This week on Black Friday marks the release of the first 750mL bottle in the history of Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Unlike other bottle releases, this beer was not originally made to be bottled, but like so many beers, this one has evolved and changed much from grain and recipe to glass.

What is Apparition?

When head brewer David Doble made this beer, it was originally a special batch of beer, but he had no intention of doing a bottle release. Tampa Bay Brewing Company is releasing their Apparition Belgian Tripel this week to commemorate the death of former TBBC brewer John Doble. John Doble died in a house fire in April of 2003.

“Every year on the anniversary of Johnny’s death, I usually give the brewing staff the day off and just come in and brew,” says Doble. “This year, I brewed the Belgian Tripel, and when it came out it was hot and we knew that this would get better with some aging.” Doble produced seven barrels of the beer and decided to age it for an undetermined time. That aging would take several months, and since the beer was selling well, Doble pulled off three kegs of the Belgian style tripel. After tasting it again and seeing how well the beer had evolved, Doble decided to bottle and release it to locals.

“With our success and the upcoming expansion, I felt it was time to tell John’s story. I felt that this beer, his favorite style, was a good start.” The beer will be released on November 28th, Black Friday, which is John’s birthday. This batch yielded 120 bottles of tripel and Doble decided to treat those who bought a bottle to a celebration at the TBBC Pub. A bottle of Apparition Tripel and an invitation to the release party will cost $24.

What to expect from Apparition?

Florida Beer News was fortunate enough to sample Apparition Belgian Tripel. The beer pours a clear yellow with a white head. The aroma is one of sweet apples, sweet malted barley, fruit, mild banana, and some yeast. The flavor hits the palate with sweet malt, sugar, some banana and fruity notes with the yeast trying to dry the beer out a bit at the finish. It is a great example of this Belgian style and dangerously drinkable for a 9% beer.

For more information on the beer or to purchase tickets, see Tampa Bay Brewing Company.