Buckin' Monk Tripel Ale - Big Sky Brewing Company

LiquidAmber

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Unibroue tulip glass. Pours a light to medium golden amber with nice streams of carbonation. Half finger white head kept steady by the carbonation. Aroma of sweet bready malt, apple juice, cloves and light Belgian yeast. Flavor follows aroma, sweet bready, slightly biscuit malt, light fruit juice, clove, light citrus. Finishes with interesting peppery and estery fruit and sweet malt, residual cloves. Medium bodied with some creaminess. Not quite a traditional tripel, a bit on the sweet side, but I enjoyed drinking this quite a bit and will look for it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 03:45:19 | More by LiquidAmber

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -33.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

pour is a hazy dark orange with a sparse large bubbles white head. The nose is boozy and sweet. Lemon, banana, candied sugar, and some spicy yeast and sweet malt undertone. The taste is also boozy, some bourbon notes, candied sugar, lemon and banana esters, some peppery spice, sweet malt underneath with a fair bit of heat in the finish. The body is heavy and syrupy, moderate carb, prickly on the back of the throat. Not a super easy drink and tons of sugar and sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 14:51:07 | More by cpetrone84

flagmantho

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750mL bottle into a tulip. Looking forward to this one!

Appearance: light golden-yellow hue with a touch of haze and a nice but restrained effervescence. Head is two thick fingers of frothy white foam. I like it.

Smell: subtle but quality malt base with some big tart apple and sweet pear aroma. Just what I look for in a tripel.

Taste: very good malty flavor, if a bit on the sweet side. Fruit flavors are pared back from the stronger aroma, which works well here. This may not be the perfect tripel, but it is damn good.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a huge carbonation and resulting bodacious creaminess. Bam! I rarely see this quality of texture in a tripel made outside of Belgium.

Overall: this beer is more than the sum of its parts. The flavor is damn good, and the mouthfeel is great. In many ways this beer reminds me of Tripel Karmeliet, which is no small compliment.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 00:06:55 | More by flagmantho

bamadog

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I received this in a trade a few months ago, can't remember who from exactly, but thanks for whoever you are! Also, I'd like to say that this is my first experience with having a cork blow -- the second I got that cage loosened this sucker blew. I think I peed a little. Review is from notes taken on 5/17/2011 and poured from the bottle (2047/3000 from 2009) to a tulip.

Appearance: Pours a rich golden, yellowish/coppery color and starts with a big 3 and 1/2 finger white and frothy head; body has a little bit of haze to it, but is fairly clear and shows super strong and fast carbonation bubbling up from the bottom; head fades slowly to a full and frothy cap with strands of lacing left on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Nice, very sweet maltiness that has a bit of a flowery and honey-like candy (Bit-O-Honey?) aspect to it; a fair spiciness and a slightly biscuit-like yeast to it; a slight presence of alcohol, which I thought would be a little bit more prominent for being near 11% ABV.

Taste: Wow, this sucker is sweet -- like honey and hard tack candy melted and swirled together with a touch of spiciness to it from the various Belgian yeasts; the alcohol is more present in the mouth, and it adds a bit of a childhood medicine-like aspect (not in a bad way like it sounds, it's actually pretty good, just a little sweet); while the sweetness tastes good, I do feel it becomes a bit cloying after a bit and takes something away from the beer; a slightly grainy and biscuity flavor lies underneath it all, and the aftertaste is very sweet Belgian Candi.

Mouthfeel: Body is medium weight, and it feels a little slick while in the mouth, but the ABV warms and dries the palate to a thick and semi-dry coating; belly is left quite warm.

Overall: I enjoy this one, but it is a tad cloying and the ABV is a bit high; this would be a nice after dinner treat, but I feel the bottle should be shared amongst friends.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 01:40:37 | More by bamadog

loren01

Oregon

4.85/5  rDev +27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Pours a straw/orangish color, with lots of sediment, huge head with nice lacing down the glass
S: Smell is awesome. Smells of apple cider, pear, belgian style yeast as well as spices
T: Apple cider up front with a nice spicy/peppery aftertaste.
M: Medium bodied beer, a little on the overcarbonated side but thats probably to style actually.
D: This is an amazing beer, one of the best Tripel ales I've ever had...glad I got this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 03:06:38 | More by loren01

jhtipton

Spain

4.35/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice deep golden, slightly cloudy with a very light fluffy white foam. Some mild lacing at first glance. Smell is a little fruity, maybe pears, and the nice yeasty aroma I was hoping for. Nice for an American Belgian style. Taste is light fruits like pears and apples, yeast, mild hops, and wheats. The alcohol is prevalent and warming. Mouthfeel is carbonated, light to medium bodied, and a little effervescent. Alcohol remains prevalent theme. Drinkability is only good. It is my style, minus the hops, but is quite strong. Only one bottle per day, I believe.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 16:50:21 | More by jhtipton

zhanson88

California

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is the 2009 version, bottle number 279 of 3000.

Appearance: Buckin' Monk Tripel pours out a hazy golden color with quite a bit of carbonation. A good solid 2 fingers of eggshell-white head form. Retention is good, and lacing is decent.

