Westmalle Dubbel

Brewed by Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Malle, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

330ml bottle. Rich creamy beige head that is full and thick. Dark brwon tea stain colour with aromas of raisins and berries. Full velvety texture with the flavour to match. Light spice flavour with a tongue tingling aftertaste. Good Belgian dubbel.

UPDATED: FEB 1, 2012 One of the sources of great Belgian ales, just an awesome ale, heavy on the malty/dark fruit.

A big, robust Belgian dubbel. Tons of character form the Belgian yeast in this one. One of my first Trappist ales a few years ago.

Westmalle Dubbel comes in what I think is the coolest looking bottle I have yet seen in my beer reviewing. Something about it just suits the beer it contains. Maybe it is because my mental image of monks is a round body with no waist, then the collar of their robes, and then a thinner head sticking out. I eventually settled on using an oversized Riedel white wine glass for Westmalle Dubbel and it worked out quite well. The beer poured an extremely deep reddish brown that became ruby at the edges where all the light hitting the beer is seemingly absorbed into a black hole. The head developed 2 – 3 fingers thick and almost impossibly dense and creamy. The head held fast at virtually the same level it poured for minutes after. I didn’t notice any change until I started to drink the beer. Even as I let it warm up a few degrees the head only receded a small amount. This beer leaves copious amounts of fine Belgian lace on the glass. My first sniffs revealed to me that the beer was too cold to be properly appreciated. I was strained to identify much. I waited several minutes for the beer to warm up a few degrees and tried again. Despite expecting some change – I was shocked at the difference. The aroma of the beer livened right up and unleashed a complex symphony of smells. The conductor of this symphony is clearly the malts – they first great you to the performance and immediately make known their quality credentials. The malts smell a little sweet and bready with an undertone of caramel and toffee. Subsequent sniffs reveal dark cherry and plums. I can smell the slightest bit of muskiness which I would think is the unique Belgian yeast that Westmalle uses in all of its beers. The taste – to continue the analogy – is like watching that same symphony from a different seat. New things are visible but this is still the same performance. I can again tell the malts form the backbone of this beer – they taste bold and a little bready. After I the dark fruit flavors finish I start to taste a few new things – light cocoa and very faint coffee. Filtering this through what I know about producing Westmalle Dubbel I am inclined to think this is from the kilned malts. There is a sweetness to the beer as a whole – probably from the caramelized liquid syrup added. There is a bit of a dry finish with a warming alcohol sensation. The mouthfeel is not too heavy but is definitely not thin. It has a creamy and smooth texture that goes down very easily. It is quite effervescent and if rolled in the mouth for a while you can feel the carbonation tingling. Overall – this is an extremely well brewed beer. It all balances very well and is a great sipper – although gulps are not out of the question. This is getting 4 pints but it was extremely close to rounding up to 5.

Cold 11.2 oz btl into my Spiegelau snifter. Ridiculously drinkable. Goes down like a whisper, like the great Belgian masterpiece that it is. An easy-going, friendly beer - sort of how I imagine the monks that brew it to be.

750mm bottle from: mainbrew.com Visual: Dark walnut reddish brown, off white head that doesn’t last long. A bit murky, but appropriate for style. No Belgian lace like you get with Chimay. Nose: Plum, dried figs, toffee, ethanol, burnt sugar. Palate: Light to medium body, bright prickly carbonation. The flavor of figs, dried fruit, and burnt sugar is not as strong as the nose. Subtle leather, a touchof biscuit and toast, dry finish. Conclusion. A classic dubbel. Not as good or as interesting as either a Chimay red or blue label, but a solid dubbel nonetheless.

UPDATED: MAY 3, 2011 A Dubble trappist beer. Lot’s of different flavours. Nice brow head, caramel aroma, dark fruits.

Deep brown in the glass with a thick tan head. Aroma of brown sugar and dried fruits with a spicy yeast note. Great malty profile on the palate. Rich mouthfeel. Just a touch of alcohol. Great beer.