Magic Hat Belgian Dubbel

Bottle purchased & consumed 8/4/2007 from City Market, at cellar temp or so from a Duvel glass. From the Autumn 12-pack, the "mystery beer." Pours a hazy dark red/brown, blood red perhaps, with a huge luscious foamy head, slowly decaying….resinous/woody hops and Belgian yeast, perhaps some orangepeel in the aromatic aroma, a bit of cherry, Flemish-sour characteristics?.....body is for the most part dry and woody, alcohol surprisingly, strongly present, lots of caramel and bitter orange midpalate, fizzy mouthfeel, harshly alcoholic/boozy finish, thin and watery….an unsuccessful Belgian/American melding it seems to me.

Bottle from Capone’s. Rated as Autumn Mystery Beer, with no prior knowledge of style. Turbid copper pour with aroma of heavy Wheaties, brown sugar, figgy and citrus fruit, spices including oregano, and rye bread. Tastes rye bready, with some yeasty flavor, and notes of citrus, caraway, spices, malt, and figs. Gets a bit tart as it warms, and stays relatively spicy and liquid bready, with fig and citric notes throughout.

12 oz bottle-pours a dissipating off white head and cloudy orange color. Aroma is medium fruit-peach/apricot, light/medium malt and wheat, yeast. Taste is medium fruit-peach, light/medium malt-caramel and wheat, yeast, secondary hops bite with some metallic, musty and tangy. Good effervescence. Occasional.

Draught goblet at Bukowski’s Tavern, Cambridge on 10/18/07
Not sure what possessed me to order a magic hat beer, but anyways, here goes.
Deep mix of black and red raspberry body, with a beige head that recedes slowly to cover, leaving little/no lacing. Crystal clear.
Some light dates, raisins and dried cherry notes in the nose are complemented by a fairly honest dose of toffee. Encroaching black pepper phenols and bready medium malts. Sweetness definitely well-attenuated, and ther are no uncharacteristic (for a dubbel) alpha hops or anything out-of-place. But aside from some gingerbread, and interesting fruity esters, it’s barely recognizable as a Belgian ale. Belgian yeast? Maybe. If it is, it’s been quite fitered (not surprisingly) and there’s just little character left. Not that I’m expecting it should be pumped full of esters and phenols, but there just is really anything substantial, hence my wordy, yet not very descriptive review.
Chewy medium malts and black pepper notes combine with raisins and light cherries. Some waxiness, obnoxious carbonation and no malt softness round out the typical Magic Hat qualities. Nothing going on here. Bready, lightly caramel-sweet malts and spicy phenols with absolutely no interesting character. About as pseudo-Belgian as it gets. Alcohol well-concealed, surprisingly.

Bottle in Night of the Living Dead case from Kroger. Poured hazy golden color with a moderate white fizzy head that lasted with fair lacing. Moderate tar citrus fruit aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Medium tart citrus and yeasty flavor with medium bittersweet and small alcohol tone finish of moderate duration. Drinkable complex brew.