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 /
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
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