New Belgium Abbey

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

Red to brown clear pour with a great head. I found this a bit dry more simple, yet bold Belgian flavor. Tart yet not bitter. Not much of a fan of pale or amber ale, but would get this one again. It is worth a look.

Clear deep Ruby color with massive foamy tan head. Nice lacing. Good Belgian flavor, not as complex as the top-notch Belgian ales. A bit thin feeling but still a nice US made Belgian.

12 oz bottle. Pours reddish brown with a smallish head. Aroma is banana and bubblegum with candi sugars. Taste starts smooth with a caramel sweetness then the flavors of light, dried fruits and floral hops comes in. A very decent dubbel indeed. Aged a few years it’s even tastier.

Medium amber in color, with moderate head of large bubbles - full aroma of yeast, clove, banana, nutmeg, earthy tones - lively, mouth-tingling carbonation - grainy malt character - light character with some odd notes of vegetables I can’t place - background hints of spices (mostly cinnamon) - subtle tartness, slight hops way in the back - very dry, not as sweet as I expect from the style - overall not too bad - thanks to Crosling for the sample.

Thanks to csbosox for sending this. Pours a clear brown color with a ring of offwhite lace. Aroma of smoked malt (?), caramel and alcohol. Flavor of caramel, malt and yeast. Light body, dry mouthfeel and soft carbonation. It’s good but I consider that a Dubbel should be better than that.

12oz - Solid nosefull of sweet yeast, banana, and bubblegum. Bubbly transparent brown with a nice huge head and great lacing. Flavor is subtle yet strong and hides the alcohol well. Again, sweet fruit and yeast common in a dubbel that New Belgium does very well. Palate is a little sour and sticky. Overall a good example of a Belgian for a fraction of the price.

Bottle-conditioned: 355 ml (i.e. 12 oz) bottle, as in the picture. Served at about 45 degrees, just a bit cooler than the 50 degrees recommended on the bottle. As the glass warmed, things got better and better. Dark red/brown, mahogany color with a smallish head that gives way to just a persistent light lace. Nice appearance. Smell is definitely fruity (raspberry and cherry?) with some chocolate and fig. Taste is chocolatey, sweetly dark and rich like figs, with a depth of toasted malt in the aftertaste. Also picked up some pepper and grapefruit (!). Not overly toasty, just warm and rich. I’m sure there are some hops in there somewhere, but their presence is delightfully subtle. The alcohol is there but masked by the spicey fruit and pepper. Mouthfeel is where this beer delights! So smooth and round, you want to swirl it around in your mouth! Mmmm. Perhaps a bit too rich for drinking many of these --- two or three is the limit. The alcohol limits consumption a bit as well. I really enjoy the yeast in this beer -- it’s ALIVE! Overall, a really nice American example of the style.

Clear dark brown in color with a good size amber head that sticks around. Aromas of banana and spices greet you. Flavors of banana, clove sweet malt, and yeast stand out in the complex flavor of this beer.