Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" The Bruery's "Trade Winds" Tripel

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 10, 2010 10:40PM

Cold outside and here we are reviewing a summer seasonal again. But this one's worth it.

Rice is often used as a brewing grain to lighten the body of a beer and increase its gravity. We learned this first-hand brewing a beer that should have made Time Out Chicago's Top 100 things they ate or drank this year. The Bruery, located in Placentia, CA, uses rice in its summer Tripel, Trade Winds. For spicing, Thai basil is used, blending well with the candy sugar used to further feed the yeast.

What you get is a sweet, dry tripel, rich orange in color, with some thick lace rings on the glass as the head dissipates. Be careful pouring this beer; all that rice makes it foam real fast. If you aren't careful, you will get overflow.

Peep the map below to find out where we bought this.