Brigand

Castle Brewery, Van Honsbrouck, Belgium

9 percent alcohol by volume

750 mL corked bottle (bottled 06/2007)

Sampled: April 26, 2009

Forget about the Robin Hood facsimile on the bottle – sometimes the best beers lurk beneath head-scratchingly bad labels (see Bernardus, Saint). Almost two years after bottling, this might not be the ideal sample of the beer, but a sniff of its proper mix of orange and alcohol pepperiness tells me Brigand comes from Tripel territory.

The bubbly head condenses to a thin lace that almost vanishes entirely. This appears to be an effect of aging, since most Tripels usually feature the thick “ice cream head” of stronger ales.

The orange tones continue to dominate the flavor, with the pepper settling in as an effective backdrop. Tripels are among the most deceptive high-alcohol beers, a trend with Brigand does not buck. It comes across smooth with a small salvo of hop on the finish

With hop prices shoving beer prices ever higher, the $9 tag on Brigand makes it more than worthy at a time when some superior Tripels runs $12-$15. it’s a pleasant beer suitable for imbibing on a hot summer day – so long as you don’t lose track of its alcohol content.

Rating 7/10