DuClaw Repent

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Date: March 24, 2012
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, HMOG
Appearance: cloudy dark amber, wispy head
Aroma: sweet caramel aroma, fruity, light earthyness
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor, caramel and vanilly sweetness, honey, just a touch of earthy bitterness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

22 oz bottle. Clearish amber brown with beige froth. Nose is honey, hay and candy apple. Ratchet up the sweet meter. Sticky, syrupy with a slight tingle and airy alcohol. Taste is cherry juice, dates, cinnamon heat, candi and raisin. Finishes with mild bitter grass; almost cloying overall.

UPDATED: APR 15, 2013 I had a 4oz sample of this beer at the 2012 Frederick Beer Festival and another glass in spring 2013. The beer had a copper color with a slight amber hue and a foamy tan head that had good lacing, some cling, and long retention. Its aroma had a big candy component, along with some sugar, toffee, and caramel, paired with some lighter pine and earthy hops. It had an over-the-top, super-sweet candy malt taste with a bit of caramel, and a slight mix of sour and grainy bitterness. The beer was thin and smooth with low carbonation and a dry and lighter mouthfeel.

Draft with lunch last month after one of their serum IIPA’s. Glad that my wife was driving, because I was having co-ordination issues after this critter. Nose of sugar and spices waft from the snifter and is seemingly omnipresent in the open high ceilinged restaurant. Clear as a bell deep amber. Sturdy tan head even with slow carbonation.. First taste makes me sit back and appreciate. Undulating caramel surrounded by poking lances of coriander and clove. Body gets even bigger after the snifter is in one’s hand for a bit. I lose my point of the story twice. My wife rolls her eyes at me. Tummy rubbing good.

This is not my favorite at all it has some great qualities and that’s why I gave it a 3.0 but its all most hard to drink its so sweet. Aromas of burnt sugars and alcohol stand out the most. Pours dark amber with very little head. This beer is a after dinner or dessert beer for sure. Will not likely buy again this was a gift for twindog.

I respect Duclaw for not being afraid to try new things, take risks, and challenge conventions. Sometimes they come up with something brilliant, and sometimes not so much, but its always interesting. Repent is interesting and worth a shot if your into Belgian ales. It carries a fruity and sweet aroma. I tried it on tap in a signature glass. The poured is medium brown with little head (likely scraped by the tender). Very sweet malty flavor, possibly due to low attenuation or carmalization. Sweetness overpowers fruity banana esters and spice... likely coriander. Finishes with a light hoppiness and slightly medicinal. Interesting; sort of like a mix between a Belgian strong ale and a barleywine.

Draft at Arundel Mills location on 04/13/12. Served in a little snifter glass. Came to the table a rich amber color with a thin beige head. The decadent aroma featured lots of caramel and candied sugar along with some vanilla beans, tangy orange juice, and zesty citrus rinds in the background. Went down as full and syrupy as it looked. The flavor started with lots of candied sugar and caramel. The middle was a tad woodsy with some vanilla, touches of dark fruits, and light banana. The finish included some tangy orange juice, lemon/lime, Golden Delicious apples, and hints of cinnamon. This was warm and boozy as hell from start to finish. Got pretty cloying by the end. Definitely a sipper. Unique. Made me look forward to finally picking up a bottle of the Colossus.

Poured a very cloudy reddish-orange color with almost no head. Aroma has lots of dark fruits with raisins and some alcohol. Taste is pretty sweet with lots of fruit. Raisins, dates, plumbs and other belgian fruits. A bit boozy. Finish is crisp with some interesting yeast flavors. Overall pretty good!

Pours a hazy brown with a thin head. Taste is of grapes and alkyhol. Sweet like brown sugar! Mmm

tasting on 3/24/12 - thanks Matt! - sweet nose with dark fruits. med body with apple, banana and caramel. sweet finish with dark fruits and caramel malts.