Burton Bridge Tickle Brain Ale

Brewed by Burton Bridge
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Burton-on-Trent, England

Bottle, shared by KnutAlbert. It’s looking quite nice in the glass, with a clear, golden-orange body under a finger-thick off-white to beige head. Malty-sweet nose with some licorice and alcohol. Some roasted notes too. Caramel, roasted malt, sweetness, dried fruits and alcohol in the mouth, full-bodied, sweetish and warming. Bitter finish with some alchol. Rather unusual to experience an English dubbel, but it was quite nice. Imagine a deep chair, a good book and an open fire. And preferably an even better beer... ;-) I could settle with this one though. (081215)

Bottle from Arden Wines. Murky chestnut pour with a thick and persistent collar at the ABV. Ripe estery aroma of banana, pear, overripe apple peel, strudel-like spices (clove, cinnamon), toffee, leather, solvent and a pungent underpinning of oily (Kentish?) hoppage. Not bad. Flavour opens with an almost weizenbock intensity of fruit and alcohol, merging into raw alcohol bitterness, varnish, oak, compensating biscuit, butter, raisin, plenty of alcohol heat with every sip. Ends up pretty harsh and unrefined, with little of the promised spice or fruitbowl esteriness emerging from behind the booze and astringency. Doppel and Weizenbock more than ’Abbey Dubbel’ I’d say. Decent enough strong ale not as great as it smells.

Nice cinnamon aroma. There are a lot of strong flavours in this beer. Orange, banana and cloves come through. A powerful beer but a bit too carbonated.

Rated with donfardz64. Pours amber/brown with a rocky white head that turns sticky. Rather subtle (almost boring) aromas of apple, some spice and sweet malt. some date, toffee and a leathery yeast aroma. Alcohol is strong on the nose. Initial flavours are dominated by alcohol and a sweetness like golden syrup. Some bitterness in the finish, but the obvious alcohol isn’t very pleasant.

Rated with sdriessen. Pours deep amber/brown with a bick rocky tan head. Aroma is fruity with apple/pear, some berries and a sweet malt. Flavour is bready, very warm and spiced. Becomes bitter as the alcohol comes through strongly, eviscerating any flavour.

500ml bottle
8.0% ABV
I tried this beer on December 22, 2008 at "Smokeless Joes" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer poured an opaque reddish-brown with a long lasting thick, foamy tan coloured head. The aroma was sweet malt, spices, and a small amount of hops. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a high level of carbonation. The flavour was spicy, with some sweet malt, dark fruits, and a bitter finish.

Murky, dark brown body. Off-white, filmy layer on the top. Dark and dried fruits to the nose. Plums and berries in the flavour, continuing all the way right throughout a lingering tail. Good [bottle, thanks to Knut Albert, shared at a social gathering in Oslo, 15.12.2008].

Bottle from Red Zebra in Derby. This beer has a fresh aroma and flavour of orange peel, banana and cloves. Enjoyable enough, but it would not seek it out.