.59 by target88 from Kentucky

Jan 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 24, 2012
Photo of Vixie
Reviewed by Vixie from Florida

3.8/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a cloudy orange color with a decent white head.

Nice sweet smell, with a hint of spice. Seems to be a bit like citrus with some pepper as well.

Quite spicy, with fruit notes in there as well. Has a bit of warming at the finish, not surprisingly.

Feel is pretty solid for the style.

Overall, a decent beer. This reminds me more of my favorite in this style, La Fin Du Monde, than any other triple I've had. It has a similar spiciness, but lacks the complexity of La Fin. Still, goes down well considering the ABV, and the alcohol is well hidden. While not the best of this style I've had, a pretty solid beer.
Apr 02, 2011
Photo of Boto
Reviewed by Boto from Connecticut

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml bottle: A friend brought this back from a business trip. This one poured an orangish, dark yellow color. There was a bit of a white head on it that leaves some lacing. The aroma is decent, and fairly typical for a tripel. Nothing to set it ahead or behind of another of the style. The taste is also good. Some spicy notes, fruitiness, breadiness, yeastiness that are typically attributed to a tripel. No alcohol evident in the taste or aroma. Nice.
Jan 08, 2011
Photo of scoobybrew
Reviewed by scoobybrew from Indiana

3.7/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - hazy (perhaps slightly from bottle conditioning) golden color with a decent head that leaves a nice lacing

S - strong fruity esters with sweet malt and no hop noticeable

T - complex fruity ester flavor from start to finish; sweet malt with no hops detectable - finishes very sweet; perfumy alcohol noticed on finish, but not really enough to dry out the strong malt sweetness

M - medium body, moderately high carbonation

D - I picked up this bottle in a great beer store in Lexington on a recent summer trip. I've always liked stopping at BBC in Louisville and it appears there starting to bottle special editions so I thought I'd give it a try. This tripel is definitely closer to the abbey version than the trappist versions as it finishes quite sweet. The esters really overpower and spicy phenols also. But what it lacks in phenols it somewhat makes up for in ester complexity - to a degree. It could use a bit more hop as it borders on cloying. And in that respect it almost seems like a not-so-clean strong golden ale (strong sweetness & esters). I don't regret having picked it up, but probably won't be purchasing this one again. It was good enough thought that I would consider purchasing another special from BBC.
Oct 18, 2010
Photo of drabmuh
Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottle shared by the other Matt recently. This beer was a huge, huge surprise. Beer is yellow and hazy with a big white head that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. Beer is heavily carbonated.

Aroma is bready and sweet, smells like a nice light tripel.

Beer is light in body, approaching medium. Lots of carbonation on the mouth. The lead off flavor is the Belgian pale malt character, it's not sweet but the mark of the beer is present here. The midpalate is mostly fruits and some esters along with a stronger yeast character. Once we realized the ABV on this beer, my respect went up considerably. This is a highly drinkable nearly 11% beer. The alcohol is completely masked by the fragile complexity of the beer. It would be quite easy to make this beer be too hot. I would drink it again.
Oct 14, 2010
Photo of Huhzubendah
Reviewed by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Bottle c/o Chaney. Thanks Brandon!

A: Hazy yellow with a big head that leaves ample lacing.

S: Citrus, spices, yeast. Easily identifiable as a tripel.

T: I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised by this beer, as the quality definitely exceeded my expectations. The flavor is bold and full, without the cloying sweetness that often accompanies American versions of this style. A big citrus component beautifully merged with a subtle spice aspect make for a tasty beverage.

M: 10.7%?!? I didn't realize this until I was halfway through my glass. Alcohol content hidden masterfully. This is full bodied and rich.

D: I would absolutely drink this again. I liked it a lot. It's nice to see a brewery from the U.S. create a tasty Belgian-style tripel.
Oct 13, 2010
Photo of bamadog
Reviewed by bamadog from Ohio

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Party Town in Florence just had this at their growler station - the keg was four years old (from '05) and I figured I had to try something like that. Pour is from my growler to a large snifter.

