[Hand of Dom]

Yes, congratulations.  Nice company

Nice job.

But Straffe Hendrick?  Really?

And what is wrong with a Straffe Hendrick tripel?  I like it a lot.  The author's "boozy but dry" description is spot on.

Personally I think it's OK, but would never have it behind the Westmalle, or even the Watou. 

[majorvices]

Yes, congratulations.  Nice company

Nice job.

But Straffe Hendrick?  Really?

And what is wrong with a Straffe Hendrick tripel?  I like it a lot.  The author's "boozy but dry" description is spot on.

Personally I think it's OK, but would never have it behind the Westmalle, or even the Watou.

Hard to argue with blind taste tests though. They seemed to have some good judges.

[narvin]

Yes, congratulations.  Nice company

Nice job.

But Straffe Hendrick?  Really?

And what is wrong with a Straffe Hendrick tripel?  I like it a lot.  The author's "boozy but dry" description is spot on.

Personally I think it's OK, but would never have it behind the Westmalle, or even the Watou.

Hard to argue with blind taste tests though. They seemed to have some good judges.

Unless the dreaded "palate fatigue" set in :-)

Not staying that all long flights like this are invalid but... well, I can't finish this sentence any other way.

[majorvices]

My point is had the author just have rated his "favorite" tripels there would be absolutely no credence to the article (unless the author is someone like Michael Jackson). And I have very little faith for social media beer ratings which are either based on total hype or, in the case of untappd, idiotic people who post crap like "This kolsch is not what I was in the mood for, which is a IIPA... 1 star".

Straffe Hendricks make some good beers. yeah, maybe a little surprised to see them as #1 but not really surprised to see it in top 15. I think the point is that the 15 beers mentioned on the list are all pretty solid versions of the style.

I personally prefer Coppertail tripel, out of FLA, over my own (it is extremely yeast-spice forward) but I don't think that  beer was even judged, other wise I may be at #9 instead of 8.  And freshness probably had a lot to do with some of the Belgian beers on the list not making the top 15. But, hey, that's all part of it. If you can't deliver a fresh product that's on you.

[Frankenbrew]

Congrats, Man! Way to go.

[narvin]

It's an honor just to show up on on a list like that, let alone place so high. 

Freshness is a major part of import quality, no doubt. Regarding SH, I also think bigger and boozier examples do better in competition flights. 

[ethinson]

Unless the dreaded "palate fatigue" set in :-)

Not staying that all long flights like this are invalid but... well, I can't finish this sentence any other way.

I can't imagine what it was like for the 144 Barrel Aged stouts (although it does say in the article they conducted those tastings over the course of a week).  Not all in one day for damn sure!

By the end of the first day of Best of Craft Beer judging, when they brought out the "leftovers", I was so dead a sour and a stout tasted the same.  I've never had my palate blasted that bad before.