Ommegang Abbey Ale

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Cooperstown, New York USA

Pours a clear, dark copper brown with a 1 finger (chalice) creamy beige head that has great retention (45 minutes and counting) and leaves some nice lacing. Aroma is apple skin, woody notes, dark fruit, caramel, cider vinegar, light toasted grain and some floral sweetness, more sweet grain and licorice come out as it warms. Flavor is sweet grain, toasted wheat bread, sweet floral notes, a hint of dark fruit and anise cookies up front. Toward the middle some tart red apple, cider vinegar, woody notes, faint tart cherries and lots more anise comes out. The finish is hinting at roast, a little espresso, stale coffee and hints of balsamic vinegar. As it warms the flavor loses a little of it’s vinegar tartness and takes on a more herbal/dark fruit tone. Palate is thin, to medium bodied with a chewy entry that is quickly thinned out by a blanket of sharp-not too sharp-carbonation and ends with an nice dry palate ready for another sip. Really great dubbel, probably the most interesting dubbel I have tried in recent memory. Really the change from serving it at fridge temp to nearly room temp make it a great sipper, though for all of it’s complexity, nothing really pushed it over the top.

More Vegas magic
This aint a dubbel.
Poured out a very large light brown head, lots of foamy head, so-so lacing with great retention, reddish brown. The aroma is very interesting and I’m instantly reminded of a flemmish sour. There is definetely that quality here - cherries, dark something, yeasty impression, slightly sour, licorice, prunes, flemmish sour. The taste is exceptional - lots of sour yeast, cherries, lots more of spicy yeast, dark toasted malts, low amount of oak, mild malts, more licorice and more very dark malts bitterness if that makes any sense at all. Brown sugar is prominent when warmer. Nice spice that mixes well with the bitter finish - a finish that does not linger terribly long. Pretty smooth, yeasty leftovers, dark malts, nice finish. A very good beer that was nothing like I had expected.

750 ml bottle. Pours a dark reddish brown with a dark tan head. Flavor: Hints of dried fruit, cinammon, and a smidge of chocolate.

12oz bottle. Pours a nice burgundy with a huge dense 3 finger tan head that stuck around the entire glass and leaves nice lacing. The nose is caramel malt, dark fruit, light spice and faint metallic. The taste is spicy yeast, plums, raisins and faint chocolate with a hint of alcohol in the finish. Medium creamy mouthfeel. Good Dubbel.

bottle, pours amber with tond of red, tall off white head. Strong malt and spiced nose. Some clove, and cinnamon. Very sweet malt body, some candy sugar, and a peppery spiced ending that lingers. An average dubbel.

Good example of the style. Big, white, fluffly head, nice reddish-brown body. Fruity and chocolatey. I get a little hint of the alcohol in here.

Bottle@Home. Malty aroma with prune, toffee and figs. Chestnut brown, beige head, good lace. Very sweet, fruity, nutty, prune, soft bitterness. Full, sparkling, more alcoholic than expected. Quite flavourful, nice complexity.

Pours a brownish burgundy with a bit of fluffy tan head. Aroma is strong of caramel and malt. Flavor is strong and intense: caramel, malt, vanilla, perhaps some raisin, and bourbon. The finish has more bourbon to it. Fairly complex and unique.