Smell: Bananas, cloves, alcoholic esters, and a touch of peppery spice in there too. I definitely smell a lot of sugary sweetness on the nose as well. I hope this beer isn't as sweet as it smells; if there's one thing that really turns me off to a tripel, it's too much sweetness.

Taste: The smell is very indicative of what the taste brings to the table. Bananas, cloves, maybe a hint of citrus, and very light peppery spices. All of that is overlayed with quite a good bit of sugary sweetness. Once again, it's a turn-off for me. By no means is this a bad example of the style, but it definitely won't become my go-to tripel.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: This beer is definitely medium bodied with a good deal of carbonation. It's kind of weird for me, because initially it feels a bit syrupy and then all sudden the carbonation hits on the back end. Still, not bad my any stretch. The sweetness hides the relatively high ABV well, but it's still a fairly slow drinker.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2011 02:58:41 | More by zhanson88

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, #759 of 3000.

Pours pale gold with a three inch head of rocky white that was slow to retreat. Plenty of frothy suds on the walls of the glass for the duration along with a thickish skim coat.

Aromatics are dripping with honey, apples, cloves, bubblegum, biscuity malt, and spicey phenols. Hints of pear and rock candy follow through.

Light bodied with a crisp and slightly creamy mouthfeel. Sticky and a bit chewy.

The palate leads off with sweet honey, grassy overtones, husky malt, and cane sugar. Apples, bubblegum, cloves, and corn syrup follow through.

Finishes with a lingering sweetness, light malt, and some mild heat on the throat.

Tasty enough, but too sweet for my 'buds, and the heat is a little surprising for the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 23:55:41 | More by brewandbbq

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 08/26/10 notes. Had at a local DC tasting.

a - Pours a murky golden color with one inch of white head.

s - Smells of wheat, apples, citrus, and spices. Light fruity malts as well. Pretty nice.

t - Tastes of tropical fruits, alcohol, fruity malts, wheat, and spices. A step down from the nose due to the heat of the alcohol.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A pretty nice tripel. Would like to try again.
___
Update: had it again on 09/04/11. At this point my review was pretty similiar; I gave it the same exact score. The alcohol is definitely still there a bit in the taste, but it is fading. I thought bananas came through a lot in the nose and taste. Still pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 21:47:31 | More by mdfb79

TheSarge

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured this one into my Duvel tulip. It produces about three fingers thick worth of off white head. The body is cloudy and is orangish gold in color, with lots of floaties flinging about.

The aroma is very powdery and a little fruity. It lies between peaches with a slight sour funk.

In the taste I'm getting a bubble gum flavor along with a heavy dose of toffee.

MF wise its a little chewy and prickly with a warm finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 01:15:16 | More by TheSarge

GbVDave

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a corked and caged 750ml bottle into a Loterbol tulip.

Limited Edition 1016 of 3000
2009

A: Cork released with a really loud and forceful pop. No gushing or creeping with this bottle. Pours an ever so slightly hazed pale golden color. Head was pretty fizzy and reached almost five fingers thick. Carbonation was very active at first and then settled down as the head receded. Nice bubbly lace was left behind. Second and third pours showed off a lot of suspended sediment.

S: Very yeast and orchard fruit forward nose. Sweet aromas of banana, pear, apple, peach, alcohol, spices, caramel, and a hint of clove.

T: Loads of sweet and spicy fruit. Maybe a bit too sweet. The sweet flavors combine with the apparent alcohol flavor and add up to a Tripel that could use a lot more hop presence.

M: Despite the overly sweet flavors on parade here, there is a welcome bit of spicy bite. Namely from the 10% lurking within. Finishes a bit on the dry side with a pinch of fruit tang and pepper.

D: A likeable enough Tripel but way too sweet and a tad too boozy. I struggled a bit to finish this.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 23:46:03 | More by GbVDave

hardy008

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

#1549 out of 3000.

Hazy gold with a huge foamy white head with a lot of large bubbles. Has good retention. The aroma has yeast, apples, pears, biscuit, and lemons.

The taste has apples, pears, grapes, lemon, and bananas. Is a very sweet beer. Good, but not the best Tripel I have had. A nice effort though.

Medium bodied, a lot of effervescent carbonation. The alcohol is warming. A pretty decent beer, but not as good as it could be. It would be better if it wasn't so sweet.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 00:29:39 | More by hardy008

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Handwritten 908 of 3000.

'09

Pours a mostly clear banana peel and hay color with mabe a little haze and some nice bubbling.The head is bi frothy right afte rthe pour, but recedes to nothing very quckly.

Candi sugar and honey moderatley drizzled in wet wheat and toasted pilsner malts. Maybe some very faint musty hops to balance, but very nice aroma.

