Allagash Dubbel Reserve

I’ve only tried two domestic (U.S.) dubbels, this being the second, the other being New Belgium’s. I like this almost as much as the New Belgium but it’s not quite as pungent or spicy as that great beer. Nevertheless, this is very enjoyable--musty, dry, smooth. But I have to tell you, the one domestic dubbel I enjoy the most is my own homebrewed--seriously, I’m not sure why I can make a simple extract homebrewed dubbel that’s miles beyond either of the domestics I’ve tried, but in a pinch, when I can’t brew, this or New Belgium will do.

Dark honey brown colour. Very thin head but lasting ring and film. Enticing alcohol with both brown and candy sugar aroma. Dark flavour. Prune ending and long smoked licorice and cigar finish.

nice aroma with gingerbread, prunes some pine. Pours a darker brown, cloudy with a thin head. Oily/buttery mouthfeel and a tad thin. Watery finish with a slight yeastiness and sourness. Not a standout.

(03.02.06) 12 oz brown bottle purchased from DiCarlo’s, Mundelein, IL. 7% ABV. Bottled labeled as "Dubbel" not "Dubble Reserve". Clear amber Belgium-style ale with small white head. No discernable carbonation. Pronounced clove aroma. Medium bodied ale that starts dry with tiny malt sweetness and spicy clove flavor. Finishes dry with light clove fade. Slight metallic aftertaste. Though drinkable, this dry, watery, thin beer cannot be one of Allagash’s more memorable beers. From the ratings below, it is hard for me to believe this is the same beer.

Cloudy brown body topped by an initially large beige head. Creamy cereals body loaded with nutty flavours and tree barks. Somewhere between an unsweetened nuts cake and graham cookies. Very pleasant floury body. Soft but lively carbonation. Not very intense but how so pleasant. I can easily imagine myself drinking that stuff to a point where I believe that my ex-lovers are really dying for me to phone them at 4:00 AM.

Close your eyes and you’re in Belgium, or so says the raisiny aroma ringed with waft of sweet chocolate. The first sip is a bit tart but a sweet malty chocolate tinged flavor takes over in mid swallow ending in a quick tart stab followed by a long sweet/bitter finish. Carbonation is tight and fizzy, but not overly so. Complex, dry and pleasing, don’t hide this one behind salty snacks.

Bottled. Batch number 38. I pulled the cork out of this and had about one second to realize what was about to happen As the beer shot up the neck I tried to hold the cork back over it. It was kind of like holding a cork over a garden hose as the beer shot all over me (I had to go change clothes) my desk and computer, and the floor. The good thing is, I have a pretty good sense of the aroma now (and probably will for weeks to come). Sweet, yeasty aroma with some raisin notes. Very fruity flavor with raisins and plums. Smooth, chocolaty aftertaste.

Batch 51, 750 ml corked and caged. Cloudy dark brown beer with garnet coloured highlights and a pale yellow head. Fairly yeasty aroma, bubble gum, orange peel, light toasted malt and toasted nuts are the dominant notes. Sweet fruity flavours of apple, orange, and peach, although strangely no plum/prune or cherry. A bit of earthiness toward the finish as well. Incredibly dry, almost roasty finish. Slight astringency. Fairly high bitterness for the style, but this is moderated by a lingering berry fruitiness. Fairly tasty brew, but a bit too dry.