Name: Beta Triangulum (Silver Series 2020)
Brewers: Pühaste Brewery (Estonia), Browar Stu Mostów (Poland) x Moersleutel Craft Brewery (Netherlands)
Style: Mixed-Style Beer (Base Style: Imperial Stout)
ABV: 12.8%
Review Year: 2021
Part of the Silver Series 2020 of Pühaste Brewery, Beta Triangulum is a triple collaboration of the Estonian brewery together with Browar Stu Mostów (Poland) and Moersleutel Craft Brewery (Netherlands). Beta Triangulum is an Imperial Stout brewed with beetroots and was aged in rye whiskey barrels.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Mixed-Style Beer (34B), combining Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (33B) and Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (30A), with Imperial Stout (20C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The said guidelines were used since we reviewed this beer before 29 December 2021, the date of publishing of the 2021 update. The most current version can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Pours opaque deep brown; medium-low brown head with fair retention. The nose evoked scenes of a speakeasy bar with prominent leathery, tobacco notes accompanied by wine, oak, dark chocolate, nuts, and some earthiness. Medium-full-bodied, moderately-low carbonation, subtle alcohol warmth and astringency. The flavor profile mirrored the aroma with intense tobacco and dark chocolate taking the center stage. These were backed by moderate flavors of earthiness, beetroot, roasted malt, oak, wine, and dried fruits. Bitterness was at a notch above moderate, while sweetness was low. Beta Triangulum concluded with lingering flavors of earthiness, booze, spice, and some tart dried fruit resembling raisins.
THE VERDICT
Beta Triangulum is a unique take on a barrel-aged Imperial Stout that explored what beetroot could bring to the table. The result is a massively dry, roasty, and bitter dark ale with accentuated earthiness likely from the vegetable– an antithesis of the contemporary “Pastry Stouts.”
Mouthfeel felt relatively thinner than most Imperial Stouts, including those barrel-aged. Rye whiskey took a while to surface and seemed to have imparted additional spiciness and dryness as the beer settled. A bit more of the rye whiskey could spice this beer up further, but, overall, Beta Triangulum to us is an excellent concept.
Related Reviews:
Pühaste Brewery
Browar Stu Mostów
Moersleutel Craft Brewery
Beers From Estonia
Beers From Poland
Beers from the Netherlands
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