La Trappe Dubbel

Brewed by De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Tilburg, Netherlands

330mL bottle. Pours a hazy amber-brown with a thin off-white head that quickly diminishes. Aroma is malty and sweet with slight hints of yeast. Medium bodied and quite lively on the palate. Fruity flavour with noticeable sweetness and a mildly sour aftertaste. As with the Tripel the last mouthful teases you.

Serving date: 2009-02-11. Served in snifter. 330 ml bottle with a logo and the word "trappist" molded into the glass. Interesting to note that there are two different freshness dates on the bottle. One is on the label (best before end of March 2011) and one is on an extra label (best before end of 2011) added by the Swedish importers. A rather significant difference between the two dates, but I think this one will be great quite some time after 2011, so it’s really no big deal. Dark ruby color, going towards dark brown. A small 1,5 cm tan head that looks rather creamy settles just a little to quickly. It leaves minimal lacings. In the nose, there’s sweet malts and general spicy aromas, but most of all a delightful smell of fresh fruits. Some faint notes of chocolate as well. Some phenols up front in the taste, but in no way sharp or harsh. Then some spices coupled with sweet and a bit vinous malts and fruits (definitely cherries, and perhaps fresh figs). Milk chocolate (that becomes more prominent towards the end) adds more sweetness. In the middle it gets a little tart. In the slightly dry finish there are warmth from the alcohol, herbal flavors, faint malts and just a tad of bitterness. Overall, the hop character of this one is really restrained. Very well balanced flavors. Medium to full body. Rather smooth and calm, despite plenty of carbonation. Slightly chewy. This is a great, slightly vinous, beer. It’s very complex, but most of all it’s so well balanced. Very pleasant mix of sweetness (mostly from fruits) and spices, phenols and tartness. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

Bottle from The Trappist. Pours a brown with a hazy color. Notes of fig and nut. Flavor has same nuttiness, as well as some dark fruit, and apricots. Has almost a smoky flavor. Has a golden raisin flavor.

300 ml bottle dark red/brown color smells sweet and spices tast sweet and spices with a little bitter

Pours murky reddish brown with a tan head with good retention. Aroma of honey and malts. Flavor is sweet, a bit bitter and slightly watery but well balanced. Low carbonation. Decent bittersweet finish.

Bottle. Pours a hazy brownish copper colour with a bubbly light tan head that doesn’t last long. Nose is sweet with notes of toffee, cola, raisins, cherries and brown sugar. Flavour is also sweet but has a strong malt presence as well and has hints of toffee, oak, chocolate and dark fruit. Medium to full bodied with an almost sticky mouthfeel and a fair amount of carbonation, this is a particularly good dubbel, maybe too sweet for every taste, but a near classic nonetheless.

Small bottle. Caramel, rapidly vanishing brown head. Nose of chocolate and pruney malts; some alcohol and grasses. As you might expect, very carbonated mouthfeel. It’s filtered, so I can’t imagine that would settle over time. Tastes like it smells. Fruit and alcohol finish. Would lose to an Italian soft drink mixed with vodka.

Pours an opaque chocolate brown with a small tan head. Aroma is of chocolatey malts, a little bit of maple, and a little grass as well. Flavor is quite chocolatey, and that makes up most of the flavor profile, alongside a little cream. Thick viscosity, good carbonation. Nice one. Overall, excellent.