La Trappe Dubbel

22 May 2005 - (Pub in Sevenum) - Strong hoppy malt aroma. Cloudy brown-red colour colour, brown creamy head with suds lacing. Lighter sweet malt flavour than I expected, with melt in the mouth flavours. Not overly sweet palate, resulting in a dry finish and a bit thin. Overall - Lacks some oomph.

(Bottle 33 cl) Dark brown coffeish appearance with a handsome, creamy head. Very dry notes of roasted malt and - again - coffee. Pronounced bitterness and a touch of acid. 240599

Mohagany body is clear except for a few stray rafts of yeast. Small, frothy cream-colored head. Pungent aroma of figs, dark candy sugar, red wine, prunes, and a note of leather. Flavor comes across like a sweet liqueur with lots of fig and molasses. Lingering flavor of dark fruit skins which seems to contribute some bitterness. Medium full, sweet palate with chewy texture. A good dubbel.

The bottle poured a dark amber-brown beverage with a medium sized, creamy, beige head. The head didn’t last very long and didn’t leave any lacing. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this was bottle conditioned and allowed sediment to get into my glass clouding things up. There was plentiful rich sweet fruity aroma with a slight spicy alcohol aroma. It had a medium body with a smooth texture and light carbonation. The flavor started off with rich malt, dried fruit flavors and a slight hint of clove. The finish was long and warm with a slight hint of pepper.

Bottle from Stirchley Wines and Spirits, Birmingham. Rather darl brown, with only the preliminary sketch of a head. Smells like tobacco and tar. Petrol start then a plasticky, tepid veg, finishing on a sweet (oversweet) pastey wheat. Like a liquified plastic bag in fact. An uneven blend of none-too pleasant notes. I expect better from anything labelling itself a Dubbel.

Bottled. Cloudy brown coloured with a beige head. Sweet spicy aroma with notes of fruits. Sweet flavour of fruits especially bananas and spices with notes of tobacco and alcohol.

Pours deep amber with thin tan head. Nose is faint floral and soapy notes. I see lots of "chocolate" ratings here. I don’t taste any... just dark fruits (figs, dates, plum), apple, and yeasty spice. Rather thin, and water aftertaste. OK but not my favorite Dubbel.

Definitely a trappist beer (although Dutch). Deep brown Ale with caramel chocolate taste. Very smooth and strong. Not as strong as some of it’s trappist brothers but in the vein definitely. Available at Downtown Wine & Spirits in Somerville, MA