Triumph Brewing Company – Princeton NJ
I first visited the Triumph Brewing Company in the late 1990’s and enjoyed the beer, but I haven’t found myself in Princeton to go back. So, on “the way home” from Philly, my wife thought it would be a nice treat for me to go there for lunch.
The bar was in the same location as years before, but not as how I remember it. This is a massive open-air bar with 6 or so fermentors sitting right above the bar, it is a pretty cool sight.
One of my favorite things about brewpubs that make a bunch of different styles of beer is the sampler; a 4-5 oz glass of each of their beers. It is a good way to try their selections to find what are their best beers. At the Triumph I had a sampling of 7 beers, a very good range colors and styles of beers.
First up was the Honey Wheat, a good beer to start with, very light and clean, not much aroma. The beer finished with a slight lemon bitter finish.
Next in line was the Amber Ale, great color, and nice robust flavor. It had a great sweet caramel aroma. I really liked this beer and bought a growler of it to bring home.
Dortmunder Export was next, I’ve never had this particular style of beer so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The beer had a nice straw color with a nice spice bitterness finish, but there was a fairly strong sour taste, which I did not like.
Up next was the Irish Dry Stout. Usually when sampling beers I tend to go light to dark, but this is the order the waitress suggested, so I went with the flow. The stout had a strong coffee aroma. It was dry like its namesake, I was surprised at how none of the aroma carried into the beer, but it was a very drinkable beer. You could easily drink a pint and wondered what happened to the beer.
The Amarillo IPA, as soon as I saw this beer listed on the wall I had to try it. As soon a beer lists a hop like this in the name of the beer, my expectations rise. I’m a huge fan of this variety of hops and the flavor and aroma it adds to a beer. As soon as I got with in about a foot of my nose with this beer I could smell the hops and this beer had a strong pink grapefruit flavor. One of the best IPA’s I’ve had in recent memory. A well crafted beer, I also bought a growler of this to take home.
Next on the beer train was the Abby Trippel, a banana aroma was predominate with a cherry and banana flavor. This was a very good example of this style of beer, I very much enjoyed drinking.
Finally the last beer a cask poured Irish Red Ale. It was a nicely balanced sweet and smooth with a touch of hop bitterness. Not much carbonation, but i didn’t expect much either from a hand pump
Overall this brewery makes some good craft beer in many different styles. My favorites on this trip were the Amarillo IPA, Abby Trippel, and the Amber Ale. If you find yourself in Princeton NJ some day check this brewpub out, it will be well worth your while (and they have good food).
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