Left Coast Brewing Company Asylum

**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.”

“Aroma is a little off, funky but in an unpleasant way. Pungent ester and spice in the aroma. Slightly rubbery. Thin mouthfeel, slightly alcoholic, strawberry-banana flavor in the back with damp earth-flavored hops and light spiced hop flavor.”

**Aroma:** “Weird soapy hops. Very spicy with a strong yeast character. There’s a hint of Pils malt in there, but not much else past the overwhelming handmade soaps. Floral and lemony with hints of lavender.” **Flavor:** “Sweet honey malt and spice. Floral hops and unusually floral esters give this tripel a highly unusual personality. A mild, but obvious hops flavor. Strong orange citrus quality. Black- pepper notes. Some oxidation.” **Overall:** “This beer seems to be a creative citrusy take on the classic tripel, but the brewer took a lot of chances with this one, and they didn’t all pay off. The flavors are a bit discordant, and there is some oxidation. It would work well in light fish dishes seasoned with Herbes de Provence. Otherwise, it’s hard to get past the overwhelming soapy nature of the beer.”