Description on bottle: "Tripel / Belgian-style Ale brewed with rice and Thai basil". Not going to lie, this could get pretty weird. But after stopping by their tasting room, I trust them. They do inventive, creative recipes, and none have been terrible. The bottle also says "SUMMER FUN". Ok then.
Thick head off the pour quickly settles down to a persistent cap with a steady stream of bubbles. I get some lemongrass in the nose along with some of that typical Belgian witbier spice. Thai soups have a great blend of spicy and sour which can be initially confusing to the palate. I kind of feel that way with this one. There's a lot going on, but I'm having trouble separating all the elements, many of which are very brief. Rice is obviously mild; I think I catch a bit of it on the finish. Overall, this is certainly a drinkable, enjoyable beer, but I'm not sure if it's memorable. Certainly, the notion of rice and Thai basil will stick with me, but I don't think I would be able to recall the taste in the future.
- Appearance: Solid golden, steady bubbles, persistent head.
- Smell: Lemongrass, citrus, the spicy aroma off a Thai soup.
- Taste: Primarily witbier-like, maybe some glutinous rice flavor on the finish but also a bit of heat. The basil is either too mild or getting muddled in my mind with other flavors.
- Mouthfeel: Carbonation is a little low up front but a nice wash comes through at the end. Body is slightly heavy for a tripel but still enjoyable.
- Drinkability and Overall: Light and refreshing, in the style. At 8.1%ABV, not a session beer but a few pours are certainly manageable. As a Belgian-style beer, it does just fine. The notion of doing an East-West fusion is cool but might be too subtle in this execution.
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