Oct 3, 2016

Lickinghole Creek Bourbon Barrel & Ginger Three Chopt Tripel

Lickinghole Creek’s Bourbon barrel-aged Three Chopt Tripel is one of my favorite Virginia beers. And like most of my favorite beers, I’m a bit hesitant to check out released variations — whether they be barrel-based or employing adjunct ingredients. Such was the case with this bottle of the Goochland brewery’s Bourbon Barrel & Ginger Three Chopt Tripel.

To put it rather bluntly, there’s just so much ginger within the beer’s murky depths. It’s just too much for my own personal liking — so much so, that it eventually takes away from the base beer that I look forward to picking up every time it’s released. Now, I don’t mind a touch of ginger in food or beer, but man, there’s an overwhelming amount of the root present here. The bourbon still shows through well enough and the beer has the same body and mouthfeel that fade to a nicely warming finish.

Like most variants, I’m sure this one from Lickinghole Creek will have its fans. Unfortunately, the ginger is just too overpowering for my own liking. I’ll gladly pick up the brewery’s standard Three Chopt any day instead.