Triple Bag - Long Trail Brewing Co.

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice dark oak color with a large two finger head in a tulip glass.

S: Aroma of sweet caramel malt, toffee and a bit of spice from the yeast.

T: Tons of caramel and molasses mixing with a light wheat flavor. This is a strong ale which is extremely rich and syrupy. Very complex with a bit of booze in it / butterscotch and some banana flavors are in abundance here.

M: Thick and lightly carbonated.

O: This will be on heavy rotation as long as I can find it. Great beer at a great price. You can never go wrong with Double Bag or Triple bag

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 20:02:48 | More by alpinebryant

BigPlay1824

New York

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed in a pint glass

A: pours a very deep amber with a small amount of fine creamy light tan head that does not linger at all and leaves no lacing whatsoever
S: cherries are what I'm sensing most prevalently with a nice amount of malt and depth
T: very small amount of cherries in the beginning then moves into heavy malt kind of like syrup and ends with a bit of an alcohol tinge
M: medium carbonation initially then moves into a thickness and also leaves the palate very clean
O: an extremely complex and unique brew but every sip is kind of all over the place, decent but thick and heavy

Serving type: growler

10-29-2011 17:05:49 | More by BigPlay1824

Mississipping

Mississippi

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a completely clear but very dark amber-brown.  Brilliant ruby highlights shine through the entire body when held to light.  A medium khaki-colored head forms slowly on top and takes even longer to subside to a thin but consistent foam and a sticky ring of tight bubbles.  Pretty impressive lacing is left behind on the edges of the glass.

S: The aroma is sweet with a ton of brown sugar, caramel, and a touch of cinnamon.  As soon as the cap pops off, the sweetness gentle fills the vicinity of the bottle.  Dark fruits of fig and prune are layered underneath the candy-like sweetness.  A subtle earthiness and booze are in the background.  Really well rounded smell and very welcoming. 

T: Unlike the aroma, the dark fruits are right up front in the taste that match the aroma well ... definitely fig and some prune.  As a result, the sweetness is somewhat subdued in comparison to the aroma.  The caramel and brown sugar take center stage shortly after along with the subtle cinnamon, creating a sweeter middle ground.  The finish is slightly sweet, but is comprised much of earthy hops. 

M: Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation that reduces the smoothness and makes it slightly prickly.  Overall, it's quite sweet, but not overly so, with a slightly hoppy and earthy finish.  

D: This is a really nice strong ale.  Not overly complex and not overly sweet, with a nice balance between the sweetness and subtle spiciness and earthiness.  Goes down very easy despite the booze content.  A nice extra that I'm glad I got to try.  

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 01:00:56 | More by Mississipping

Hibernator

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Long Trail Triple Bag
12 oz brown bottle
Jet Ink #3084Q90811
Served in my Smuttynose Big Beer tulip glass

Pours a deep mahogany brown with a khaki colored head on top that leaves webs of sticky lace on the side of the glass.

Whiffs of malts, sugars and a strong dairy note.

A sweet and syrupy beer with chewy caramel malts. Strong flavors of brown sugar, candy sugar and rum soaked raisins.

The main flavor profile of this beer has a caramelized sugar or molasses punch. A hint of dairy too with a mini hop snap on the finish.

An interesting beer, a souped-up Double Bag with a deceiving 9.4% ABV. A nice sipper beer for the upcoming cooler Fall and Winter months.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 22:13:45 | More by Hibernator

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Nutty brown into my tulip, a fast-rising head that laces nicely, tan in color. Settles to a thick little pancake on the beer.

S- Very sweet, sticky malt. Like fresh wheat bread.

T- This beer starts off with a lot of toffee, some cinnamon/nutmeg and some red grapes come out as well. Reminds me of toasty pumpernickel bread. I saw another review mention the similarity to a weizenbock, and I can see the comparison.

M- Thick, heavy, good body, it's got some weight to it but there's enough carbonation to keep it rollin'. Nice and creamy.

O- Enjoyable- I will be working this in to the rotation. I love a good strong ale. Perfect for the winter months.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 22:18:33 | More by ShogoKawada

OldIronLungs

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cola brown into my Portsmouth tulip - nice tan meringue head that laces well, but ultimately settles to nothing.

Nose is sweet dark malt, grainy, some dark berries, molasses, bubblegum.

A sip is rich and smooth - warm throughout. Dark caramel, more dark fruit and a present-but-not-overwhelming hit of alcohol. Lightly toasty finish. Really enjoyable as it warms up.

