New Holland Beerhive Tripel

New Holland Beerhive Tripel, Ale Brewed with Honey and ginger, from the High Gravity Series. Little John's local bees create a wildflower-honey which lends a sweet earthy complexity to this traditional style beer. A snap of ginger provides a refreshing finish. Pairings: fresh veggies, soft-ripened cheese, fruit of late summer, custards and biscuits."

Well, what do we do for "fruit of late summer" when it's dead of winter? No matter, I'm pairing this with Chinese chicken with snow peas and pork-fried rice. Let's see what that does.

Anyway, on with the beer…19 deg. Plato, 8.47% by vol.

Clear, reddish hue, definitely a different tone for a triple, small, dotted white head, slims down, stays tight.

Aroma: Definite sweetness, there's the honey, there's the ginger, for certain, again, too unusual attributes in a "traditional style beer." I'm searching for citrus fruit, other spices that make up for a "traditional" tripel and I'm coming up empty.

Taste: A bite at first, then comes sweetness. Another gulp and swallow, once more it's clean and honey-ish, spritz of ginger. Medium bodied, swift, sweetish, and spiced finish. Big carbonation, frequent spank of ginger on the palate, and….

I'm wishing this wasn't a bomber. I'm not feeling it, not getting, not loving it. The honey and ginger don't really gel with what we expect from a tripel, and if it doesn't taste like one, why call it such? A "sweet, earthy complexity"? Um,…not complex enough.
It's an okay beer, I'll finish this not too worse the wear, but it's consumption will not be a pleasant memory, and I won't be singing any of it's purported praises. For all the talk of complexities and flavors, I'm left finding it rather dull.