Grottenbier Bruin

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Watou, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

75 cl bottle at Hopheads´ tasting 30.01.09 (Trygve). Amber/brown color, foamy off-white head. Aroma is fruit, yeast, spices and malt. Flavor is sweet malty, spicy, yeast and hops that gives a fine bitterness.

Bottle. Ripe fruits and malt in aroma. Clear dark amber colour with a red hint. LArge beige head. Sweet flavour of plums, cherries and roasted malt. Moderate carbonation.

Sipped on this gentle bruin belgian during our first big snow storm of 2009. Sparkling amber~brown body with copper highlights. Billowing, rocky tan head that takes it’s time to simmer down. Thick/heavy lacing surrounds the entire glass. Delicate aromas of multi-grain bread, bran cereal, brown sugar, and ginger bread. These scents are mellow and pleasantly intermingled. Mild body that is malty and sweet. Drinks smooth and calm. The flavors are very malt forward and have a nice earthiness. Biscuits, dark grains, honey and light molasses balanced out by a gritty sugar effect. Mild yeast elements play a role with fruity flavors. Calm and relaxing brew that resonates with the senses.

Brown sugar, cereal malt, bubblegum, plums and tomatoes in the curiously intriguing, musty aroma. Hazy amber-brown body is topped by a generous and long lasting off white head that coats the sides of the glass with lacing. Musty flavour is somewhat sweet but has an underlying tartness and quite a pronounced bitterness that I don’t usually associate with the style. Soapy and floral in the aftertaste. Medium body with quite strong effervescence. An interesting beer to say the least but the flavours just don’t come together for me. Tulip glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle (Best Before End of 2005) purchased through Bieropholie Sep-05.

Bottle. Dark blackish coloured beer with a strong head. The aroma is yeasty and malty, and the flavour is rich, malty and lightly bitter and spiced. Overall a reasonable beer.

[33cl bottle] Hazy, reddish amber colour with a beige medium-sized foamy head. Sweet, slightly sugary and yeasty malty aroma with notes of candied fruits Moderately sweet flavour, medium bodied with a lively carbonation. Yeasty, malt-accented, slightly toasted taste with ripe fruity notes. Moderately sweet and slightly bitter, also a bit short finish. Okay [20.I.09].

Bottle at home. Another wonderful Belgian Abbey Dubbel. How do they do it? Really smooth, with nutty taste. Great finish. Excellent.

UPDATED: DEC 30, 2008 On Draft. Color is root beer brown with ruby cast, off-white swath of surface bubbles but no head. Aroma is sweet, faint plum. Body is medium-light. Flavors of cooked plum, bread, refined malt sweetness and overripe fig. Medium light bodied, effervescent, elegant spice finish.