Belgian Tripel - Tasting Notes

I brewed up this beer back in July based on a clone of Tripel Karmeliet.  It is an interesting recipe for a Belgian Tripel as it leverages spices in addition to an expressive Belgian yeast to amp up the spicy character (Star Anise, Coriander, and Orange Peal).

It was a smooth brewday and I gave the beer a long time to complete fermentation and then cold crash (largely due to business/lazyness).  Ended up giving it more than 3 week at 34 F (2 of which were after fining).  It came out as probably the clearest beers I've made with almost no sediment in the bottle which is quite nice - still carbed up very nicely though.

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
• Fruity yeast ester and spiciness come through most prominently.  They are well integrated and, aside from being able to pick out the star anise, it's not obvious the beer was spiced at all.  No obvious hop aroma and a very slight bit of malt comes through.
• Appearance:
• Gold and very clear.  Pours with a 3 finger head that settles down to a finger and lingers for at least 5 min.
• Flavor:
• Spicy and fruity flavors dominate.  The fruit is somewhat raisin like maybe.  Get a hint of orange (this was more prominent when it was fresher).  The finish has a mild hop bitterness with a bit of bready malt.  No alcohol comes through in the flavor.
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium-light bodied and slightly sweet.  It is a very smooth drinking beer.
• Overall:
• A very complex and interesting beer.  Hides it's 8.6% ABV very well which is pretty typical of the style.  I haven't tried this side by side with Tripel Karmeliet yet but I believe it should be very close.