Clipper City Yule Tide

Clipper City is an excellent local brewery, and their limited edition Mutiny Fleet line of 22-ounce beers is something I haven't kept up with as much as I'd like. In any case, 'tis the season, so I was compelled to pick this up when I saw it.

Vitals:

• Name: Clipper City Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Yule Tide Belgian Tripel Ale
  

• Brewery: Clipper City Brewery
  

• Style: Belgian Tripel (Categories 18C, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

• Alcohol: 10.0%

• Serving: 22-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Guinness historic-style pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

• Appearance: 4 - Pours a cloudy amber, with a white head foamy head that fades quickly to minimal lace.

• Nose: 6 - Spices, cloves, and a bit of fruit. A bit tamer than expected.
  

• Taste: 6 - Hit of spices, estery-fruits, and sweetness upfront, with the aforementioned sweetness and a booziness asserting themselves more in the middle. Sour notes and alcohol in the finish.
  

• Mouthfeel: 5 - Light to moderate-bodied with minimal carbonation, but with a cloying, syrupy quality. Moderate spicy aftertaste.
  

• Holistic: 4 - Somewhat disappointing. This seemed a bit unfocused compared with other Belgian Tripels. The flavors involved weren't distinct, and the persistent sticky-sweetness with the sour notes was a bit of a turn-off.
  

Overall: 25 - Clipper City makes several quite enjoyable Belgian-style beers, and I went in with the assumption that this higher-ABV, limited edition would be more of the same... and it just didn't quite work for me. This isn't a bad beverage by any stretch, but clearly did not attain a level of complexity and balance I'd expect from a high end "flagship" holiday brew. Worth seeking out only if you are a Clipper City fan or a completest.