Allagash Dubbel Reserve

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Portland, Maine USA

On draft at Teresa’s Next Door, Wayne, PA. Poured brown with off-white head. Notes of sweet chocolate, caramel, and figs. Medium body. Finishes dry.

Sampled at local homebrew club. Dark brown body, ruby edges with compact head. Smooth taste, notes of caramel and chocolate and didn’t really notice the alcohol, fell away on the finish. Drinkable but not totally impressed with this drop.

"Only a decent attempt at a double. There is nothing wrong with the beer, just seems a bit lackluster for a double. This was fairly clean with a bit of maltiness that was accompanied by a hint of fruit and just a tad of the characteristic spicy Belgian notes. I wonder if I got an old bottle, though with a double one would think that it would age well."

bottle. Brown with decdnt head. Some chocolate, tofee, malt. Not much length, a little watery, but good balance. Subtle. OK, but I was hoping for a little more out of this.

750 bottle. Batch 51. Hazy brown with a small head. Very sweet with a light body. I just don’t see the port and sherry here. Very non-descript. Not the best effort-their trippel smokes the dubbel.

[744-20071006] 750mL (Batch #58). Malty alcohol aroma. Hazy, dark red brown body with a long-lasting foamy light tan head. Light chocolate and malty wheat flavour. Medium body. Quite nice, repeatable, well-blended.

12 oz brown bottle. Aroma is a mild sweet well controlled hint of strong ale. Gunk on bottom of bottle provides for a swirling brown hazy pour, quite hypnotizing. Big initial alky content impact on the taste buds. More than I like for a Belgy. This is what makes the american belgy styles so different than the real belgies, its the lack of refined smoothness. I have yet to taste an american imitation of a belgy that is really civilized. Overall a little too strong on the alky character than I care for. Has a difficult time hiding the 7% and it leaves a lingering medicinal bite on the palate that hangs around for a while. This cannot hold a candle to Bornem Dubbel or Corsy Pater Brown. IMHO, I don’t feel that american made abbey dubbels should be in the same style as Belgies.

Hmm this may be past prime because I was really surprised at the thin quality of this brew. Pours a brown amber color with little to no head. Smells like great quality malt. Tastes thin watery and has almost no tastes outside malt. I was wondering if allagash forgot to add a few ingrediants. I won’t grade too harshly because of the possibility of old beer but I will say the malt characteristics are really great.