Appearance: Pours a peachy/coppery color with minimal head and just a thin spotty cloud on the top; body is cloudy; thin spotty lacing that's oily slides around the sides of the glass and eventually back into the drink itself.

Smell: Quite strong - powerful odors of sweet and tart fermented fruits really overwhelm the nose.

Taste: Pretty tart overall; the fermented fruits are very present in the flavors; slightly metallic presence in the aftertaste and there is a bit of an acidic apple-like flavor as well; alcohol is very present, but it isn't really "burny" at all, just very present.

Mouthfeel: A little slick and oily; carbonation is virtually non-existent and it feels more like I'm drinking a wine as opposed to a beer; palate is left pretty dry overall.

Drinkability: Well, I guess I was a little too excited about this as I feel a tad let down - I've had some other beers that have been aged and they've come out much better than this offering. I guess I should have known better as BBC probably wouldn't be known to make a great Belgian style ale, whether it's been aged for 4 years or not.
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of degerbah
Reviewed by degerbah from Ohio

2.64/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 3
Bought in a 750ml in Northern Kentucky, there was no head at all when poured into a goblet. The taste is extremely light for such a high alcohol beer. The taste is not at all what I consider a Belgian Trippel. The lack of carbonation, abv, and excessive fruitiness remind me more of a malt liquor than a Belgian Style. Overall I was extremely dissapointed.
Feb 25, 2009
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
750ml bottle.

Poured a deeper golden / orange color with an averaged sized white head. Aromas of fruits (apples / bananas), spices, and some citrus. Tastes of fruits, spices, citrus and a little bready. Some alcohol in the finish (but I wouldn't have guessed 11%).

Notes from 10/9/06
Dec 17, 2008
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

2.78/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
I'm definitely a fan of BBC. I've had their beers at the source and in bottles and have always been impressed, until now. I was very excited to try this beer but it was a big disappointment.

Poured in Chimay glasses.

Color was true to type (orange-yellow hue). No head.

Nose was heavy sweet. A bit of floral characteristics noted.

Taste had some resemblance of a Belgium trippel but it was way, way too sweet. Alcohol presence was there but the cloying nature really dominated. So much so that I didn't finish the beer.
Almost appeared that the beer needed more attenuation.
Oct 05, 2008
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Electric tangerine with a few fine bubbles rising slowly to an almost nonexistent head. Crown cracking brought a barely audible escape of air, followed by a barely audible 'oh shit' from my mouth. A vigorous pour failed to produce more than a pathetic cap of unsticky white foam. Obviously, MM has (lack of) carbonation issues. The beer itself looks good, though.

Needless to say, it's almost impossible for a beer's nose to be aromatized properly when there's almost no carbonation. I pick up a whiff of apricot nectar mixed with grain alcohol. After the beer warmed, I might be able to go with a whiff and a half. I tried hard (much too hard) to pick up any subtleties that might have been present. Beer with an ABV of 10.7% should never be allowed to come in contact with the nasal mucosa. Trust me on this.

For all that, Mephistopheles' Metamorphosis (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean) is decent beer. A lack of bubbles is less of an issue when it comes to flavor. Actually, I've had quite a few flatter beers in my time. Each mouthful delivers a mild tingle to the tongue. Now that I think about it, the tingle could be coming from the alcohol.

Speaking of alcohol... although it's camouflaged pretty well for a double digit beer, it's still a major member of the flavor profile. MM tastes like apricot or peach brandy cut with distilled water. There's a moderate white pepper spiciness, but no clove that I can detect.

I wish I could inject a Belgian amount of carbonation into this beer, because the mouthfeel, other than its obvious fault, is actually pretty nice. It's medium full, slick and semi-sticky. Words like 'lush' and 'plush' might have applied in more optimal circumstances.

