Grottenbier Bruin

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Watou, Belgium

Translucent amber brown in color with a lasting tan cellophane lining on the head. Sweet, candied beets come out with honey almonds, brown sugared bran flakes, steel and honey wheat bread. Heavily effervescence with sweet hazelnuts cased with brown sugar. Biscuity, whole wheat sweetness comes out in the finish, leavened with light almond butter and complete doughy composures. Aged noble hoppings create a clean numbing feel. The sweet wheat backdrop gets complimented by a maple biscuit batter. Caramel cubes once melting, now hardened and solidified on a honey wafer base. Dry body and finish, accentuated when the carbonation subsides. Sweetened jojoba comes clean with a talc and cocoa edge.

Bottle, 75cl corked. Poured unclear, golden-red to orange, with a nice beige head. Quite sweet nose with dried fruits and some alcohol. Sweet and malty flavor with caramel, hops and spices. Quite fizzy, full body. Quite lovely creation. Next time I buy a bottle, I will certainly cellar it, guess there’s potential for lagering it. Rating: 7-4-7-4-16-3.8. 070430

Bottle, 75cl. It’s a hazy, orange-brown beer with a small, off-white head. Dried fruits, sweetness, alcohol, malts, cellar notes and a light hint of oxidation in the aroma. The flavor has caramel, dried fruits, sweetness, some alcohol and a herbal bitterness. Full-bodied and nicely carbonated. The finish is much like the initial flavor, but on the bitter side. A really nice Belgian. 090710

Pours to a dark rusty orange body with a lively off-white head. Nice lacing. The aroma is dusty, Belgian yeasts, bananas, brown malts, seems to have some smoked malt. The flavor is very yeasty with malts and bananas. Bready doughs. The palate is extremely effervescent. Carbonation all over the place. Surprising.

deep browncoloured ale , ovaltine malt nose, malty flavour rich with a hint of ovaltine

750ml bottle. Pours a hazy brown/amber with a large light tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of caramel, plums, yeast spice, and sweet malt. Taste is the same but is more spicy than sweet. Mouthfeel is a little thin with a mild bitterness. A good easy drinking Dubbel.

Tap at Bonte Koe, Leiden, Netherlands: Dark Brown ale from a lagering site at Belgian cave.

[Sampled several times some years ago, 2003/04.] Has its own flavor of caramel, yeast, spices, hops and much more. A very complex beer, which was one of my favorites and could be it again, if I shouldn’t taste all beer in the world. Fresh and with a high drinkability!

This beer lacks the special taste that makes really something outstanding. The aroma falls a bit flat, the malts have an almost bland quality to them. Not the best, worth a try though