On Tap.

Dyphna Was A Saint Of A Woman, And Now She's A Hell Of A Beer, Thanks To Lakewood Brewing.

Welcome to On Tap! Each week in this recurring feature, we'll take an in-depth look at one of the many beers now available in the suddenly crowded North Texas brew scene. The goal here is to look at these area beers without our local goggles on and to wonder aloud, “Is this beer good or do I just like it because it's local?” Should be a fun experiment, no? Cheers to that!

This week, we sipped on Lakewood Brewing Company's Saint Dymphna Belgian-Style Tripel.

Fast Facts on Lakewood Brewing Company's Saint Dymphna.
Style: Belgian-style Tripel.
ABV: 8.6 percent.
International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 34.
Color: Gold.
Availability: Limited Release.

Overview.
Saint Dymphna, a Belgian-style Tripel brewed with linden flowers, marks the sixth release for Lakewood Brewing Company's ever-popular Legendary Series.

Drawing inspiration from Belgian and local mythologies, Lakewood created the Legendary Series as a way to pay homage to its dual heritage. Mainly classic Belgian styles, the beers from the Legendary Series are reputably unique, strong and complex.

The fact that they're each brewed only once and in extremely limited quantities only adds to the series' popularity. Past entries include Goatman, its India Black Lager; La Dame Du Lac, its Biere de Garde; and its Belgian-Style Golden Ale, Antigoon's Revenge.

A little backstory: Saint Dymphna, known as the Lily of Ireland, fled to Geel in Belgium to escape ill-willed intention brought on by her unmatched kindness and beauty. As the story goes, she devoted much of her life caring for the mentally ill. And when her distraught and spiteful father tried to take her back to Ireland, she resisted and instead martyred herself. Dymphna is now a patron saint in Geel. Town founder Wim Bens' grandmother still calls it home. Today, a nearly 500-year-old linden tree grows near the Chapel of Saint Dymphna, where Bens recalls playing as a child.

Today, we see if Lakewood Brewing Company's Saint Dymphna Belgian-style tripel is as telling as the contemplative, illustrious story from which the beer was inspired.

Background on Belgian-style Tripel.
For a good background in the Belgian Tripel style, see our review of Community's Trinity Tripel.

Appearance.
Saint Dymphna serves a clear, gold color, with a thin head of white foam. The head fades quite quickly, leaving only a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.

Aroma.
The aroma of Saint Dymphna opens with some sweet hints of butterscotch, bubblegum and banana, mixed with some subtle hints of clove, lemongrass, coriander spice and some light biscuit. Other aromas of candied sugar and yeast cake are also noticeable, and they warmly disguise the high ABV.

Flavor.
Saint Dymphna begins quite sweet upfront, with lots of candied sugar and fruity notes of banana and pear. Also complimented up front are rich and bready malt flavors that are followed by some notes of soft spice and yeast. It creates not only a wonderful base for the beer but also helps with its balance. Found deeper are more pronounced flavors of candied sugar, bubblegum, more banana and lemon. The warmth of the alcohol is more present towards the end, adding remarkable depth as the rich and buttery malt flavors and sweet fruit notes linger on the tongue through the finish.

Mouthfeel.
Saint Dymphna is a medium-bodied beer. It's smooth with a buttery and creamy mouthfeel.

Overall Impression.
As noted from the beer's description, Saint Dymphna is strong yet light, and full of conviction — just like the fair Saint Dymphna herself.

In other words: The new addition to the Legendary Series is a must-have to complete your collection. Saint Dymphna is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting Belgian Tripels I've had. There is much to be discovered, and only so many sips to take.

Saint Dymphna displays just extraordinary depth of flavor: There's delicious bready malts that support sweet and buttery floral and fruit notes, allowing for a complex and balanced experience. It's a different and exceptional approach to the Belgian Tripel style.

Lakewood also deserves some acknowledgement in the way it tells this story. The significance of the linden flowers and its relevancy to the heritage makes for a thoughtful and enjoyable experience.

Mark your calendars for Lakewood Brewing's Three-Year Anniversary Party, whih to celebrated over two days on August 1 and 2 with over 20 beers to sample. First, though, make sure this beer is on your list.

Score.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Lakewood Brewing Company's Saint Dymphna Belgian-style Tripel a 9.5.

What's happening in the area brew scene? (Powered by Dallas Brew Scene.)
• Saturday, July 18. Oak Highlands Brewery Grand Opening.
• Saturday, July 18. Summer Sampler Food & Beer Pairing at Franconia Brewing Company.
• Sunday, July 19. Bacon and Beer Brunch at LUCK.
• Saturday, July 25. Dallas Brew Bus July Tour.
• Sunday, July 26. Donut and Beer Pairing at LUCK.
• Wednesday, July 29. Vegan Beer Dinner at The Libertine.

