Ølfabrikken Abbey Ale

Formerly brewed at Bryggeriet Ølfabrikken (Gourmetbryggeriet)
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Roskilde, Denmark

Pour is deep warm amber brown with giant floaties and a thin sticky brown head...smell is lightly sweet, spiced (with coriander and cloves) and faintly citirc...thick chewy mouthfeel...everything is in moderation here...delicately but completely sweet throughout...nicely spiced throughout...very yeasty...I will need to pick up a few more bottle...

Bottle from sl. nice full orangey brown, not as cloudy/murky as would thought. Very loud pop on opening. Huge head, great retention, good lacing. Aroma of oranges, some lemons even, coriander, caramel, dark fruits. Oranges, coriander, caramel, plum-like dark fruits, sweetness balanced by a yeast/bread, slight dryness in finish. airy full mouthfeel. delightfully one of the best dubbels i’ve had (and it’s not a style that has fancied me too much).

750 via liquid solutions. Pours dark brown and cloudy with a 3 fringer pillowy tan head. Nose is nice and yeasty with dark malts. Taste was also nice and dark, pretty tasty dubbel.

A careful pour produces an easily four-finger thick, light tan colored head that forms a textured, varied surface and leaves a nice spotty lacing pattern on the sides of the glass as it slowly recedes. The beer is a rusty, dark plum color, but shows a brilliantly clear, though chunky, light cranberry hue when held up to the light. In the light that carbonation is shown as quite aggressive with madly streaming bubbles swirling ever-which way. Quite spicy smelling, this mixes quite well with a vibrant fruitiness. Bright notes of bergamot zest, a touch of earthy spice character (clove & anise & herbal notes) and fruit notes of poached pear, sweet plum and raisin are all quite noticeable up front. Behind these notes is a chewy malt character that smells of toasted malt, browned biscuits and lightly burnt bread crust. The coriander character is huge here, but the brewers seemed to have used a quality selection of the spice as it contributes more of the citrus-like notes than the dirty, gritty spice notes that a "cheap" version does. This has a really expressive aroma that is quite a joy to savor.

Well carbonated, though it has settled down a bit in the last five minutes that I spent enjoying the aroma. Still the zesty carbonation provides a frothy, tongue scrubbing texture that helps to keep this beer light. This is despite a sweet fruitiness that reminds me of a mix of sweet plums, raisins and perhaps a touch of caramelized apples as well as the ample, coriander derived, sweet citrus character. The beer dries out a bit in the finish as it has a mix of light alcohol warming, an earthy herbal-spice note and a dusty toasted grain character. The citrus-flavors & residual sweetness seems to create flavors of maraschino cherries somewhere in the middle. This beer is quite light for a beer of this strength and sweetness (though the sweetness is not rich). The finish picks up a fair amount of spicy phenolic notes as the beer warms up a bit; turpene laden notes of clove cardamom and even a touch of pine sap. This remains a fruity (especially a sweet, almost candied citrus or even bergamot note) beer up front, though the sweetness softens up just a bit.

If the coriander was not such a clean, high quality character, I would most certainly say that this beer was over-spiced. As it is though I really like the fresh, rich, citrus zest character that the coriander adds; it is most certainly the dominant contributor to both the nose and flavor though. This beer could certainly be more complex, with more depth to its character, especially with the exaggerated coriander notes, though the coriander might be hiding a really complex beer (though I don’t think this is the case here). I wouldn’t say this is simplistic though and it is quite tasty and quite drinkable.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ

Bottle pours a much hazed garnet color with a monster head that does not adhere to the sides (no lace – go figure) - (OK, as it warms it laces well). The aroma is of caramel, spice, and yeast. As it warms it puts out a bit of a funky cheese note. Also, more coriander seems to push through. The flavor is rich with lots of deep and sweet caramel and plums, dark fruits, yeast, and coriander. At higher temperatures there is more complex earthiness – sort of like ripe cheese in the finish. The palate is rich yet cleansing with infinite bubbles. Overall, this works very well as an Abbey Dubbel. This beer is a delight. It is very well made and provided me with immeasurable joy. The Danes rock. Skål!

750 ml bottle - pours dark amber with plenty of floaties; cream colored head bring out fruity aromas and a touch of sourness and spice; dates and a little sour at first sip; not too impressive

Nutty. Creamy. Nice caramel tastes. A fine dubbel and very much like any Belgian I’ve had. I came to this beer after hearing about the controversy and original folks being pushed out. Pity. This is a fine beer.

Pours dark brown with a large foamy beige head that fades nicely into a froth. Fruity, malty, yeast aroma...very Belgian. Mmm very tasty malts... nutty and sweet, slightly vinous and some apple. Some alcohol present. Really good stuff, except the alcohol which completely undermines an otherwise excellent beer. Nice fizzy light body. The alcohol in this is ridiculous...