Allagash Dubbel Reserve

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Portland, Maine USA

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.

out of the bottle at a brew fest, quite suspect really, berry raisin nose, bitter raisin flavor, alc noticed and taken note of, roasty

I actually really like this...probably better most of the other dubbels I’ve tried, closely rivaling westmalle and chimay. It pours a dark amber with a nice belgian head...a bit o’ lacing. Smells of spice, yeast, and sour fruit. Tastes similar but with more bready and fruity flavors. Mouthfeel is perfect...it is just smooth and dry enough to make me want another.

Batch #38. Pours a thick, mostly cloudy burnt brown color with red (and slightly orange) hues around the edge. Limited head but good lacing. The smell is noticeable with a Belgium yeast with apricots, bananas and other tropical fruits. The taste is not very Belgium at all. It has a woodsy taste with a roasted flavor mixed with a light black malt and burnt after taste. A creamy texture with touch of caramel and a sharp acidic taste like sour apples. Would be nicer if it were drier.

i dont know about you, but i cant get enough of this beer. yes, there are better and more comples dubbels out there, but for the price, this one really cant be beat. that really goes for all the allagash fleet. rob tod and his gang really do an excellent job and i cant wait to go visit the brewery very soon.

750ml bottle, pours a nice brown color with a big bubbly head. aroma is malty and fruity and slightly yeasty. taste is similar with some nice plum and apricot flavors, a hint of alcohol. solid overall beer, very enjoyable

The Reserve line of Allagash beers are packaged in 750ml corked brown bottles, that are sedimented with yeast, so a secondary fermentation can occur, so these beers can be cellared, and matured for years. Currently available in my market are the Dubble Reserve, and Triple Reserve. Last night I enjoyed a bottle of their Dubble Reserve (Batch #27) for the first time in a couple of years, and it was as fantastic as I remember(I had picked up the Triple Reserve on a recent trip to Maine). This beer is styled after a classic Trappist dubble, and uses an authentic Belgian yeast strain. Dubbles are malty, spicy brews, with complex flavors, aromas, and a soothing, warming burn. Allagash Dubble Reserve comes in at 7% abv. Allagash Dubble Reserve pours to a deep mahogany color with a thick and rocky white head, and a vibrant carbonation. The nose on this beer is very complex and inviting. Aromas of sweet malt, peppery alcohol, hints of dark chocolate and nuts, marry with spicy/yeasty aromas. The palate is firm with lots of really good sweet and candy malt flavors that coat the tongue. This is paired with a back drop of flavors of raisin, and chocolate. Allagash Dubble finishes with more complex malty and yeasty flavors up front, then ends with a sweet malty, and slightly warming alcohol burn. This is an outstanding domestic version of a classic Trappist dubble. This beer would match well with a number of heart dishes, such as beef stew, or a roasted leg of lamb. It would also make an excellent desert beer, and would work well with chocolate deserts. I love to savor a beer like this, and enjoy its complex flavors, so I usually do not pair it with food. At $4-$5 a 750ml bottle, it is very fairly priced as well. This beer can be consumed young, or cellared for a number of years, and will improve with some age. If this beer, or any of the Allagash beers in the classic or reserve line, are available in your market, seek them out. They are some of the finest domestic examples of Belgian beer styles on the market today.

Bottle @ Cafe Brucke. Nice brown color with an amber tint and average off white head. Wonderful aroma especially as it warms consisting of raisins, plums, brown sugar, and some nuttiness. Flavor to match the aroma with the addition of some alcohol notes with a sweet and sticky body. Was certainly a hit with all of the non-beer drinkers I was with...well done.