04.29.06 TAPNY Having rushed to the Southampton booth, knowing that they tend to only bring a few bottles of the high demand stuff, and finding that they didn indeed have their 10th anniversary but it wasn’t ready to drink, I reluctantly submitted to a large pour of this beer -- just something to pass the time while waiting for the good stuff, I figured. Well, this, it turns out, was the best Southampton had to offer that day. Super yeasty beer, it might as well have been a spiced date bread in a glass. Big christmas spices like nutmeg, clove, linger over a nice malty base of nut and bread flavors. Some acidity, especially towards the end, but it gets lost in the significant eff emerging with temp.

Another fine beer by southampton. on tap at the brewpub. A full-bodied, spicy belgian. Filled with sweet malts and spices. I wonder what the alcohol is on this one. As notalush mentions, it is similar to a gingerbread cookie. Very smooth and sweet finish. A little heavy, but overall it is very good.

Tap at the brewpub - these guys really make some of the most flavorful and authentic belgians in the US, and this is no exception - warm, spicy, yeasty aroma, with hints of clove and brown sugar - clove dominates the flavor as well, but doesn’t overpower the gingerbread/cookie character - some dry cocoa manifests itself, along with some dark fruit and some vinous qualities - another great beer from these guys.

Tap at southampton. I dont even like Abbey Dubbels, but this was very well made and true to style. Better than many other true to style beers made in belgium. Pours a deep amber with a thin head and medium carbonation. Sweet fruity malts and esters in the aroma with a hint of nuts and smoke. Flavor is very full and thick wth lots of sweet caramel malts- dark crystal like special B, and more nutty meaty malts. Body is full for the style, while many others come across as highly carbonated and thin, this if rich and smooth. Very nice overall.

3 draught pints at the brewery on 4/28 plus part of a growler on 4/30.<br />Low filtration produces a very large head (in the growler sample, though the shaker the pints were served in had a smaller, less well retained head). Head is beige-to-light-tan, foamy and produces minor lacing. The body is a maroon-purple, with magenta tinges in the light and dark, graham cracker overtones. Moderate clarity.<br />All the beers at the Publick House are served EXTREMELY cold, but fortunately, while hand-bottling the growler, and letting the multiple pints warm, I was introduced to the vibrant-when-warm nose. Definite phenols (black pepper and very minor clove) play about with almond-vanilla notes and very dry, poigant currant and blackberry notes, creating a very dry, lean overall aroma. However, the fairly high degree of attenuation does not prevent the lightly bready malt residues from producing a sticky, sweet, almost candy-like nose that wraps about around the nostrils. Very understated though, other than the berry skins, with the toasty/near-roasty notes that are quite true to style. Some light banana-weizen-like esters are hinted at on the end. With extended breathing and warming, a rather sweet note of what I can best describe as vinousness-meets-cola, really takes over and is intensely sniffable, balancing the dry phenols and lean malts.<br />Sweet prune and mild chocolate notes open up the flavor, quickly drying, with light bready malts, hints of toastiness and minimal black pepper phenols. Yeast adds a spicy overtone to the flavor that lingers. Little to no hop apparency, maybe some minor noble hop spiciness. Banana liqueur notes emerge slightly, but are swallowed up in to a cola and berry skin dryness. Dry caramel, attenuated, but still flavorful never lets things get too dry, but this is still a tasteful, correctly attenuated example. Light raisin-like sweetness perfectly matched to graham cracker dryness and spicy, but quickly disappearing phenols on the finish. Carbonation, while forced on draught, is light, and the texture lightly chewy at points, and otherwise lean and smooth. No alcohol noted in aroma or flavor. <br />Very to-style, I don’t see this as "more of a Dark Belgian Strong" at all. Weizen/trappist yeast biproducts, light phenols, low noble hop notes and hints of toast/roast, with raisin/prune and toffee. What more do you want from a dubbel? Phil knows his shit.