Monday, October 31st, 2011
St Josephs is Moa Brewing Company’s take on a traditional style Belgian Tripel. It certainly has the alcohol strength of a Tripel but does it have that traditional Belgian Goodness?
This is the second brew I have reviewed from the New Zealand based brewers, the first being their Five Hop Winter Ale which scored 5/5. Since then the entire Moa range has undergone a facelift in labelling with the above labelling system now featuring across their range. A four pack of St Josephs will set you back $25 which I believe is a decent price considering each 375 ml bottle contains 2.8 standard drinks and 9.5% alcohol. It is recommended that you serve this beer at 8°C in a goblet and gently roll it prior to pouring to distribute the sediment signature as it is bottle conditioned. If sediment turns you off as it does some, please note there was only little specks of it in this beer.
St Josephs pours a golden haze with a fluffy white head that has excellent retention and leaves plenty of lacing down your glass. This brew is heavily spiced, which is noticeable firstly on the nose. There are also citrus and clove notes in the aroma. There are some very complex flavours to this brew with a notable kick of spices on the palate and the mouth-feel is well carbonated. Unfortunately I found the alcohol in the beer to be noticeably strong so much so that I was feeling the effects of it after only a few mouthfuls. This is certainly not a session beer nor a beer to be quaffed.
Personally, I found this beer to be overpowering in the alcohol department and unlike its traditional counterparts wasn’t as well hidden. If you’re looking at testing out what Moa have to offer I would be giving their Five Hop Winter Ale a go first, even if summer is just around the corner.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 9.5% alcohol – 375ml dark green bottle – Pop top
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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
One day I plan to get lost in Belgium but until then I will have to suffice with the wonderful brews they continually produce.
Westmalle Tripel comes from the Trappist Brewery located within the walls Westmalle Abbey and has done since 1934 when the new brewing hall came into effect. For twenty years the monks of Westmalle Abbey only brewed beer for themselves, but thankfully things changed when demand of their wonderful beverage grew. While the brewery itself may have changed over the years the current formula of this beer has remained unchanged since 1956.
Served in both 330ml bottles and 750ml corked bottles (which I have yet to see in Australia), this beer will cost you around $8 per 330ml bottle and you will need to work hard to find one. Like most Tripels this one packs a punch with 9.5% alcohol per 330ml bottle and this equates to 2.4 standard drinks. I firmly believe that you need to be in the right frame of mind to truly enjoy this brew and like many other higher alcohol beers I’ve tried, this one tasted better during my second sitting.
There’s a sweet fruity aroma to this brew. It pours a cloudy golden colour and has a thick lasting white head that didn’t appear to leave any lacing. The taste at first was a little overwhelming to me due to the high alcohol content which I felt come through onto my tastebuds. Second time round was a different story though and I really started to enjoy it a little more. This brew is well carbonated and leaves a lasting tingle in your mouth. It starts off with a smooth & sweet maltiness and leaves you with a tart bitter finish.
In essence this beer has all of the right makings of a wonderful brew but unfortunately I found it to be overwhelmed by its alcohol content. They say the Westmalle Tripel is the “mother of all Tripels” and as such should be enjoyed slowly – I finished my first glass after watching an episode of Dexter which was about 50 minutes long. Bear this in mind if you decide to give this mother of a brew a try.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 9.5% alcohol – 330ml amber bottle – Pop top
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