St. Paul Double

Brouwerij Sterkens
Brewed at Scheldebrouwerij
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Meer, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

The last of the quartet in the now defunct St Paul range. They all seem to have the same merits and faults: look good and smell promising but turn out to be thin-boned and brittle. This one was a tawny dark brown with a 2cm head. Good head retention. Lots of lovely molasses in the aroma, figs, gingery alcohol, cardamon and tobacco. Better mouthfeel than the rest of the range, quite creamy initially but falling away in the mid-palate. Soft carbonation. Quite woody in the mouth, with some dried fruit and a long spicy finish. A tough of astringency in the finish and the spices became a bit cloying. This is probably the best of the St Paul range but I can’t say I’ll miss them. (33cl bottle, IBS Perth, bb end 2007)

Dark brown colour. Sweet aroma, a bit malty. Flavor is coffee like, a bit dark chocolate. Nice.

Pours a dark redish brown color with a big, light, beige head, long lasting. Aroma is malty sweet, very good, with some chocolate, nuts, wood and peanut butter notes. Some little hints of caramel too. Flavor is a little shy but well-developed in a bittersweet stouty way. It has hints of toasted cofee, tobacco, bitter chocolate and smoke. Oily texture, as a sweet stout. A little watery mouthfeel but a great dubbel overall.

Amber reddish beer with a foamy white head. Light roasted malty aroma with hints of a plum fruityness. Sweet malty flavor, hints of dark fruit and a light spicy finish.

33 cl bottle. Reddish brown colour with a weak head. Aroma of raisins and spices. Great flavour od dried fruit and some spice. Very light and nice.

33 cl bottel Color - Dark Red/Brown Head - Light withe Aroma - Fruit Flavor - Vanilla, coffe, malt good beer

Easily the best of the St Paul beers, but thats not saying much. Simple in make-up, it just lacked the depth and aggression of some of the world’s better Abbey Dubbels. Poured a deep garnet copper, quite clear, with a lovely creamy and thick ½" beige head that stuck around leaving globules of foam down the sides. Zesty dark and dried fruits, sultanas, raisins and figs, in the aroma, quite spicy with a little peaty ’top soil’ malt underneath giving it character. Unexpectedly thin in the mouth considering the dynamic wafting smells from the glass. Soft in carbonation and reasonably smooth; drying fruit flavours and a light alcohol spice made it seem more a matured fruit wine than a beer. Lightest hint of powdered chocolate upfront made it seem almost savoury and the finish had a little length with some more dark fruits. I’m quite sure Sterkens are still brewing, as this rating came from an old sample I replaced with newer bottles. Not bad, but it certainly lacks oomphh!!!! (33cL, BBE 2005)

Aroma: mildly fruity with an earthen overtone. Notceable spiritousness. Appearance: crystal clear, ruby red and brown. Small tan head with parchy lacing. Flaovur: hints of vanilla, coffee and malt. Fairly one dimiensional with no hop presence. Palate: thin and bubbly finsihes spiritous.