One of my favorite offerings from LT -- I still gotta hate on the packaging, though. Saving two bottles for some cellar time. A nice, drinkable strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 23:27:16 | More by OldIronLungs

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A pour with serious altitude yields a half finger of tan head with some large foam and some fine bubbles. Hazy body that gradients from ruddy gold to reddish-brown.

The nose is awesome. Plum, dark fruit, plenty of yeasty character, actually a bit of bubblegum. This wouldn't be out of place in a Unibroue-esque lineup.

The first thing in the taste is actually a hop kick, which gets balanced out in the middle by a huge wave of caramel-raisin malt, and returns for a tangy finish. If it weren't for this telltale tang, this beer would be perhaps *too* drinkable. The 9.2% is otherwise imperceptible; I can see why there's an "indulge in moderation" warning on the bottle. The label basically tells all-- an amped up alt-- Double Bag on HGH, if you will.

Mouthfeel is smooth and thick.

After tasting, I am 100% percent behind my plan to lay a couple of these down for a year. I am a non-hop lover, and once that tang wears down and everything else develops, I predict I'll love this even more.

Around the 10-month mark, it has as much bite as it did fresh. Less sure that I want to hang onto the rest, if they're taking up cellar space. Still smells amazing, still great tasting, just a bit more hops than I like; kinda American Barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 03:12:07 | More by zaphodchak

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: deep mahogany body, trace tan head, patchy lacing

S: plum, malt, figs, boozy, candy/sugar

T: sweet long boozy finish

M: med/heavy body, smooth/creamy mouth

O: 2nd Long Trail offering and this is amazing.
Nice to see an US craft brewery make a Strong Ale.
Delicious an powerful sipper. Try it, but go easy.

VERY GOOD, SEEK IT OUT!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 17:55:55 | More by BeerLover99

Doshkin

Maine

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

a - deep clear brown with a dark orange/red base. not much head

s - sour and malty. very inviting

t - starts smooth and frothy and moves into a malty and high alcohol content flavor. a solid bitter aftertaste that comes well after the swallow

m - smooth and thick. very easy to drink

o - this beer is delicious. it's quite mellow for the 9.4% abv. yes, there is a kick, but it doesn't turn you away. i got this bottle as a small gift from a good friend, but i have seen it for about 2 or 3 dollars at a local beer store. i would definitely buy this again, and i will. sometimes it's nice to have a great brew that you don't really have to analyze that much.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 01:10:33 | More by Doshkin

keysofebony

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this beer at my work in a 4 pack for 8 bucks (wouldve been 10 +tax (in jersey))

Appearance- Dark crimson red. But transparent though light. Didnt pour too hard but the head been showing some life about 15 mins after pouring. Average

Smell- dark cherry, light chocolate, oatmeal, maple syrup...im sure all of that sounds confusing but it's what I got...moving on.

Taste- The stout that wasn't a stout. I don't know what to think of this beer; somewhere between a brown ale and a stout. I get the nutty taste with a dry chocolate, light-dark cherry stout flavor. Not totally forward with alcohol, but still present. A tiny bit bitter from hops.

Mouthfeel- dry (toward the end) palate covering syrupy-ness

Overall- As of this date, I would say try the Long Trail Harvest seasonal beer, it's phenomenal. This is somewhat forgettable. I am enjoying it, but its just a strong, dark, nut brown....stout..? Peculiar beer, leaves me wanting more to pinpoint it. It's rather expensive because I think its a limited release beer, but if you have the extra cash, check it out. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 05:44:30 | More by keysofebony

silentjay

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

mahogany/brown with a small khaki head that quickly recedes to a thin film.

lots of dark fruit, molasses, caramel, toffee, maple on the aroma with just a bit of hops for balance.

hot with grainy malts and plenty of dark fruits. sweet malts follow with plenty of caramel, maple, molasses. boozy throughout.

medium bodied and boozy with some slight prickly carbonation and syrup left on the palate.

a slow sipper, but not as complex as a slow sipper should be. the aroma is quite good, but it ends up being boozy and malty, and thats about it.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 03:12:55 | More by silentjay

