t Smisje Dubbel

Brewed by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

A dirty hazy brown ale with a thin light moka head. Deep dark sludge at bottom of bottle. A sweet candy sugar aroma, coriander and dried fruits. In mouth, coriander kicks in quick followed by crisp malt, burned caramel and some nice herbal hops and warming alcohol. A very nice example of a dubbel, powerful, yet restrained. Bieropholie import, BB 2011.

Bottle from Santa. Ruddy muddy deep brown pour that looks almost identical to the BBB63. Aroma is malty, nutty, cobwebby cellary, with root cellar fruit. The taste is old aley, with the malt matrched by old fruit, yeast, even perhaps old turnips to a degree, with a complex palate that you just know is loaded with yeasty vitamin B complex from all the turbidity. Again, well hidden alcohol and a quaffable smoothness make this yet another T’smisje beer that I could drink all night on weekdays, and twice again on Sundays.

Poured into an Urthel tulip glass, the foam commands most of the space, a creamy, off-white inviting thing, huge and slow to settle, most attractive. Underneath, an opaque magenta. Very appealing. Aroma is dark fruit (cherries, melons, grape) and spice. Not huge, but slowly unfolding, wide open and airy. Rich, yet mellow. Leaves me anticipating the same and more in the flavor. In three words: bright and tasty. But I’m not one of few words, so let’s throw out some more. Balanced. Full-bodied. Lovely. I can imagine the dates and honey in here, but can’t necessarily discern them. Sweet, but never too much so. This is an elegant beer, complex and sophisticated. A wonderful creation. Funky Belgian yeast at play amid fruit, spice and malt. Yum, yum. 9% abv? Well hidden. Beautiful. We will meet again.

Bottle, at ’t Brugs Beertje, Brugge, March 2006. Deep bronze, good white head and moderate condition. Deep bronze, good white head and gentle condition. Good figgy chocolate, roast barley and alcohol in the nose, slightly bitter burnt toast note in the mouth with some fruitiness, yeast, caramel and roast barley, lingering toast notes in the finish with sweet malt and fruity caramel balanced by a burnt bitterness.

330ml Bottle. Dark, turbid brown colour with a slight tan head. Pronounced aroma of dates, prunes, demerara sugar and spice. Flavour of caramel, more dark fruit and yeast with a warming alcohol finish. Good.

a very drinkable dubbel. smells like fruit and raisins - very sweet and rather unique for the dubbels i’ve had. very small head. bottle from city beer, san francisco

Bottle. Pours deep reddish brown - hazy, nearly opaque. Solid off-white head with lacking, slowly dissapating. Aroma is creamy yeast smells, toffee, some sweet dark fruit aromas deep in the background, as well. Flavor is nutty, dry. Some satisfying and substantial earth and musty yeast flavors. Mouthfeel is thick, creamy. Finish is light bitterness and some alcohol.

Concentrated prunes, plums and other dark fruits in the aroma; some molasses and turbinado sugar; cloudy, deep amber color under a very slight, course, rocky head; mild, fruity flavor; fairly dead palate; more dark fruits and some musty malts and stale hoppiness; very mild spiciness; well hidden alcohol and light bodied, with a dry finish. Overall, rather good.