Town Hall Abbey

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Clear mahogany, little head. Very dry and fruity, woody, and a bit sweet. Very sticky and creamy.

A hard brew to pin down, so forgive me if the stylistic designation is off...I’m not sure what exactly makes it in the Belgian mode, some of the malts may hail from there (?), but it doesn’t taste exactly like anything...like a sweeter, lighter abbey dubbel? As it is, the brew was made in honor of bartender Andy’s upcoming daughter Abigail...it’s a beautiful brew, as I’m sure she’ll be a beautiful child. Well, let’s crack this growler and find out for sure (I’ve had 3 or 4 pints at the pub, but can I trust my memory?) Clear dark crimson color, caramel-y, with a nice layer of creamy foam above. Sweetness dominate the aroma, malt, rich, fruity a bit, but mostly grain. bright, plums, grapes, cherries...nice. very well-balanced, extremely intelligently put together. Every time I savored one at my stool at the bar, I wondered where it stood among Belgian styles. Well, screw that. Doesn’t fit this or that, who gives a diddly...damned tasty beer, with Belgian ingredients and a nod to that taste. I can’t shake it...it tastes so nice, it’s not too strong, it’s not too hoppy, not too malty, just about right, for being utterly unclassify-able. I’m sure this beers namesake will be just as sui generis, and just as sweet.

On-tap at the brewpub: Clear rustic red with a densely fluffed cap of light tan foam sitting about half inch thick. Lacing drizzles all sorts of spots across the glass. Aroma is a bit light but clean of dullish fruity malt inticing some fine pear, cherry, and apple bubble gum candy. Taste is soothingly sweet with a firm steady flow of dullish candied fruit inspired malts. Caramel infused pears, apples, and a light cherry kool-aid stay present within a very simple creamy medium body. Its overall carbonation is seemingly low so it stays pretty firm with a bit of sticky/chewyness to it. Tidbits of raisin sweetness and molasses tang emerge later as it warms adding some nice little nuances. When I read the description on the beer menu I wasn’t sure what it would taste like or if I’d even like it. But once I sipped and smiled there was no other place to go but raise an eyebrow and say to myself, " Hmm, this is pretty good." Which it was.

On tap. Fruity aroma and deep amber color. Taste was malty with notes of rasin and carmel. Sweetly balanced. Not too strong and very drinkable. After going through an 8 glass sampler this is the one I ordered a full glass of.

Brownish with Light Tints of Red Coloring with Creamy Tan Head. Sweet Malt and Fruit Aroma. First Impression was That it Was Sweet, Lightly Rich and Quite Drinkable. Agreeably Hard to Put it Squarely in the Belgian Category. Sweet Malt, Grapey, Fruity with Some Grains/Hops in There as Well. Tried Two Pints and the Second on a Different Occassion Was Much More Grainy/Hoppy at the Ending and Not as Enjoyable as the First. Overall Should be Nice ,Sweet and Balanced ....a Beer ;)

Dark brown/red color with a medium head. Very strong malt aroma with a pinch of nut at the end. The taste is more of the same: strong sweet malt up front with some walnut for a finish. This seemed more like a type of Brown Ale than an Abbey, but still pretty tasty.

Pours a cherry-wood brown, with sparse carbonation and no head to speak of. A thin ring of foam clings to the side of the glass and provides sparse lacing throughout the pint. Sweet caramel malt and mild tea in the aroma. One sweet tasting beer. I think it has a dark candi sugar flavor that dominates. A little caramel malt and rough grain in there too. Mild tart fruitiness, yeast, and a hint of black pepper in the aftertaste. Medium bodied, smooth, but too lightly carbonated in my opinon

Hazy, still-looking, chestnut red color. Yeasty, bready, with malts, not really bubble gum but something suggests it to me. Reminds me of the backstage smell at my old high school theater. Not super fruity. Palate: tingling, unremarkable. Decent. (on tap at brewpub)