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear deep brown color with a smallish tan head that recedes quickly. Smells of caramel and cherries mostly, with hints of prunes and alcohol thrown in for good measure. Sweet, fruity, syrupy flavor. Lots of caramel and dark fruits with a bit of alcohol burn. Sweet sticky mouthfeel, low to moderate level of carbonation, with a medium to thick body. Decent brew that I enjoyed sipping for a couple of hours but a touch to high with the alcohol burn.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 23:46:16 | More by johnnnniee

claspada

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy chestnut, borderline hazelnut brown color with a 1 inch khaki colored soapy head that recedes rather rapidly leaving some specs of spotty lacing.
Aromas begin with a boat ton of caramelized brown sugar and toffee maltiness. Then I get some dark fruitiness, plums and figs mainly with a little raisin. A slight earthiest is also present as it warms.
The tastes directly follow the nose but I can get a bunch more toasty and bready malt flavors that I could not detect amongst the caramels in the nose. The dark fruitiness is there once again, sweet ripe figs and plum are once again the highlight; I wouldn't say there is any raisin which I feel is a darker fruit component. All along the way you get the nice caramelized brown sugar and sweet toffee maltiness just as in the aroma. There is a little underlying earthiness presumably from the hops but the dark fruit and caramel malts are large and in charge of this brew.
The mouthfeel is medium to thick bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is slightly slick and sweet but it's appropriate here for the style.
Overall I really enjoyed this beer. It has all the great flavors of the original Double Bag but it's taken to a new level with the darker fruity flavors that are absent from the original. I imagine they are adding a darker Lovibond caramel malt here that adds that nice dark caramel and dark fruit flavors which really add to the complexity and overall flavor profile in this beer. Almost smells and tastes like a Belgian Dubbel because of the dominant plum and fig aromas and flavors present here. A great job by a great brewery that is always under-rated despite delivering amazing quality for amazing value.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 22:49:39 | More by claspada

Brad007

Vermont

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought a 4 pack of this and the Otter Creek 20th Anniversary Ale as well. Triple Bag was available on tap at one point but I never really had a chance to try it that way. Grateful for the 4 packs!

Pours a dark amber with a thin head into my glass. It's supposed to be an altbier though.

A warm dose of raisin, plum and alcohol in the nose. Well, lots of alcohol for sure.

Sweet, warming raisin and plum flavors coat the mouth with the alcohol fading a bit before the back of the tongue. This certainly opens up the flavor profile.

Lingering warmness and sweet raisin/plum round out the mouthfeel.

An extreme altbier? It tastes more like a barleywine to me. Regardless, worth a try!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 01:33:20 | More by Brad007

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle served in my Maudite tulip. Pours a deep brown, not quite the color of cola, with a one inch, loose, cream-colored head that quickly dissipates into a rolling, sudsy froth that coalesces around the edges. A half moon swath of delicate lacing encircles the bowl. Nose expresses dark malts and dark fruits; aromas are somewhat akin to an Americanized Belgian Strong Dark. Taste follows nose; however, there's also an interesting bubblegum quality (maybe grape), as well as a faint yeast presence. Mouthfeel is medium-light with an even carbonation that falls short of lively. I've been looking forward to trying this for a while and I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with this beer. Definitely the best brew I've had from Long Trail and I hope to see this added to their line as a seasonal rotation. I definitely plan on picking up some more to lay down for a couple years.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 23:29:15 | More by Jwale73

begforme4484

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's a dark mahogany brown. Very little head to be seen.

Rich malt smell with some dark fruits.

Very malty sweet tastes. It's like a stronger, sweeter, smoother double bag.

Medium, almost heavy.

It's a good beer that I will continue to enjoy. :)

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 03:33:24 | More by begforme4484

iwantmorehops

Vermont

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one on tap first earlier this year, nice to see it in bottles especially 12oz ones.

A dark golden red in my snifter, Triple Bag has a small head that recedes quickly. Smells very malty sweet, caramel, a little maple, alchohol, dark fruits. It tastes sweet, again a bit of maple and dark fruits, with a slight hop bite, but a smooth sweet finish that leaves lingering heat. (refill's snifter) Its rather tasty, theres a strong presence of alcohol, but with the pleasant sweetness of the beer I'm not minding it much. Its just a bit syrupy, and a tad lacking in carbonation.

Overall this is some of the best beer to have come out of Longtrail in a while, and I'm very happy to have a new beer for after dinner sipping.

I'm very curious to see how this will age, and wonder if anyone at LT has tried with previous years kegs.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 22:18:59 | More by iwantmorehops

MightyMonk

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at the Long Trail Brewery's bar that has an extraordinary tap there that siphons all their current styles to the main bar and chills them as they arrive at the tap. It is a great setup and the bar-fare is quite good as well. If you are in Vermont near the brewery, it is a good POI to add on your list.

