“Oak is a cosmic storehouse of wisdom embodied within its towering strength. The oak tree endures what others cannot. Each batch is brewed with fresh ‘tripel’ yeast borrowed from a secret location in Flanders. The beer has a complex flavour combining resinous bite from the American hops, spicy esters from the belgium yeast and fruit and cinnomon twists from the belgium fruits and spices. All finished with supreme British malt and candy sugar…”
This is our first crack at this breweries range. Served in a beer tulip it’s pouring a slightly hazy orange, forming a compacted white head that holds stubbornly, eventually shrinking down to a light covering over the top. We’re getting lots of spice (cinnamon, clove, pepper) off the nose which is being backed up by fruity hints of pear and citrus. Undertones of sour dough, oak and subtle alcohol also come through. Good depth. A delicate hop bitterness paves way to a mix of complex flavours including sour fruit esters, orange citrus, Belgian yeast and grainy pale malts. A restrained alcohol warmth (8.5%) in the finish also adds to the body of this beer. The only down side, though, is a very subtle soapy texture and flavour on the palate. Other than that it’s a decent quaffer. This is an impressive representation of an Abbey tripel from this Welsh brewery. Not bad at all.