Southampton Abbey Dubbel

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Southampton, New York USA

Draught, Publick House, Southampton. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is medium brown. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (nuts, caramel), with notes of banana, clove, and alcohol. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. It wasn’t quite as great as I’d hoped (based on many of Phil’s Belgian brews), but it was certainly better than the standard tap offerings.

Draught at the brewery. Beer was clear and a medium-dark brown with a small, ceramy/frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing head. The aroma was nice, pretty accurate to the style, even if it isn’t high-flying: malty with light notes of cookie and caramel, moderate notes of toasted grain; light note of herbal hop; yeasty with a light note of sticky, wet bread dough; light note of banana, moderate note of spicy alcohol. The flavor was moderately sweet, lightly bitter with an average-length, lightly sweet, trace bitter finish. The body was light, the texture was watery and the carbonation was lively.

Another fine beer by southampton. on tap at the brewpub. A full-bodied, spicy belgian. Filled with sweet malts and spices. I wonder what the alcohol is on this one. As notalush mentions, it is similar to a gingerbread cookie. Very smooth and sweet finish. A little heavy, but overall it is very good.

Tap at the brewpub - these guys really make some of the most flavorful and authentic belgians in the US, and this is no exception - warm, spicy, yeasty aroma, with hints of clove and brown sugar - clove dominates the flavor as well, but doesn’t overpower the gingerbread/cookie character - some dry cocoa manifests itself, along with some dark fruit and some vinous qualities - another great beer from these guys.

3 draught pints at the brewery on 4/28 plus part of a growler on 4/30.
Low filtration produces a very large head (in the growler sample, though the shaker the pints were served in had a smaller, less well retained head). Head is beige-to-light-tan, foamy and produces minor lacing. The body is a maroon-purple, with magenta tinges in the light and dark, graham cracker overtones. Moderate clarity.
All the beers at the Publick House are served EXTREMELY cold, but fortunately, while hand-bottling the growler, and letting the multiple pints warm, I was introduced to the vibrant-when-warm nose. Definite phenols (black pepper and very minor clove) play about with almond-vanilla notes and very dry, poigant currant and blackberry notes, creating a very dry, lean overall aroma. However, the fairly high degree of attenuation does not prevent the lightly bready malt residues from producing a sticky, sweet, almost candy-like nose that wraps about around the nostrils. Very understated though, other than the berry skins, with the toasty/near-roasty notes that are quite true to style. Some light banana-weizen-like esters are hinted at on the end. With extended breathing and warming, a rather sweet note of what I can best describe as vinousness-meets-cola, really takes over and is intensely sniffable, balancing the dry phenols and lean malts.
Sweet prune and mild chocolate notes open up the flavor, quickly drying, with light bready malts, hints of toastiness and minimal black pepper phenols. Yeast adds a spicy overtone to the flavor that lingers. Little to no hop apparency, maybe some minor noble hop spiciness. Banana liqueur notes emerge slightly, but are swallowed up in to a cola and berry skin dryness. Dry caramel, attenuated, but still flavorful never lets things get too dry, but this is still a tasteful, correctly attenuated example. Light raisin-like sweetness perfectly matched to graham cracker dryness and spicy, but quickly disappearing phenols on the finish. Carbonation, while forced on draught, is light, and the texture lightly chewy at points, and otherwise lean and smooth. No alcohol noted in aroma or flavor.
Very to-style, I don’t see this as "more of a Dark Belgian Strong" at all. Weizen/trappist yeast biproducts, light phenols, low noble hop notes and hints of toast/roast, with raisin/prune and toffee. What more do you want from a dubbel? Phil knows his shit.

on tap at the brewpub. mostly clear bronze/copper color, light tan foamy head. aroma is mostly caramel malt. flavor is nice & caramel malty sweet, some banana and raisin too. light mouthfeel, good carbonation. hops in the finish/aftertaste. a bit smoky/peaty too.

Draught pint at Public House 4/27/06. Pours a light brown color with a small off white head. Head receedes to a thin layer. Nose is roasted nuts, amaretto, yeasty, some sweet malt notes. Palate is smooth and leaves a light film across your teeth. Flavors of roasty toasty nuts, light alcohol, some distinct sweet malt flavors, light amaretto and almond type flavors.

Light brown, slightly hazy with a thick, which head. Aroma is very fruity and yeasty, apple, banana, peach and some bubble gum all make an appearance. Malts seem a bit muted and understated for the style, light caramel and lots of pale Belgian malt character. Light floral hop flavour is apparent as well. As the beer warms, some more peppery spice comes out along with the light clove and nutmeg that were there all the way through. Heavy on the ripe banana and peachy notes. Fairly refreshing. More of the Dark Belgian Strong but that’s the style police talking. It’s still a pretty tasty pint.