While I feel it is a bit contentious, we’ve not had much luck in the past with fruited tripels. When we used to go to Pittsburgh fairly regularly, a local brewery had an effort in that vein that was pretty well thought-of, and I felt that it was incredibly middle of the road. That was particularly sad because a good tripel is one of those brews that I can get behind. Ecliptic (we reviewed their Orange Giant Barleywine a few years back) released a blackcurrant tripel that is able that have a bountiful fruit taste while still hitting all of the marks of what comprises a good tripel.
From the onset, there is a solid, crisp flavor that is contributed by the strong alcohol bite and the ample amount of grain used. The presence of the blackcurrants comes in next. While there is a fair amount of sweetness that is included by the brew itself, this is moderated quite well by what the blackcurrants bring to the table. What results is a fairly dense collection of flavors that always feels as if it is shifting and changing. Callisto is an effort that is absolutely perfect for those cold winter months. I would like to see how the overall flavor of the brew changes if the ABV was boosted just a bit more, too – I think the complexity would be exponentially increased if Ecliptic pushed Callisto to the 11-13% range.
The Protean nature of Callisto is particularly good news when one has a 22 ounce bottle of Callisto to themselves. The warming up of the brew to room temperature is a great way to experience the sheer array of flavors that is present here. For additional information concerning the entirety of the year-round and seasonal Ecliptic brews, check out their main domain or social networking profiles.
Rating : 8.8/10
Callisto (Blackcurrant Tripel) / 2017 Edition / Ecliptic Brewery / 7.5% ABV / https://www.facebook.com/EclipticBrewing / https://twitter.com/EclipticBrewing /