Westmalle Dubbel

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

Serve in Trappist glass

UPDATED: OCT 5, 2007 Best before June 09. Head is initially average sized, frothy/fizzy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy dark brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, milk chocolate, nuts, cookie), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), lightly hoppy (flowers), with light notes of raisin, plum, brown sugar, cinnamon, alcohol. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety/creamy texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Solid but short of awesome.

A very mild and pleasant beer. Delicate and smooth mouthfeel with a very well balanced complexity. If you’re not in the mood for the heavy Rochefort 10 or Westvleteren 12, this would be a great mild substitute. It is quite spicy and caramelly and the 7%ABV is not very obvious.

While I still think Allagash dubbel is easier to drink, I think that this one is much more complex. Nice cloudy ruby red almos tbrown look with very tiny bubbles and moderate head. Lacing is moderate. Moderatly sweet, yet it has a yeasty profile which balances it out. Very slight hop balance. Not bad, but for 7% I would think it would be more mellow than this. Very nice to drink every once in a while.

Banana and yeasty aroma. Beautiful head. Dark brown colour. Malt sweetness, hoppy. Finishes a little bitter. Best on tap.

A fun beer to watch. Small bubbles that get bigger as you go up in the tall amber head. An amber orange color. Quite dry. Noted the darker fruits including cherries. A dry finish with flavors of hazelnut and toast.

Bottle served in my St. Bernardus glassware: Poured a medium brown hue with an initial large fizzy head and okay lace. The aroma has notes of fig, dried date, apple, cardamom, bubblegum, and earthy esters. The taste follows suit with a lot of fruity characteristics on top of a rich malt base a just a hint of mild spice. A little bit of tartness pops in and out as well. The feel is smooth and medium-bodied that is very much a drinking pleasure. One solid beer for sure and glad to have finally thought about rating it after all this time.

Bottle. A caramel chocolate aroma. Dark, opaque brown color with ample but quickly collapsing head. Light sweet prune flavor with a slight bitter finish. Pretty weak and watery especially for the style.

(33 cl bottle at The Rover, Göteborg) Deep ruby red color, tan creamy head. Nice fresh fruity scent. Spicy and alcohol taste. Low bitterness. Normal body. Nice and refreshing, even after a few beers.