Blue Mountain Evil 8°

Brewed by Blue Mountain Brewery
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Afton, Virginia USA

Very dark brown with tan head. Subdued nose of brown sugar, dry roasted notes, faint dark fruits, and faint yeast-- all very inviting, though. Flavor is intially pretty dry, focused on roasted and bitter chocolate notes, followed by a medium malt sweetness with the slightest fruity twang. Finishes sweet and sticky, with a bit of yeast bite underneath. The hops come through in the finish, definitely an interesting touch. Smooth and creamy throughout, and the alcohol is completely hidden. Overall very subtle, but very well done; I liked it quite a bit!

Bottle. Deep and dark chocolate red with a firm light brown head. Nice full roasty aroma. This delivers with a fully robust body, roasty, a tad ashy, darkly fruity, and sugared ... a delicious blend to warm the soul on a chilly night. This would go great with a big chunk of roast beef. (#3339, 2/28/2009)

Intriguing aroma of jelly beans, raisins, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Dark brown color, medium tan head, good lacing. Tastes of licorice, menthol, and hard candy. Bittersweet finish resembles horehound, but not quite. Thinnish mouthfeel which I prefer for this style. It missed the mark on taste for me, but I’m sure it will appeal to a lot of people. Nice crafting!

On tap at the Blue Moon Diner in Charlottesville, Virginia. It seemed more like a sweet stout than an abbey dubbel. Nevertheless, a very tasty beer.

(Sample Date: 3/12/2009 Source:Capital Ale House - Innsbrook) Beer dinner with Taylor Smack. Light spiciness with hints of sugar, coriander, chocolate. Dark amber very clear with frothy tan head. Spicy, almost a bit of tootsie roll qualities. Medium body with fairly high carbonation. Spicy dry peppery finish. Belgian pale malts and candy sugar adds color and body.

This resembles a strong stout more than an abbey dubbel. My more recent sample smells of dark malt and hops with a slight vinous note. The yeast signature is much less present. Evil 8 pours like a stout with medium hop lace and light carbonation. Dark and caramel malt dance with the Goldings hops in good balance. The finish is grainy, and slightly tart.

Bottle. A pretty decent attempt at an Abbey Dubbel. Pours a dark brown color with a huge off-white head. The aroma is a slight rostiness, with notes of sweet, roasted malts. Touch of chocolate.

Mahogany appearance with a small, beige head and decent lacing. Late developing yeasty, fruity, malty aroma. Taste was spicy, with dark fruit and grainy, roasted malts. Medium bodied, well carbonated, generously hopped mouthfeel leading to a long lasting finish.