This beer has a strong Belgian spice aroma mixed with some fruity notes and yeast. The color is a hazy brown without any light passing though. The head pours thick with good retention keeping the beer covered.

This beer has a sweet start with a brown sugar and fruit flavor, like a dessert made with raisins. The Belgian spice / clove flavor is present and not overwhelming. There is some alcohol taste, but it is subtle similar to a glass of sherry. The mouthfeel is smooth and full with plenty of carbonation playing on the tongue. The finish is spicy and sweet.  read more »

I love a tripel, and I kinda like Flying Dog. Together, we may perhaps have a tasty brew. This one can be found in 4-packs around the way right now, and it MIGHT be a limited release - not sure. Regardless, I was glad to get my hand on a few of these.

This tripel pours a mildly hazy golden color with quite a lot of dense suspended debris and a light white head that eventually fizzes out to nothing. Throughout it all, though, there is a lot of carbonation here, with steady streams of tiny bubbles rising throughout the life of the beer. The aroma of this beer is very nice with tons of spice, lots of sharp candi sugar, and a ‘pungence’ that slightly burns the nose (in a good way). In the mouth, this is a pretty good tripel. All of the ingredients are here for a good tripel. There is a nice burn on the tip of the tongue, some powerful candi sugar flavors that stick all over the tongue, and a good amount of spice to keep the sweetness from being too cloying. The only downside of this beer is a tangy bitterness that strikes right on the front end of the aftertaste. I can’t really say that this twang ruins the beer - some may even say it adds to complexity - but, for me, it taints an otherwise smooth and simple tripel (which is sorta the way I like ‘em). So, overall, it’s a pretty good tripel. It’s a little more abrasive than I like, and it simply isn’t the best I’ve had. But, in this price range, I can’t say it’s a bad buy.  read more »

Greetings from Banff, where it is raining on Canada Day. Good enough weather this morning for pancakes in the park — two tasty pancakes (real maple syrup), a muffin, sausage and fruit juice for $3, perhaps the best food deal of our trip. There will be no musing this week, but I wanted to remind everybody [...]

Brewpub
Date and time reviewed: Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:00:19 EDT

Overall Score: 95.0
Selection: 4.75 | Service: 5 | Atmosphere: 4.5 | Food: 4.75

Reviewer: Beer Brian

Rockyard Brewing is a pretty typical suburban brewpub, but they do it well. It's worth going there if you're in the area.

I was there only once. I had the White Ale and a salad. The White Ale was a good German-style hefeweizen, cloudy with citrusy flavors. I would prefer not to have fruit stuck in my beer - let the yeast provide the citrus - but maybe that makes me a snob. They call White Ale a seasonal, so it may not be available at all times.

Food was not creative, pretty typical, but done well. Service was friendly. Sports showing on several TVs in the bar area including at least one giant screen. Kids menu available and I wouldn't hesitate to take my family.  read more »