Left Coast Brewing Company Barrel-Aged Asylum
What the brewers say
“This is our Belgian tripel aged in rye-whiskey barrels. It has a beautiful golden color, a relatively light body, and a sweet and spicy, fruity aroma and flavor. It finishes with a subtle, warming character.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Huge barrel character—in- tense oak and vanilla with coconut, dark chocolate, rum, raisin, caramel, and dried apricot. Nice bready sweet malt. Some orange. Alcohol complexity, too, with some sherry and spicy phenols. Slight peppery and lemon notes.”
Flavor: “As in the aroma, so in the flavor—so much barrel! And what a beautiful use of a barrel—there is enough sweetness to balance the intense vanilla, coconut, chocolate, and light coffee, but that overpowers the tripel-ness. Some nice orange, with spicy hops character and peppery phenolics underneath. Nice carbonation with strong alcohol warmth.”
Overall: “The barrel is the star of this show, and we’re all glad it got the main billing. Other traditional tripel character- istics may be lacking, but no complaints. Style-wise, this beer is out in left field; enjoyment-wise, this beer is fantastic.”