The color of the triple is dark as you would expect although it is not as dark as their double bag. It is a deep caramel color. It pours with a nice eggshell head that lingers and has good lacing.

It has a rich malty sweet aroma with some floral notes and fruit as well.

The taste is full of refined complex malts with sweet and pleasing aftertaste that defines the double bag taste. It has a warm alcohol after taste as is usually the case in the high abv realm.

It is medium to heavy mouth feel leaning towards medium.

Overall this beer is truly a great beer that I think Long Trail should add to their list of great ales they sell in stores.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 00:47:35 | More by MightyMonk

Kinsman

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark chestnut red with lighter cherry highlights. Beautiful sticky and dense ivory colored head.

Strong, sweet, and malty aroma. Fruity character with notes of raisins and red red grapes. Sweet caramel and molasses in the background.

Nice aggressive malt-forward strong ale. Lots of caramel and brown sugar notes with the fruitier notes lingering around in the finish. Hops add just enough bitterness to balance things out. A tad bit boozy as well.

Thick mouthfeel but smooth and creamy in texture. Overall, I'm digging this strong ale from Long Trail. Lots of malty and boozy goodness with just enough hops to keep things in line.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 22:00:41 | More by Kinsman

jtierney89

New Jersey

1.65/5  rDev -56.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I was expecting a little more from this, tastes like other triples. Has a dark orange color with almost no head, smells of raisins. Tastes like a barley wine, grapes and raisin with a lingering sweetness. Little carbonation and medium bodied, slightly warming from the high alcohol content. Drinks rather easy though.

Don't let the score I gave fool you, it was good, but I just can't see myself having more than one at a time

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:33:10 | More by jtierney89

Casey10

Maine

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up as a new 4 pack today at a local place in the area. Had heard about this didn't know that it was going to be distibuted but anyway it has been in bottle format and is listed as 9.2%

I really liked this as a strong beer it seems smooth, has a lot of grape/raison flavor going on and for the abv has the alcohol well hidden.

Not much on the head some lacing copper brown look.

Give this one a try I was glad I did and looking forward to the other 3 that came in the 4 pack :)

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 23:57:43 | More by Casey10

Bendurgin

Maine

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at When Pigs Fly. Poured into a pint. Pours a dark chestnut with no head or even a layer of foam. Just a still amber mass.

The aroma is full of caramel and toffee. Really a strong malt player here with a little bit of a fruity character to It. Plumbs come to mind with a little bit of grassy hops rounding this out. Toffee on the pallet with a grape skin flavor. Again, lots of malt on the flavor with just a little bit of hop bittering on the finish.

The body is full and the carbonation is a bit soft. Overall not bad here. Not really sure what to ultimately make of this but it's pretty tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 22:50:19 | More by Bendurgin

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - this beer is crimson in color with the tiniest of white rings for a head

S - barleywine type aromas, roasted malts, some mellow toffee sweetness, and dark fruits, especially raisins

T - taste was more complex than I expected, sweet caramel, cane syrup, dark ripe berries, some floral hops reside in the way back and provide a bit of needed balance

M&D - lively on the tongue, but not effervescent, mellow and complex and layered, looked forward to this one for sometime and it didnt disappoint

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2011 02:34:34 | More by sinstaineddemon

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

64oz growler poured into a pint glass.

Pours a dark brown color with a small white lacing. Nose is malty and mellow, sweet and caramel-y.

Taste is sharp, boozy and lots of dark fruit and sweet creamy flavors. Mouthfeel is full and thick. It's pretty decent.

Serving type: growler

03-27-2011 01:11:45 | More by kingcrowing

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

on tap at irish pol in philly. served in pint glass.

Pours a somewhat hazed caramel auburn color with some brighter hues. A fluff of head retains for a bit, leaving some spots of lacing on the glass.

Scents of cinnamon, burnt sugar, caramel, and roasted malt. Some touches of alcohol heat and sweetness.

Roasted malt with a thick layer of caramel and brown sugar. Some near burnt edges with maple syrup and cinnamon. Definitely on the sweeter side, along with a thick malted backbone. Finishes with some alcohol heat.

Fuller medium body, decent carbonation, sticky and lingering on the tongue. Drinks decently, although this was a bit warm and sweet for my personal tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2011 05:24:32 | More by xnicknj