New Belgium Abbey

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

Serve in Trappist glass

The aroma is sweet with cola, molasses, malt, yeast, cardboard, and hay. The appearance is light brown/red with a large foamy head. The taste is like the aroma. The palate is smooth but almost thin. Overall I am not really that impressed.

Caramel and nutty in aroma while the appearance is amber and very clear. The flavor is malty and leans on the caramel side without being cloying. Although a little subtle in that it isn’t an over the top Dubbel like many of the ones from Belgium are, it is very good in its right.

12 ounce bottle from Whole Foods Market, Indianapolis. Pours a clear dark copper color with a medium frothy tan head. Average head retention. Aroma of banana, more banana, a bit more banana, some bready malts, spice, a bit of chocolate and a faint bit of banana in the finish, along with a hint of banana. The taste is bready notes, spices, banana and a bitter finish. A bit on the thin side.

UPDATED: SEP 28, 2011 Ah, a classic I now finally get to try! If I remember correctly I read in Brew Like a Monk that this was hoped to be New Belgium’s best-selling beer (not fat tire). Deep amber, almost brown, tan head that fades to little. Aroma is old, stale grain with a bit of sweet raisin, and a slight bit of grassy hops. Medium-to-light bodied and apparent bubbliness. Light on flavor up front (light caramel, some precursor yeast hints). The full flavor blast hits half a second in: a pretty big spicy/phenolic yeastiness, light bread and grain, raisins, hints of toffee, and a clean light hop bitterness which gives way to cedar in the finish. One of the best American dubbels I’ve come accross.

Bottle. Wow, this is a good beer! The aroma is a bit veggie, little caramel and some spiciness. Caramel flavor, bit sour. 7.0% alcohol.

12oz bottle from Pick’s poured into a Chimay glass. Pours a dark nut brown with a small bit of white head. Aroma of fermented fruit, cloves and banana bread. Taste is more of the same with a stronger banana and clove flavor. Medium bodied with a thick, creamy texture. Overall, it’s a pretty decent beer. I would drink this again, especially for the cheap price tag.

Comes out of the tap a dark, barely transparent honey brown with a thick, pale tan head. Rich aroma fills the snout with earthy, malty and grassy tones. Earthy, malty flavor has a nice alcohol bite and nutty and caramel hints. Texture is fizzy and full-bodied, leaving a tingly and earthy finish. A good one!

Bottle split with mcberko. Pours a dark amber with a small lasting white head. Aroma of fruits like apples, pears, banana, grass, spruce, cereal and yeast. Flavour of yeast, banana and other fruits listed above, light hops, grass and spruce/wood. Medium complexity, some nice flavour in there. Nice.