Westmalle Dubbel

11.2 fl. oz. bottle. Pours a cloudy maple brown with a sizable cream head. Sits beautiful in glass. Aroma is of biscuit, malt, and some brown sugar. Flavor is subtly sweet, some butterscotch, malt, raisin, plum and dark cherry. Strangely, the flavor (dark fruit) and carbonation (pearly) remind me of champagne. Finishes slightly bitter, but mild. Overall, a well balanced ale that stays light on the palate. Not my favorite dubbel, but definitely quality.

33cl bottle from Vinmonopolet. It poured a dark amber colour with a medium big beige head that settles down fast in the glass. The aroma smells of malts raisins, banana and alcohol. The flavour tastes of roasted malts, apples, plum, dark caramel and a hint of alcohol. It has a medium long aftertaste.

Deep ruby red color with creamy, lacy and long-lasting beige head. Aroma is sugary malty and raisiny with dried fruits. Flavor is dried fruis, a bit woody, oaky and spicy with moderate dry hoppiness in the end. Full-bodied, slicky and softly carbonated palate.

Poured dark ruby red with a barely controlled tan head despite a careful pour. The carbonation was initially off the hook, which worried me. But it seemed fine. Nice lacing. Smells of cherry, straw, red licorice, and metal pipes. Mouthfeel is slick with average carbonation (despite the initial craziness). Taste is black pepper spicy, roasted malt, copper bitter, and grainy malts. I couldn’t detect the higher abv. Pretty good.

750 mL bottle. Dark brown-maroon color with a nice off-white head. Great lacing. Aroma of raisins, plum and malt. Taste of malt, caramel, yeast and plum with a great velvety finish.

Bottled at Backstage, Patio Bellavista Pours a cloudy dark mahogany color with a huge white fluffy head that recedes slowly and leaves a marvelous lacing. Aroma is luscious with dense malty layers and lots of fruity notes. Dried fruits, figs, nuts, prunes, caramel macchiatto coffee, clove, some molasses and blueberries. Fantastic. Flavor is multidimensional, sweet, malty and full of surprises. Caramel, nougat, figs, grapes, green apples, chestnuts... Oh my God! What a combination! I can’t believe how great the multiple elements flow together nicely. It ends with a chocolate mousse touch. Amazing mouthfeel, velvety, creamy, excellent. Carbonation is medium. Great aftertaste, and intense retronasal. Long finish. Right amounts of alcohol. The best dubbel I’ve ever tried.

(Bottle). Fruit and malt aroma. A deep orange brown color with a substantial lacing head. Taste is fruity sweet and complex, not at all cloying. Exquisitely smooth palate with a beautiful long finish. Obviously a labor of love for the monks.

From the second round of my own annual Beer of the Year sweet 16 tourney. This round consisted of Abbey Dubbels and Tripels. What an awesome night. Westmalle Dubbel was the first beer of the round to be rated: In a trappist glass, this ale produces a hazy, brandy-like, medium brown body, with a fuzzy beige head and a small ring of retention. An immediate malty sweet fruitiness fills the aroma. Cloves, passion-fruit, fresh cream, and a little banana drift along, with more spices and molasses following up. The mouthfeel is excellently smooth and velvety, with little carbonation. The appearance leads you to believe this beer is really strong, but the body is relatively light, smooth, and easygoing. Plenty of exotic fruit, cinammon, banana peel, and apricot. The house yeast is noticeable in the taste, leaving lively notes of chestnuts and caramel, and, as the beer warms, a very strong whiskey taste tingles the taste buds and offers up sappy, peated malt. Overall, this has a great long, slight dry finish and is incredibly smooth going down. Very well crafted Trappist Ale. (of course)