Previous On Tap Reviews:
• Peticolas' Royal Scandal: 10.
• Community's Mosaic IPA: 10.
• Peticolas' Velvet Hammer: 10.
• Community's Barrel-Aged Legion: 10.
• Community's Legion: 10.
• Peticolas' Lost Epic: 9.5.
• Community's Ascension Porter: 9.5.
• Lakewood's Temptress: 9.5.
• Lakewood's Goatman: 9.5.
• Community's Public Ale: 9.5.
• Peticolas' Thrilla in Brazilla: 9.5.
• Revolver's Blood & Honey: 9.
• Martin House's Imperial Texan: 9.
• Community's Trinity Tripel: 9.
• Peticolas' Irish Goodbye: 9.
• Four Corners' Block Party Porter: 9.
• Cedar Creek's Belgian Dubbel: 9.
• Deep Ellum's Easy Peasy IPA: 8.5.
• Deep Ellum's Oak Cliff Coffee Ale: 8.5.
• Lakewood's Rock Ryder: 8.5.
• Rahr's Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer: 8.5.
• Lakewood's Raspberry Temptress: 8.5.
• 903 Brewers' Citra On Top: 8.
• Bitter Sisters' Hissy Fit: 8.
• BrainDead's Gritz: 8.
• Community's Barrel-Aged Inspiration : 8.
• Cedar Creek's Fisticuffs: 8.
• Lakewood's Punkel: 8.
• Four Corners' El Chingon IPA: 8.
• Martin House's Day Break: 8.
• Deep Ellum's GOURDzilla: 8.
• Peticolas' The Duke (Aged 12 Months): 8.
• Deep Ellum's Pale Ale: 8.
• Revolver's Bock: 8.
• 903 Brewers' Sasquatch: 8.
• Peticolas' Wintervention: 8.
• Armadillo Ale Works' Brunch Money: 8.
• Martin House's Salsa Verde: 8.
• Cedar Creek's Spinning Mule Robust Porter: 8.
• Lakewood's Holiday Bonus: 8.
• Lakewood's Hop Trapp: 8.
• Lakewood's Hopochondria: 7.5.
• Martin House's Rubberneck Red: 7.5.
• Lakewood's Antigoon's Revenge: 7.5.
• Community's Texas Pils: 7.5.
• Lakewood's Zomer Pils: 7.5.
• Cedar Creek's Dankosaurus: 7.5.
• BrainDead's Red Ale: 7.
• Community's Razzy Raspberry Witbier: 7.
• Martin House's Gateway Blonde Ale: 7.
• Bearded Eel's Purple Unicorn: 7.
• Shannon Brewing Company's Irish Red: 7.
• Texas Ale Project's Somethin' Shady: 7.
• Deep Ellum IPA: 7.
• Cedar Creek's The Lawn Ranger: 7.
• Martin House Brewing Company's Cellarman's Reserve IPA (Amarillo).: 7.
• Lakewood's Till & Toil: 7.
• 903 Brewers' The Chosen One: 7.
• 903 Brewers' Sugar On Top: 7.
• Martin House's Gateway XPA: 7.
• Armadillo Ale Work's Quakertown Stout: 7.
• Revolver's High Brass: 7.
• Community's Pale Ale: 7.
• Martin House's River House: 7.
• Grapevine Craft Brewery's Sir William's Brown Ale: 7.
• Community's Funnel Cake Ale: 7.
• Audacity's Boss Raptor IPA: 7.
• Peticolas' Operation Collaboration: 6.5.
• Grapevine Craft Brewery's Nightwatch: 6.5.
• Peticolas' The Duke: 6.5.
• Deep Ellum's Double Brown Stout : 6.5.
• Tupps' Cotton Mill Gold: 6.
• Rabbit Hole's Tweedleyum: 6.
• Rabbit Hole's Off With Your Red: 6.
• Cedar Creek's Elliott's Phoned Home Pale Ale: 6
• Grapevine Craft Brewery's Lakefire: 6
• Armadillo Ale Works' WunderMelon: 6
• Deep Ellum Pale Ale: 6
• Lakewood's La Dame Du Lac: 5.5.
• Deep Ellum's Numb Comfort: 5.
• Four Corners Heart O' Texas: 4.
• Audacity's Sunset Boulevard: 4.
• Shannon Brewing Company's IPA: 4.
• Grapevine's Monarch: 4.
• Franconia Wheat: 3.
• Miller Lite: 1.