Val-Dieu Brune

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

33 cl, bb 19/10/07. Mahogany with a half-inch of creamy, enduring foam. Beautiful icing covers the glass. Aromas of dark bread, chocolate, raisin, nutmeg, vanilla, spicy rum cake and a hint of cherry. Similar complex of flavors are a tad less sweet than the aroma due to some nice stout-like coffee and char tones for bitterness. Medium-heavy body is smooth and a touch to the dry side.

33cl bottle from Total Wine (Tampa, FL). Pours a dark chocolate brown with a tan one finger head. Good retention and lacing. Clearly visible large particulate matter. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, burnt toast, some slight smoke, maple syrup, some ripe dark fruit. Flavor is much of the same, somewhat smoky and coffee-like with a medium body and sweet malty character. Some slight bitterness on finish.

Bottle, pours hazy an brown with a medium sized tan head. Nose of burned malt and yeast. Flavour of spices yeast and with notes of dark fruit. Medium to full bodied.The finish is spicy and with more malt.

bottle 33cl. light fruit, quite alcoholic and yeast aroma. large head, and light brown colour.the lacing is good. the body is between red and brown. sweet flavor, long finish. full body, flively carbonation and an excellent alcoholic finish.

Bottle 33cl. Pours a dark brown colour, firm head that lasts. Pleasant aroma of fruit and yeast. Taste is pretty smoky and a let down on this one, I expected more, the Tripel Val-Dieu is much better.

Bottle, Belgian Belly, Manchester. A re-visit to a saddeningly average brew which flatters to deceive. Poured a dark purpley brown colour with a lively rocky beige head. Aroma had some dark fruit, chocolate and yeast, and II’m thinking we’re good to go with a cracker here...Sadly the wheels started to fall off after the first swig. Overtly sweet and too heavily carbonated was my overwhelming impression. The heavy yeast and sugar notes aren’t endearing so this isn’t one I’d re visit for a further try.

33cl bottle. Has a pleasant aroma, taste is rather smokey, almost like a whisky. An enjoyable beer, but as an belgian beer enthusiast I expected more.

33cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex, cloudy, balanced, good head, good brew