Sprecher - Abbey Triple

Ill forewarn all who read this post... it isn't going to be pretty.  My brain hurts.  Aside from last Friday, I feel as though I have been studying nonstop for the past two weeks.  My exam is in 25 days and I feel utterly under prepared.  These posts give me a nice chance to sit back and take my mind away from the books for a bit.  That, and it helps me wind down at the end of the day.  So hopefully throughout the next 25 days you will bear with me through mindless run-on sentences, abrupt endings, random punctuations, and poor humor as I struggle to keep a piece of my sanity within reach.  Believe me, after June 4th, I am going to go to my favorite beer store and buy at least $300 worth of deliciousness.  Its going to be a fantastic day.

Tonights brew is from Sprecher Brewing.  Many of you may know them more for their soda (pop if you are from the East) line-up, especially their root beer.  I wouldn't blame you.  I was unaware they brewed beer until I saw their four packs in the store!  And actually, I did know they brewed beer... after looking at their website I found that they brew Black Bavarian.  I love that stuff!  But I had never put two and two together.  I guess you learn something new every day!

I picked up Sprecher's Abbey Triple since I was in the mood for a Belgian golden strong ale at the time.  I drank three back in late December when I originally purchased the four pack and saved the last one for a review.  I would have reviewed this earlier but there is a note on the bottle saying "Excellent when young and better with age".  I don't know I would consider 5 months as putting some age on the beer but its good enough for our purposes this evening.  This is a part of Sprecher's Premium Reserve series.  I'm not entirely sure what that means but I gather from the other beers in the series that they are bigger and more robust than there standard, year-round line up.

Cloudy with an orange hue, the bottles 16 ounces fill up my mug to the brim.  A bright white foam builds and quickly recedes with sweet malt and tangy fruit aromas readily present.  The flavors play right into the aromas with white grapes, raw sugar, and alcohol clearly discernible.  A very smooth mouthfeel is somewhat offset by a prickly carbonation while also accentuating the tart fruit flavors.  Alcohol finishes this brew dry and with a warmth.  Easily drinkable throughout.

Overall - Decent.  Its a good beer.  Well brewed and balanced.  A bit on the fruity side and lacking the prominent 'Belgian' characteristics I like to taste when the beer is brewed as a Belgian Triple.  Go ahead and pick it up if you are curious, but don't expect anything ground breaking.