Thunder Canyon Doble Diablo

On tap at GABF 2009. My first Arizona beer. This was decent but not great. Nice reddish-amber color with a small off-white head and good lacing. Aroma is malty with caramel, butterscotch, dark fruit, and some roast. Flavor is somewhat sweet with caramel malt, spices, a little butter, plum and raisin, and some alcohol. Medium-bodied with sweetness lasting on the palate.

Seemed a bit too heavy on the diacetyl. Heavy butterscotch but with an interesting almost smoky component. Fairly bitter spice finish. Did not think the 8% alcohol was concealed well at all. Finish reminiscent of rubbing alcohol.

Poured from a growler after getting home from brewpub. Nice amber color with off white head. Nice lacing. Aroma is sweet malt and not much more. Nice clear and clean with malt flavor with some residual sweetness. A good balance as it is not too sweet and also hides the alcohol well. A nice beer for sure, was an award winner in Denver this year.

Tap at Brewery. Decent fruit and spice present in aroma. Dark amber body with decent off white head. Mild lacing also preant on glass. Like the flavor of this one because the malt was light and the raison fruit flavor was dominant. A good spicey bite balanced this one out. Fruity spice aftertate and also a body warmer. Good beer.

Poured from an hour old growler
The beer summons a 1/2 finger thick, amber tinged, tan colored head that quickly recedes to a ring of foam. The beer is a brilliantly clear, rich red color that has a tint of amber to it. The aroma is fairly clean, but with a prominent fruitiness that reminds me of sweet plums, red delicious apples and raisins. The aroma is rounded out by a touch of clove and some malty notes of caramel and toasted grain.

Fairly dry up front, it moves to a light sweetness that is almost a product of the prominent fruit character. Finishes with a touch of spiciness and a light bitterness, which combine to add a bit of a bite. Sweet fruit notes of raisins & prunes intermingle with spicy notes of clove, ginger, a hint of cardamom and a peppery note that is as much from the carbonation as from the fermentation profile. The beer has a mixed profile on the palate. On the one hand the sweet fruitiness adds a heft to this beer that can at times be a touch cloying, yet overall this remains fairly easy drinking, though perhaps not quaffable.

All in all a decent attempt, I certainly can, and in fact will with a growler of it, quaff a couple pints of this in an afternoon.

Bravo Steve!!!!!! This was a killer attempt to put a chill side to a Belgium Yummy! Great balance, clean and refreshing. High 5

I was told this was a filtered Dubbel by a brew staff member. I don’t think it quite fits in any particular style. Pours a clear deep amber color with a nice off white head that lasted. Nice lacing on the way down. Has a light caramel malt aroma. Flavor is sweet, malty, and fruity. No yeast aftertaste. Medium body. I’m not a Belgium fan, but this was a decent beer. Worth a try.