Val-Dieu Brune

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Aubel, Belgium

Brown colour, big frothy beige head. Aroma is raisins and raspberries. Taste is of raspberries and raisins as well, which makes it pleasantly sour. Lacks complexity to really stand out.

Bottle, 33 cl. (taste this first @ beerfestival Zwevegem last year) Now @ home again (bottle from Willems). Dark brown color, beige head. Aroma yeast, roasted malts. Medium to full body. Taste roasted caramel, yeast, malts, sweet and alcoholic finish.

I picked this up on a whim from Gary’s Liquor in the OC (Oak Creek, WI). I didn’t know exactly what to expect, although I was anticipating an abbey dubbel that would be spiced with coriander and clove. Instead, I got a beer that redder in color than I anticipated (it is called a brown on the label), more earthy and cherry-ish in flavor than I thought, and to be honest I really enjoyed this beer a good bit more than I thought I would.

A Mes rate: 33cl bottle from Utobeer. Dull Belgian brune that is not to my liking. Certainly not worth the price I paid for it. Very wheaty and yeasty in both the aroma and flavour. Extra sweetness in the flavour. Not at all refined. Alcohol comes through at the finish but is reaonable well hidden elsewhere. Pretty bad all round really. Sweet and acrid. Not a great beer.

Bottle, 33cl @ YNWA. A deep brown colour, no indication of red - more like a plum colour. Aroma has lots of fruit, raisins, raspberries, some barn and a little fruity tartness. Very full and lightly creamy. Flavour has a surprising oakyness to it, raisins, yeast and a little berries come along as well. All is backed by some roasted caramel. A surprisingly dry finish.

Perhaps I had a contaminated bottle? It was sour and earthy. Like eating raw green beens dipped in mushroom compost. I probably owe it a re-rate but at $10 a bottle I am not motivated to spend my dollar on it.

Very dark almost black in color. Had a strong nectar/ grape aroma. This beer taste more like a wine than a beer with not enough maltiness to balance out the sweetness.

Bottle - 750ml. Took the wire guard off and the cork took off on its own about 5 secs later but no overflow at all. Caramel, dark chocolate/light musty malt aroma. Murky dark brown color with giant head and very nice lacing. Earthy brown sugar malt flavor with a mild alcohol burn finish. Very nice.