Trois Pistoles

A beautifully crafted Belgian-style dark strong ale, Trois Pistoles is an opulent beer with multiple layers of continually evolving aromas and flavors. It pours as a profoundly dark amber, almost chocolate brown, somewhat hazy beer crowned by a luxuriant, silky off-white head. The aroma is classically Belgian, with big notes of cherry, plum, rum, caramel, cloves and banana, as well as hints of white pepper. Trois Pistoles’s yeast strain is the major contributor to the beer’s aromatic complexity. Pete and Rick enjoyed the interplay between the clove notes and the dark fruit in the aroma, while Lee commented on the aroma’s hints of ripe Asian pear and kiwi. Caramel and bready malt flavors were in the forefront, with notes of apple, peaches, plums, dark rum and big yet restrained alcohol bringing up the rear. The panel commented on the complex yeast character in the flavor, with Tim likening the overall flavor to an apple coffee-cake topped with dark caramel. Hop bitterness was low, which is expected of the style, but combined with a medium-high carbonation level was sufficient to tame the sugary residual sweetness and keep the beer from going flabby. A seductive, warming beer, Trois Pistoles is the ideal choice for a quiet evening by the fireplace with a favorite book.