3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Bottle. Sweet, sugary nose, full of vanilla and creme brulee and lemon meringue and some nice banana and that special bubblegum phenolic. Sort of a candied Hefeweizen. Dark toffee-colored pour with a rocky tan head. Taste is only somewhat sweet, thinned body and well-attenuated with a bready aftertaste. Only moderate malt complexity but does have some nice woody tones and lighter chocolate(no earth or nuts or anything like that). Also has the unfortunate sting of NB house character. Smooth and very repeatable. Without a doubt, they nail the ’Belgian’ aspect.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
12 oz. bottle- Pours clear red with a thin head that recedes to a collar almost immediately, aroma is bananas, all bananas, like banana bread. The flavor is less on the bananas than the aroma, they are there, but it is complemented by a sweet sugary taste, not real complex which prevents it from competing with a Belgian original. The body is a bit thin, carbonation is spot on, nice creamy mouthfeel. Overall I enjoyed this much more than the New Belgium trippel, nice beer.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
12 oz bottle into Trappist glass. Pours a brilliant clear reddish copper hue with a medium collapsing head; leaves a skiff and eyeball of foam; leaves some lace. Aroma is totally bananas! Literally, full of esters. Some cheese, too..a hint of cherries? Taste is mostly sweet with a touch of sour. Very Belgian. Alcohol is noticeable. Tasty. Carbonation is medium, body is medium to full. A very nice American interpretation of the classic Belgian style.
3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
The beer pours a reddish-amber color with a light tan head. The aroma is very nice. I get a lot of cherry and candy sugar notes, as well as some toffee, Belgian yeast and chocolate notes. The chocolate is faint and is only present occasionally. The flavor is heavy on the toffee and dark fruit. The cocoa is also more present in the flavor than it was in the aroma. The beer is a lot drier than I expected and I think this is a little bit of a turn off. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A nice American-made dubbel.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
12 oz bottle poured into a brandy snifter. This raised an ample, one-inch head that laced the glass, and the body lingered a deep russet brown that faded to grapefruit flesh color around the edges. The smells and flavors followed one another closely, and could best be described as appropriate but somewhat unsophisticated: brown sugar, green plums, and red grapes. In short, this is not the best abbey made in the USA, but it is adequate and true to style. At $9/6, it is a nice option when you are too cash poor to afford Ommegang or Allagash (or too many into it to notice the difference).
2.9 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle. Pours medium brown with a small, light tan head. Caramel, bubble gum, Belgian yeast. I’m getting a mild Belgian ale, not an abbey dubbel. This isn’t doing anything for me.
3.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours a clear, bright copper color with a beige foamy, long lasting head. Sweet, spicy raisin flavors and good mouthfeel.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
12 oz bottle: Pours a dark amber with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Gradual CO2 release with nice lacing. Aroma is sweet and malty with fruit dominating - similar smell to rum. Palate is smooth with a hint of complexity in the finish. Taste is malty, banana and other fruit.
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