Tallgrass Brewing Velvet Rooster Belgian-style Tripel Ale


Seeing the name "Tallgrass" being used for a name of a brewery, I just knew that this was going to be a prairie/midwest themed brewery, sure enough - Tallgrass Brewing Company is based out of Manhattan, Kansas.

I've sampled more than my share of Belgian Tripels over the past decade and some, and one thing I've never seen was a Belgian Tripel in a can, so Tallgrass' Velvet Rooster is the first I've ever seen in a can so far. Actually, Velvet Rooster is the first known Belgian Tripel to ever be sold in a can. I've known that high end Belgian ales would eventually be canned but I found it a bit degrading to the style, but hey.. they started doing it back in 2011 and they're still doing it today, so it has to be a success!

Appearance: So far, it appears like your typical Belgian-style Tripel, it's got a light amount of cloudiness to it, a light orange hue that's just as like what you'd see from a cork & caged Tripel, light amount of carbonation, minimal amount of head on top.. mostly near the side of the glassware and right of the middle of the beer.

Aroma: Notes of bubble gum, coriander, and a good amount of fruitiness to it (banana for example). Slight grainy and a hint of caramel popping up every so often.

Taste: This quite a sweet Tripel with a good sweet caramel malt profile. There's a light amount of booziness hitting the tongue once in a while, but mostly minimal at best. Decently fruity with banana, and there's a light amount of spiciness popping up as well. Decent amount of citrus notes as I'm getting a good deal of lemon in here, oh and there's a hint of honey popping up as well! Incredibly sweet for a Tripel, but I'll allow it.

Overall Thoughts: What's my opinion on trying the original canned Belgian Tripel? Well, it tastes great, even with it coming from a can. It's sweet, has a bit of a booziness to it, good notes of banana, honey and even a hint of coriander and pepper popping up here and there. Not anywhere as dry as Unibroue's La Fin du Monde, but this was absolutely something I can't wait to buying again next year! 8.5% ABV

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