Westmalle Dubbel

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

Serve in Trappist glass

Bottle sample purchased at Zyn Calgary. Pours a dark brown with a slight ruby hue. Nice fizzy white head, and leaves decent cascading lace. The aroma is not super strong but it is nice, and of dark fruits and a little spice. The taste is just amazing, caramel, fruit, spice, maybe a little vanilla. Just a wonderful brew.

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.

bottle; dark red-brown cloudy with large tan head; aroma-sweet, caramel, molasses, spice, dried fruits-raisins; taste-moderate sweetness, carbonation and bitterness. Great beer, almost like some sweet sherry.

I’ve got to admit, I was absolutely blown away by this beer. I expected a great beer out of it, but not such a fantastic one like the one I had. The nose is deep, complex, and very potent, with strong notes of dark fruits and caramel, hinting at a strong malt profile. The beer pours a dark, deep mahogany with a medium-sized tan head. It tastes sweet, a little sour, and decently bitter, just as the aroma suggests, with lots of fruit accents and caramel. The palate is nearly perfect, with sufficient carbonation and a medium body that is good for either sipping or heavy drinking. I can only sum up this beer with one word: excellent. Not quite Westvleteren excellent, but almost up there.

UPDATED: AUG 29, 2011 Cloudy dark red-brown with a creamy stable head, a middle, but a little bit oily body, hoppy, nice carbonation, roasted malts, coffee and hints of bitter chocolate, bitter aftertaste

Dark copper. The nose shows brioche and baking spices. Gorgeous medium bodied palate with spiced figs and some savory/umami notes. The finish shows a hint of citrus zest.

UPDATED: FEB 2, 2012 Bottle. Deep brown colour with a beige head. Toffee and plum aroma. Rich malt flavour with toffe and moderate fruitiness

£2.60 for this in Micro Bar, Manchester, had this in a large goblet wine glass. I’ve tried Chimay Red and this is a similar percentage, red/brown coloured beer with a fluffy beige head. As for the aroma, malt, raisins, banana. Quite a sweet flavour and a bit of bitter, very tasty. Very pleasant on the palate. I too have had Rochefort 8 and 10 before this, they are better but this is still an outstanding beer.