First Tasting: It's a Trappist!

I’ve finally got around to writing a review for It’s aTrappist! I brewed this beer last year with a friend of mine. Half of my batch and half of the beer that he brewed were racked into a Balcones Blue Corn Barrel, where they remain today. The other half of our batch we bottled. I had one about a month after it was bottled but I felt it needed more time.  Then I forgot that I had bottles of it and where I had put them. So I’m finally writing a review.

Appearance: Pours a dark mahogany with a light tan/white head about a centimeter thick that fades to a thin lacing over the top of the beer. 

Aroma: Lots of dark fruit, figs, plums, raisins, and burnt sugar. There is also a hint of tobacco and a touch of sweetness and yeasty spice. 

Taste: Huge raisin flavor and a continuation of the dark fruits from the aroma. Slightly sweet but in no way cloying. The flavor is not as complex as a true Trappist beer but that is the mystery of the monastery. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation and a dry finish. I was worried it would be undercarbonated and too sweet but I think it ended up finishing just right. 

Overall: I really enjoyed this beer. I think next time I brew it again I will either buy actual Belgian Candi sugar or I will make my own with the new way I have learned. I felt the aroma and mouthfeel was spot on but there could have been more complexity. I think it will hold up well over time and I look forward to see how it evolves.