La Trappe Dubbel

A tasty little devil that managed to restore my faith in the beers of the King’s Garden monastery of La Trappe. I obviously should have waited until I had tasted the four before rating them as this had the same toffee and caramel flavour similar to all of them, pity this was the only one that managed to balance it. Slowly poured it produced a wickedly dense and creamy, sandy beige head that settled in for the length and clung firmly to the glass. The body of beer a deep ruby red with the clarity of honey. Predominantly fruity aroma; zesty plums and berries, biting spices and a little nutmeg. Smooth and well rounded In the mouth with the dessert-style gooey toffee notes, which are initially quite pronounced, quickly balanced out with a mix of rich, dark chocolate, zesty cherries, burnt wood and slightly nutty, roasted malts. A light vinous note comes into play as it warms and follows through into the dry, malty bitter, chocolaty swallow that was easily the highlight of this one. It had after dinner beer written all over it. Not exactly one for a bender, but two or three would suit a good couple of hours as it was a delicious slow sipper. One of the best from this newly re-administered Trappist monastery. Lovely!!! (30cL, BBE 11/07, Int’l Beer Shop, W. Leederville)

Dark brown. Small, short lived light tan head. Roasty malt, caramel, dark fruits, candi sugar, subtle alcohol-aroma. Flavors are rich malt, caramel/toffee, dark fruits, sugar, yeast. Roasty aftertaste. Medium body. Lighter than expected. Very smooth. Easy drinking. Nice brew.

La plus douce des trois abbeys, délicieuse et facile à boire. Impressionnant pour un pays que font Heineken.

Dark brown colour with a slim tan head. Fruity, sweet and malty aroma. Malty, caramel and liquorice flavour, also somewhat of a medicinal taste to it. Quite highly carbonated and medium bodied

Dark red body under a thin white ring of foam. Sweet licorice aroma with notes of anise, bread, and toffee, as well as some banana. Deep, strong, sweet taste of sourish wild berries (huh?), marzipan (just said it was sourish, didn’t I?), and licorice. Aftertaste is vaguely bitter and roasty, with lingering sweetness. Some alcohol is detectable. A good dubbel, although perhaps a bit weak.

I had La Trappe’s dubbel on tap at In de Wildeman in Amsterdam, and took my time waiting for it to warm up. I noticed the fluffy beige head quickly reducing to a thin film, yet it produced amazingly sticky lacing - much like the Quadrupel. In fact the whole appearance was very reminiscent of its big brother, pouring a clear but deep ruby tone. The aroma as well hinted at the familiar pears and sweet cream found in La Trappe’s showpiece. However the key element in the nose was a strong dried banana fragrance, almost like opening a package of bar mix. In the blend I also found coffee, white raisins and pine, maybe even coniferous sap. The flavor reverberated the dried fruit aroma, especially banana and white raisins which are immediately apparent. The velvety palate and soft carbonation complement the flavor and provide smooth texture that finishes on a sweet creamy note.

Bottle 33cl. Nice dark mahogany colour. Creamy brown head. Aroma of oak and maple syrup. Quite sweet, moderate bitter taste. Medium long aftertaste. All in one a very pleasant beer.

Pours ruby red with a thin tan head. Smells of cherries, grapes, raisins, and roses. Taste is sugary with sweet cherry notes,