CulturAle Press

Ten Top Tripels: #6 Wyndridge Whiskey Barrel Maple Tripel, Wyndridge Farm Brewing, Dallasville, Pa.

Date:  March 5, 2019

The Story— One of the best trends for beer lovers is that states are increasingly treating local wineries and local breweries with a more or less even hand,  It’s allowed wineries to add breweries and that’s happened especially all  over the Mid Atlantic region.

Wyndridge at first glance seems like a winery that added a brewery, but the whole package seems to have evolved together   Steve Groff, a surgeon, was nailed by a careless driver and as he recovered he realized his farm could bring more happiness to others than his medical skills.  So Wyndridge opened about 5  years ago.  You’ll see their beers in bottles in plenty of outlets in the area, but it’s best to try them on premise.

The beers are good– we didn’t find a mistake in our enjoyable afternoon with them, but their best when we were there was the oh so difficult to brew Tripel. This edition was barrel aged which is unusual for the style but added to the depth and breadth of the beer,

The Beer—It’s a believably Belgian authentic tripel with a big barrel finish.  Warming booze is within style.  The barrel, which is not common for the style, actually adds some breadth.  Notes of vanilla and wood with maple that’s  fairly well leashed, resides in the aftertaste.

Value — good.  Like most farm breweries, they’re not in the business of giving you the cheapest beer you can find.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 To start the month of March we’re featuring our top ten tripels over the past several years– these are wonderfully complex and even delicate strong golden ales.   At their best, Tripels are among the best beers in the world.   At their common norm, they’re heavy handed, big-boozed and barely better than the malt liquors of the 20th century.   Here are ten beers that could show the rest of the country how it’s done.

CAVEAT:  The days of flagship beers, except for the Sierra Nevadas of the world, are gone.   Most breweries have a handful of beers they produce regularly, but even the lists of “usuals” vary with time.  Reviews posted here about craft beers on both sides of the Atlantic are intended to provide a sense of the strengths of the breweries featured and are subject to change.

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”