New Belgium Abbey

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

I was actually sort of disappointed with this upon first inspection. Aroma wasn’t quite as hefty as I expected, though there was a nice hint of vanilla in there. First taste is sharp but a smooth vanilla caramel round body with a slight hint of oakiness going into a slight alcohol warming.

12 oz. bottle. Bottle conditioned. Drank on 6/8/06. Nice, clear deep ruby amber color. Big, 2" light tan head. Creamy. Impressive "authentic" head. Sediment stays put in the bottle. Thick layer of foam sticks around. Very nice lacing. Aroma - pretty strong, very nice. Spicy, fruity, clovey aroma. Little bit of yeast. Good, but not quite as good and complex as the smell would indicate. Bitter up front on the tongue. Kind of bland in the middle. Some of those "belgian" flavors come out after the swallow - little cloves, spice, and yeast. Palate is light to medium. Pretty high level of carbonation. Sharp up front, a little dry in the finish. Overall - This is good and enjoyable, but not great. It’s a pretty authentic dubbel, but lacks some complexity. Would buy again on sale if I was in the mood. I probably drank this too cold - need to re-assess with another one a little warmer. Might be better.

Like their Tripel, I find this a decent american imitation, but not much more. It obviously does not have the refinement or maturity of a true Dubbel, but if you forget what it is supposed to be and taste it for it is... I find the medium-full body, integration of deep fruity flavors and spices and malty alcohol presence a fine quaff to endure.

A nice Belgian aroma, and deep brick red color, this has a complex caramel malt and toast flavor with a rich spicy malt and yeast finish. Nice full body. A bit shy of hops.

A very good chimay look alike. Its not near as good as chimay though. A strong bannana taste and a great smell. Lots of yeast in the bottom but not as bad as most real belgium ales.

Poured a deep brown-red color with slight haze and a respectable initial head that thinned quickly but still covered the beer. The aroma was yeasty and spicey with some dark fruits. Flavor was excellent, the best (with La Folie) New Belgium product I’ve had so far. Along with the aroma elements, the flavor was of light caramel malts mixed in with some spicing (cinnamon, something else), light bready notes, and a lightly hopped somewhat nutty finished. Only downfall from making this a primo dubbel was the underplayed dark fruit presence in the flavor, otherwise outstanding. Mouthfeel was creamy, due to the carbonation, a very nice beer.

Pours a brown color with red edges. Nice initial head that settles to a nice film that lasts. Light lacing. Has an estery aroma from the yeast. Flavor is fruity with some residual sweetness. Neutral hop bitterness doing its part in the background. Medium to full body. A nice beer.

12oz bottle from lee’s liquor: Definite aroma of belgian ale, but more like the homebrewed variety-not a bad thing though, just the typical belgian aromas which are good. Lighter deep red with a thin white head. Great Belgian flavor but still missing that special something the best ones have. Overall, a truly great tasting brew for the money-if you don’t want to splurge for Chimay ;)