La Trappe Dubbel

Brewed by De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Tilburg, Netherlands

11.2 ounce bottle - $4.79 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. It’s been a good five years since I’ve last had a La Trappe, so let’s see how they’re doing these days! I vaguely recall either a 3 of 4-pack with a glass (that later broke). So many misty, watercolored memories! Appearance: Pours a dark brownish-red, almost antique brick-hued body with a frothy, though somewhat short-lived, light beige head. Smell: Dark malts and dark fruits tossed around in, appropriately enough, some dark syrup. Notes of dark sliced bread slathered in dark caramel and splashed with a bit of good, clean alcohol. Taste: Dark, noticeably bready malts with a sweet, hearty brushing of both dark caramel and Dutch stroop. Meager hint of simple chocolate. Fruity mixture of dates, Concord grapes, and figs. Some woody hints along with a spicy dusting of finely ground pepper. A bit of alcohol heat on the semi-sweet, fruity, spicy finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation. Drinkability: Paired well with the 1920 silent film "The Parson’s Widow" directed by Carl Th. Dreyer. Still though, it’s not exactly the best Belgian Dubbel on the block, as it’s beaten out just barely, at least for me, by both the Rochefort 6 and Chimay Red.

Bottle shared with blankboy at Volo. Dark brown, small slick white head. Very sweet aroma - nutty. Sweet taste, syrupy, yeast. Nice, but simple and straight forward. Pretty flat really. Some bitterness at the end. Alcohol as it warms. Enjoyable, but nothing spectacular.

Bottle: Strong aroma caramel and raspberries with a slight chocolate note as well. Pours a deep reddish-brown with lots of sediment. Small off-white head quickly fades to a ring. Lots of caramel and malt up front with a lightly tart raspberry finish. Leaves a lightly tart and lightly hopped aftertaste.

Unknown vintage. No best by date. 11.2 oz bottle. The beer pours to a garnet red body with a thin fizzy head. The aroma is sweet yeasty green raisins. The flavor is bready, yeasty, clover honey, green raisins. Decent palate but a little sweet and cloying.

Fruity aroma, sweet. Hint of Twizzlers. A bit of coffee or toffee. Also a metallic/lactic aroma. Ruby brown cloudy with light off-tan foamy lacing head. Medium-high carbonation with medium watery body. Hints of bubblegum or melon when cool? Light Twizzler taste. Slighty sweet to start, lactic. Brown sugar, dark fruit. Good level of hops to give bitterness to finish. Alcohol is evident. Somewhat watery. Pleasant nutty bitter after.

Secondary comments. Had with the Koningshoeven label unknowingly. Scored it 8,5,9,4,17. Very similar. Good, but not up to par with the "quadrupel". A slight painty aroma, absolutely no head. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Not terribly interesting though.

The earthy, tobacco tones in the nose come through as gritty and malty in the taste with hints of chocolate. Dark red color says “drink me.” Heavy body and round mouth feel. Pretty damn good beer.

Murky ruby-brown colour with a small off-white head. Sweet aroma with overripe fruit notes and some hot alcohol on the edges. Body is thin and has an odd character that I can only describe as "sticky". Flavour is pretty one dimensional, with some brown sugar and apple, and a sudden finish with no yestiness and no aftertaste.