Ølfabrikken Abbey Ale

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

Luminous orange pour hazed with particles throughout, and skinned with sticky beige. A light metallic glint unfolds into aromas of bananas old and fresh, molasses, hazelnut, toffee, golden raisins, and prunes; hints of pine wood, green pepper, and a slick, plastic alcohol presence. Flavors are rounded and organized, dominantly leaning toward caramel dipped apples, a dusty, peppery red wine and cocoa dusted baked peaches and pears. Stirring and warm, with a generous, dry sweetness of nuts working in foreseeable but well presented tandem with the stickier presence of candy sugar and dried dark fruits throughout. Palate is rough and abrasively carbonated at first, but slowly settles into softness; finish is a warm pulse of whiskey, molasses, and wet wood. Hint of copper. There are no surprises to be found here, but as a standard bearer it works very well.

Poures an extremely cloudy, dark brazen amber body. A large, foamy, cream colored head shows excellent retention, leaving solid sheets of lacing on the glass. Scents of sweet caramel malts and slightly boozy figs are delicately spiced. Raisons hit the nose as well. Flavors follow suit, leaning towards the sweet end of the Dubbel spectrum. Candy sugar, caramel, and dark fruits work well together. There is an earthy component as well, perhaps coming from the mild dark spice. Medium bodied, with a smooth, pleasing palate. Solid brew. One of the better Dubbels, for sure.

750 ml CC bottle from State Line. Pours turbid deep brown with ruby rusty edges and about 3-fingers of fluffy, off-white head. Aroma is figgy and vinous fruit, caramel malt, brown sugar. Tastes malty, with a lot of vinous fruit notes, brown sugar, caramel malt, some earthy peaty candi sugar, and some late oaky bourbon notes. Rich, complex palate.

Bottled. Thx ekstedt. Hazy, deep golden. Some toffee-aroma and a lot of alcohol. Very sweet and malty with chocolate and toffee and dark sugar.

750 mL bottle. Pour is a dark brown with a massive head and a few scattered floaties. Aromas are sweet and have a touch of piney hops. Flavor is fairly sweet and mouthfeel is sticky. Toffee and honey flavors add sweetness, while fruity, orange flavors, yeast and some mild hops try (and fail) to cover the alcohol. Fairly disappointing compared to the others from Olfabrikken that I’ve tried.

750 ml corked and caged bottle poured a clear orange with a large lasting creamy tan head. Aromas of toffe, carmel, fig, dates and a hint of spice. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of carmel, fig, lioght cherry and a hint of spice with a crisp lightly sweet finish.

The aroma was fruity and somewhat citrusy when first poured as the rocky dense tannish head slowly retreated to the liquid surface. The aroma became malt centered with a Belgian yeast spice to accompany the dark caramel and fruit. The orange zest never quite left the building and an earthy undercurrent was notable. The beer poured into the glass crystal clear amber with an everlasting head which laced the glass. The flavor was malty with an earthy, grassy and citrusy nature. The malt was strong and had a fruitiness which brought to mind strawberries. The caramel component was nice and a bit of raisin was present. The flavor had a well achieved Belgian yeast spice and a bit of a peppery note. The finish was dry with lasting impressions of malt, citrus and spice pleasantly into the aftertaste and beyond. The body was medium, perhaps a bit more, with a very high carbonation level which led to a creamy texture on the palate. Any alcohol was only notable in the warming which occurred post consumption. This is a really nice Dubbel! 750 ml corked and bailed bottle. $13.50 at Bruisin Ales.

750 ml bottle

I finally got around to trying this. It was picked up a little over two months ago during a Christmas seasonal stretch. I haven’t intentionally been overlooking it but considering the relatively high alcohol content I figured it would last. I was not disappointed; this is a solid and well done abbey dubbel. How much you like it may depend on how much you prefer that style. I for one am tempted to go pick up the remaining bottle(s).

Aroma / Appearance - A surging head leveled out after creating a 50/50 balance of liquid and foam. The ash colored decoration soon found its way back into the cloudy reddish orange body underneath. Cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg reminded me of a winter release. A trace amount of oak and sweetness balanced things out nicely. There may have been some hops but for the most part this beer is marked by the subtle maltiness.

Flavor / Palate - A rich maltiness is present from the start. The creamy mouthfeel consists of a nice spiciness followed by the kick of the alcohol. Overall it reminds me of a toned down Pannepot. The smooth finish leaves the throat moist. Based on this bottle I think you could easily lay it down for a year or two with few ill effects.