Taste starts syrupy sweet texture with some sugary toasted malts. Lots of honey flavors in the middle of this beer flavo profile, along with a more grainy palate. The finis is yeast and sugar sweet flavor that linger slong after each sip. The abv. also lingers for a little bit after each sip once this beer warms up. A nice flavorful sipping beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 05:18:15 | More by scruffwhor

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Opened with a resounding pop! & a touch of foam crawling out the bottle. Bottle 2915 of 3000 pours a super effervescent gold with 1 finger of fluffy ivory head & nice noisyness! Fred Eckhardt (sic) would love this beer. Effervescence persists throughout, good lacing & head retention

S: Appleskins & dirt & orchard fruit & raw booze once warm

T: Follows the nose, apricot, pear, & green apple are all there up front along with sweet apple juice. Pineapple, more sweet apple juice, a touch of honey & grainyness as this warms, along with boozeyness finally showing up at the party, along with some green banana & candi sugar. Finishes dry, with green banana, a touch lemon, apple peels & sweetbread

NF: Light/medium bodied, very spritzy, fairly smooth skews too sweet. Beer has a grainy edge once warm, along with boozey warmth

Drinks alright, but the sweetness loses its charm after about 8 ounces. ABV is pronounced but not daunting. A inspired shot at the style that doesn't quite get the results I was expecting

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2010 04:21:23 | More by russpowell

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A= The pour is a typical Belgian ale with a huge head on it. A head rising over 5 fingers. The beer is a hazy yellow color. Great retention and lacing on the glass.

S= Really estery. Nice green apple smell to it with a small hop aroma. A little citrus and a little pear. Pretty basic Belgian.

T= The taste is a little tame for a Tripel. There is a lot of bready doughy character to it. Tastes a lot like some sourdough bread with a strange mix of jelly on it. Not bad at all but not a Tripel. A little too bready and doughy.

M= A little light on carbonation. Good dry finish.

D= Pretty good beer. A real good beer actually but it's not quite a tripel. I'll buy it again for sure and enjoy the hell out of it. Seek it out but don't expect a tripel.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 03:45:13 | More by jjanega08

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pretty good. Lively cork pop. Poured with a huge foamy frothy off white head and good lace. Color is a hazy amber. Aroma was yeasty, musty, some malt, hops. Flavor is a little bland up front although relatively a traditional tripel. Vineous candy sugar flavs develop in the middle and finishes that way augmented by the alcohol. Body is good and so is carbonation. Alcohol comes on strong at the end to the beer detriment. Not a session.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 03:47:04 | More by drpimento

UtahJonnyMontana

Idaho

2.7/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Appearance was good, a bright yellow. Aroma was very complex, spicy, pungent. Flavor was just a mass of confusion. Sasion? Triple? Wit? Sour? WTF?
The reason this "Triple is so hard to nail down is absolutely flabbergasting. The brewer was very proud to tell us that 9 different strains of yeast were use to ferment this concoction. Why 9? What was there about each that he hoped to add to his beer? He didn't know. Just experimentation I guess. He also didn't know why a triple was called a triple. Kid you not. He suggested that it had to do with the alcohol content. The real answer is that for a triple, you triple the malt bill.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2010 17:20:15 | More by UtahJonnyMontana

tpd975

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks jcwattsrugger

A: Pale yellow with a small white head.

S: Aromas of apples, pears, and light blend of spices.

T: Light sweet fruits, yeast, bread, mild spice.

M: Fairly light in body for the style.

D: An okay tripel but not one I would seek out.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 03:30:21 | More by tpd975

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle #41/3000 .... poured into my Delirium goblet... dull hazy golden brew.. flimsy head doesn't stick around long at all with no lacing.

Nose is really fruity... apple and pear... some banana and lite clove.

Flavor is again very fruity... reminds me a bit of apple cider... is too sweet for my palate.. lingering sweetness on the finish.. a bit of white grape as it warms..

Body is thick for the style and carbonation seems light...

I really don't have alot good to say about this brew, so I'm not going to say much.... Glad I got to try it, but I will only be buying more of this year's for trading... Oh.. and $14 is too expensive for this brew.

3/4/3.5/3.5/3

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 04:30:45 | More by JohnGalt1

JamnesCameron

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought recently at the Binny's in Plainfield, IL.

Poured into a St Feuillien goblet. Pours with a big moussy white head and hazy golden body. Head falls within a few minutes leaving about a quarter inch of white foam and lace down the glass.

Aromas of malt, alcohol, and candied fruit.

First sip is of sweet malt, alcohol and "yeast bite." A little sweeter than I'm used to, but still very good. No hops to speak of, but some bittering balance. A little chaulky (not a bad thing) at the finish.

Mouthfeel is full. This beer coats your mouth with sweet malt and lingers. Chaulkiness lasts but isn't obtrusive. I would prefer a tripel that was a little drier, but this isn't cloying.

Drinkability - good for a high alcohol beer. Very good sipper, perfect for a night cap.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 01:02:41 | More by JamnesCameron

supercolter

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is my favorite Big Sky beer to date. Appearance is very good- has a nice wheaty look to it. Taste is good, hops seem a little odd for a Tripel, but all the usual dark fruit and very nice oaty malt backbone. Mouthfeel is good, medium in body with decent carbonation. Drinkability is fantastic, hardly notice the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2009 23:33:57 | More by supercolter