Half Batch / BriarScratch "SumCo" Tripel

I'm not going to pontificate as I usually do about two breweries working together. Generally, I think it's a bad idea, and the resulting beer tends to bear that out. That said, there are a few that managed to buck the trend, so I keep giving them a chance. After all, if you have two good breweries, why can't you wind up with a good brew that they both like? This isn't a committee meeting; this is just beer

This very hazy beer is a dull amber color, and the off-white head does not amount to much coming straight from the can. The single lily pad of triumph in the middle is made up of tiny little bubbles only one layer thick. The ring around the glass, however, lets you know that this is a carbonated beverage, indeed. The aroma is yeast, honey, citrus, and light spices.

First sip is a bit of a mixed bag. The yeast is definitely strident, and it's a little sour for what I expect from Belgian yeast. The honey is sweetening things up a bit while the spices nestle into a somewhat grainy malt. The citrus that is there seems somewhat insubstantial, and its inclusion gives the beer more of a watered-down taste then I would typically expect from a tripel. Still, the sip certainly isn't bad. But complex beers require a more thorough tasting. That's why we gulp.

Tip-in is light carbonation tingle while orange rind and tangerine meat are glazed with the slightly tart/sour yeast on top of spiced grains. The middle floats in with a deliciously balanced yeast, spices, citrus, and the grains or even a little toasted; this middle is what the beer is about, and this middle is good. The finish is not as good, as the yeast turns a little funky and that sourness asserts itself a bit too much.

Bottom Line: A very good start from a collaboration of local breweries. Maybe they'll keep working together, and we will get some seriously fantastic beers from them.

3.25/5