Judge’s Review: 87 Rating – Trône by Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.

Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Limited Release | USA

By Sal Mortillaro II

Judges Rating: 87
Aroma: 21
Appearance: 5
Flavor: 35
Mouthfeel: 9
Overall Impression: 17

Trône by Wallenpaupack Brewing Co. is being judged as a Belgian Dark Strong Ale (Category 26D) per the 2021 BJCP style guidelines.
This beer pours a coppery brown color with a touch of chill haze. On the pour, a mocha-colored head of tiny bubbles forms, but only lasts for about 40 seconds before leaving a thin layer of bubbles on top of the beer.
On the nose, low ethyl alcohol presents itself at first but is quickly overtaken by a low malt sweet character with medium-low plum, low dark bread and very low caramel. There is a low peppery spice that is phenol-driven. Hops are not detectable in this beer.
Medium-high sweet malt is present in the initial sip with flavors of caramel and a very low touch of plum. A low hop bitterness helps to ground out the sweetness along with a low flavor of ethyl alcohol. There is no hop flavor in this beer. A very light touch of chocolate and very slight roast is present in the finish. Despite the initial sweetness, this beer dries out fairly quickly and leaves a lingering low bitterness in the finish.   
This beer has a medium body with medium-high carbonation and has a nice creamy quality to it. The alcohol warmth is pleasant and not hot.
Overall, this is a solid beer, but it lacks the overall dryness as well as complexity and depth of the malt character in some of the best examples of the style. The chocolate and very slight roast in the finish are also out of character for this beer. Regardless, it is an enjoyable beer that is nice for the colder holiday weather.