In my short life, I've had the opportunity to sample dozens of different kinds of beer. If I were to guess a number, I'd say that I have tried at least fifty different kinds of beer(styles, not brands). At this point in my young adulthood, I feel like there are very few areas of uncharted beer country that I have not already explored. I'm longing to take a trip off the beaten path and experience a new kind of beer that I've never experienced before. I have bocks before. I've have double bocks before. But a Triple Bock? What on God's green earth is that? I'm excited to venture into open waters and try Samuel Adams Triple Bock.
Samuel Adams Triple Bock is completely unlike any beer that I've ever tasted before. It comes in a dark blue bottle that looks completely black before the beer is poured out. The neck is wrapped in foil, but underneath that foil you're not going to find a bottle cap; you're going to find a cork. Corked beer? It's the kind of thing that you only find in an ultra-premium beer, and that's exactly what Sam Adams Triple Bock is. Brewed in only three batches in 1994,1995 and 1997, this beer was aged for months in oak whiskey barrels before it was ever bottled. At the time of its first brewing, Sam Adams Triple Bock was considered to be the strongest beer in the world. Several other stronger beers have come around since then, including Sam Adam's own Utopia, but believe you me, the Triple Bock is plenty strong for my liking. This beer is a very deep and dark shade of blackish brown that looks remarkably like motor oil when poured into the glass. It both looks and smells like a port wine when it's poured into the glass, but the complex aromas of coffee, prunes, chocolate and even maple syrup give Sam Adams Triple Bock a very distinctive bouquet.
Ok, So I'm gonna come right out and say this even though some of you out there are going to think I'm crazy, but I HATE maple syrup. I consider myself an extraordinarily adventurous consumer of food and beverage and there are only four things that I refuse to eat. Egg nog, cilantro, pumpkin pie and of course, maple syrup. I know maple syrup is a strange food to have an aversion to, but nevertheless I cannot stand this disgusting tree sap that has somehow found it's way onto America's breakfast table. One of the unique qualities of Sam Adams Triple Bock is that copious amounts of maple syrup are added in the brewing process, giving a strong maple flavor to this brew. Had I been more careful in my selection process, I would have clearly read the bit about the maple syrup on the bottle and respectfully declined on this particular beer. However, I will say that while the aroma of maple is very strong, the maple flavor is much more subtle. In the end I decided to overlook the questionable addition of maple to the Sam Adams Triple Bock and judge it by its overall taste. There's almost no carbonation in this beer, and it feels much more like wine when it's going down your throat. The dark tint of this beer led me to anticipate the bitter shock of a stout like Guiness, but I was shocked by the not totally unpleasant fruity taste of the Triple Bock. It's really hard to describe to complex palate of this beer because there are so many different flavors competing against one another. At 17.5% alcohol, this is an extremely strong beer that is meant to be sipped very slowly. This is definitely not the beer you want to bring along to a party with your buddies for a game of beer pong, but it would be great for a night in with that special someone. Be forewarned, there is a very limited supply of Samuel Adams Triple Bock and it is very much an acquired taste, so keep that in mind if you're going to try and hunt this one down.
Cheers,
Ian
http://www.samueladams.com
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