Westmalle Dubbel

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

Serve in Trappist glass

On tap @ Café de Paas, Den Haag/The Hague. This is one of my long time favourites. Dark reddish brown colour, creamy beige head. Aroma of yeast, a bit musty, chocolate. Taste is dark grain, some chocolate, raisins, a little sour. What makes this really good is the lack of sweetness and the rather thick mouthfeel. Tastes even less sweet from the bottle, however, I prefer it from tap. Imho the best dubbel there is.

0.33L bottle in Brussels. Pours a very nice nut brown amber. Smells of dark fruit - cherry, fig, grape/prune - caramel malt, and very light banana. Mouthfeel is very smooth - initially finely carbonated and later feeling thick and velvety. Flavor alternates between a slight hop bittersweet tart and deep fruit, caramel, and brown sugar. Very finely balanced in every discernible respect. Finish is exceptionally smooth. Quite clearly an exceptional brew.

Bottle from Theatre of WIne, Greenwich. Dark brown pour with a beige long lasting head. Aromas of bananas, strawberries, candy sugars, lots of fruit. Nutty, malty, herby flavours. Malty, hoppy finish. Cracking stuff.

Pours a very murky red/brown with that classic Belgian head and lace. Bottle was a foamer. Smells very nice and complex. Floral and bread qualities over some nice malted goodness. Taste is really great, this is actually probably the closest I have come to the Westy 8. Bread, light clove and booze, fruitiness. Mouth is unusually NOT dry, very bubbly, and medium in body. An excellent dubbel.

UPDATED: APR 13, 2009 Pours deep brown with a fantastic off-white head. Aroma of raisins, prunes and (dark) chocolate with a citric note. The taste is that of ripe fruits, the roasted malt mixes with the lingering hop bitterness while the alcohol slightly tickles the tongue - without ever becoming annoying or even clearly noticeable. Simply a great experience.

A: Poured with a huge, rocky, creamy white head that stayed around for quite a long time before dissipating down to 1-2 fingers. Good lacing on the glass. Body is cloudy, and a dark brown/ruby color. S: Nice aroma of average malt, with some molasses present. There’s a light trace of alcohol as well. T: This is a very full-tasting beer... I can detect some chocolate, as well as some fruitiness that seems to include both cherries and grapes. The alcohol that I could smell is barely detectable in the flavor, other than maybe a very low warmth at the finish. M: Medium-bodied and very creamy, with lively carbonation. D: A damned-nice dubbel... wish I had access to it here.

Cerveza Trapense de la casa Westmalle. Aroma intenso con finales acaramelados. Acolor marrón obscuro, con una tenue espuma y cuerpo completo. Sabor agradable, fuerte y un poco alcoholico al final, cumpliendo todas las caracteristicas de una verdadera trapense. En reumen, una excelente Cerveza.

Pours dark brown, tan head..Dark fruit tofee, caramel and mixed dark sugars..very nice dubbel.