Its moniker owed to the difficulty in crafting and getting this kind of brew right – I was drawn by the presence of Elderflower in the name.
Elderflower was not something I had ever heard of before coming to the South Island and I have since learned from locals that it is very good for you – acting well with Vitamin C to fight off colds. When you are drinking something that is not only alcoholic and tasty but is also actually good for you; sign me the fuck up.
Breathing in before taking a sip I thought I could differentiate the honey but sampling the first taste in my mouth I was surprised to find the texture almost wheat-beer like. With the malts heavily conflicting with the surrounding flavours the after taste is most definitely characteristic of a heavy tripel.
Cloudy and dense like a witbeir but with a brighter yellow colouring owing I assume to the honey and elderflower; this bold take on the Belgian Tripel is extremely flavoursome. The honey sits last on the pallet after the other ingredients have finished vying for your attention.
My personal favourite Belgian Tripel so far is by Dales Brewing – but this isn’t too far behind. Of course, affordability comes into it; given this is of the GP “special” range and it cost me $18 (!!) for the bottle at Fresh Choice Richmond. But hey, it has cute packaging? Speaking of which, after you are done – you can take off the wrapper and use it as a neat souvenir poster thing. The art – as always when associated with Garage Project – is nothing short of amazing.