Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel

Until now, pretty much every beer I've talked about here has been British. This is not because I believe that the rest of the world is incapable of making good beer – it's just that I have so many great British beers to choose from, I simply haven't got around to talking about the rest.

Today, I correct this oversight with a monster from Flying Dog, a great brewery from Colorado who are part of that crowd of American craft brewers proving once and for all that not all US beer is flavourless fizzy water (I'm looking at you, Bud…)

Kerberos is a Tripel-style beer, cunningly named for the three headed dog who guards the entrance to the Underworld in Greek mythology. This is the kind of pun I can get behind, as it's got both a numerical reference to the Tripel, plus a dog pun. Perfect!

A little under strength at 8.5% (in my book a Tripel is supposed to be 9%), it pours amber and slightly murky with a very fine bubbled, rich and lingering head. The nose is something special, with a yeastiness, a warm rich fruit – perhaps over ripe plums – and a definite alcohol hit.

In the mouth, the fine bubbles give a very pleasant, light champagne feel to the beer. It's a superbly fruit flavour - almost peach, but richer - with sticky toffee to it as well, leading through to a gentle bitter tang at the end. There's some alcohol heat underlying it all, but much less than you'd expect at this strength.

It's not quite what I'd expect from a Tripel, but that's my only real complaint. It's a damn tasty beer that's just the right way to start the weekend.

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This review was originally published 9th December, 2011. It was last updated 1st June, 2023.