I'd like to think that Mephistopheles' Metamorphosis would have shone more brightly if it had been properly carbonated. I'll never know, though, since I'm not willing to spend another $8.99 to find out. I just took one last look at the label and noticed the apostrophe at the end of Mephistopheles. Now the name makes a little more sense. It's too bad that this Kentucky tripel couldn't have metamorphosed into a better beer in the instant before I popped it open.
May 17, 2007
Photo of drseamus
Reviewed by drseamus from New York

3.71/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
My friend brought a growler of this back from Kentucky for me as a birthday present. It pours a great golden color with no head and low carbonation. I imagine there would be more of both had it not been subjected to the pressure drop in the belly of the plane. It has a really nice sweet aroma with no hop aroma. The taste is very sweet and fairly malty, just like a tripel should be, but the hop flavors seem to be missing. There is a spicy background flavor and that is what lingers on my tongue after each sip. As I said before, the mouthfeel is not what I would like because of the low carbonation, but it is good none the less. I can't detect an overabundance of alcohol, which this beer does have at 11% ABV. The drinkability on this is pretty good. I would especially like to try a bottle of this or on draft.
Feb 06, 2007
Photo of mcallister
Reviewed by mcallister from Ohio

2.67/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
bought this growler at the Party Source in Newport Kentucky. They had the Avery Mephistopheles lable on the growler station but it's actually this. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have bought this.

A vividly orange/red liquid with little white head that has less retention. Not much in way of lacing either.

Sweet peach, nectarine, belgian spice, freshly cut grass, other sweet summer ripened fruits. Lacks in any depth of aroma but the sweet fruity-ness is quite nice.

Very alcoholic, with trend towards spicy, belgian yeasty approach. Very unbalanced however. Little in way of a floral hop, with a one sided sweet malt that doesn't lend it's hand towards depth.

Thin and weak. Not the best BBC beer out there.
Feb 06, 2007
Photo of scruffwhor
Reviewed by scruffwhor from Illinois

2.11/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
This is a tripel style brew right? At least the color is spot on, a hazey honey, medium amber. But this supposed tripel lacks the head all togeteher, carbonation and lacing. There is none, period. The aroma is ok, right in the middle of the road. Mlaty sweet, hints of KY candi sugar and some hints of light sweetnes fruits in the nose. The taste of all the good tripels I've had before this is the great carbonation that helps to bring out the sweet flavors of this brew. But there is very little in the way of palatable carbonation. Some light fruits and strong malt, but it means almost nothing whenther is no carbonation spritzing up the palate. The flat palate of this supposed tripel kills it for me. I'm never going to buy this beer again.
Nov 19, 2006
Photo of weeare138
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to kmpitz2 for the trade...
As I popped the cap, this one foamed all over richlikebeer's pants and egajdzis' motel floor.
Appears a hazy gold with a 2 finger, fizzy white head that slowly fades out. Scattered bits of chunky lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is lemony, citrusy orange, and a touch of vanilla with some spicy yeast in the background.
Taste is of the aromas but toned down a notch. There are also hints of juicy red apples mixed in the flavors.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, chewy, with vanilla, and orange bitterness lingering.
Oct 13, 2006
Photo of WHOLEBEER
Reviewed by WHOLEBEER from Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
wow, from the 750ml bottle
i think the first running of these bottles

serious sediment on the bottom of this thing

as i crack the bottle open the foam begins and takes a little while before i can actually pour this beer into my glass

yeasty bottle fermented carbonation has fizzed this beer like champagne on crack

but it smells good, pleasant spciy aromes lightly come through

good flavor, pretty light and sweet with a bit of spciyness
can't taste any of the alcohol at all
maybe not quite as full bodied as i's expect from a triple

but good all the way around and certainly worth a try

open it over a sink or several glasses though
Aug 04, 2006
Photo of MaltyGoodness
Reviewed by MaltyGoodness from Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
750ml bottle thanks to kmpitz2

Pours a hazy golden straw with some orange highlights. Has a big fluffy head that maintains with thick lacing on the glass. The bottom of the bottle contains the largest amount of yeast sediment that I have ever seen in a commecial product.

Aroma is bready and yeasty with a some fruity and peppery tones.

Taste is very sweet and malty upfront with some nice fruity and peppery flavors. Finishes sweet. Almost cloyingly so.

Big, full body. Plenty of carbonation.

A little too sweet overall for my taste. The name is cooler than the beer.
Jun 20, 2006
Mephistopheles' Metamorphosis from Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 29 ratings