New Holland Brother Jacob’s Dubbel

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Holland, Michigan USA

(Draught) Pours a dark burgundy body with a medium beige head. Aroma of mustiness, raisins, plums, and yeast. Flavor of dates, raisins, brown sugar, touch of molasses, and light bubblegum with a dry finish.

Draft at Hew Holland. Poured clear dark brown with a moderate creamy off-white head that lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate spicy, toast malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium complex bittersweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. Good spicy sweet brew.

Draught at TND: Aroma of malts, light yeast, light chocolate, cocoa, slight caramel, and figs. Poured dark brown/ruby in color with a small, light brown head that diminished but lasted throughout. Clear. Not sparkling. Flavor is light to medium sweet. Tastes of cocoa, chocolate, malts, light fig, slight roasting, and light caramel. Medium body. Lightly dry, slightly chalky texture. Average carbonation. Cocoa finish is lightly dry and slightly chalky. Better than I had expected. 9%ABV is totally hidden.

Tap at ACBF 2009: Brown pour with a tan film of head. Nice dry aroma with notes of cocoa and peat like dark malt earthiness. Fluffy feel with a rich flavor yet very dry and drinkable with subtlety. Flavors of cocoa, soft raisiny, and a fig note as it warms. Very nice dry example without the alcohol or residual sugars like many American examples of this style. Nice.

On tap at Crunchy’s, East Lansing. Deep, clear red body, medium buff head. Estery nose with dark fruits and wisps of alcohol. Sweet, rich body, with plums, cherries, and bubblegum punctuated by strong, bitter and earthy esters. Spicy, chewy goodness.

Certainly no Abbey Dubbel - more of a weak porter to me and yet another disappointment from New Holland.....Sampled on draft at Fat Heads in Pittsburgh PA this beer poured a dark black color with a trace of a tan head. The aroma was faint, dry, roasty and a bit woody. The flavor was dry, bitter, roasty and smoky with a faint hint of cherry and seaweed. The finish was medium length roasty and dry. Medium to light body with the alcohol well hidden. Disappointing.

A decent dubbel. Aroma was extremely weak. Could pick up hints of dark roasted malt but little else. Pour was a beautiful deep dark brown with a healthy 2 finger near tan head and lots of bubbles. Taste was full but a little thin. Roasted malt, fizzy chocolate and caramel with no aftertaste. Nice carbonation. Tastes NOTHING like an abbey dubbel but more like a porter. Not a bad tasting beer, but not what I was expecting.

Draft at Liquor Barn in Springhurst - Pours dark brown/near black with a moslty receding foamy tan head. Aroma of brown sugar, toffee, and caramelized fruits. Tastes of caramel and bubble gum. Mouthfeel is full bodied with soft carbonation. An unusual but quite tasty dubbel.