Witkap Pater Dubbel

Brewed by Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Ninove, Belgium

Very reddisch, amber coloured brew. Mild yeasty aroma. Nice subtile bitterness, hints of various fruits. Nice.

33cl bottle. Very dark brown with ruby edges and lasting beige head. Yeast, raisins, and choc bit of toast as well. Bit too carbonated in mouth with some syrupy intense dark red fruits . Finish really is an extension of the previous flavours with some hoppiness in evidence. Quite pleasing on the nose, but could do with a more pronounced finish. Good fruitiness though. A pleasing beer.

Dark amber with a beige head. The first aroma was lemony, soon giving way to a typical old-leathery yeastiness. Quite a sour taste, but the dark fruit and liquorice flavours were very much in the background. Slight bitterness, but overall a disappointment: thin and watery.

Bottle. Dark red/brown with nice head. Easy to drink (kind of like Westmalle dubbel). It seems to get thinner when cellared for two years - but still drinkable.

33 cl bottle, ’bbe’ Feb 07. Deep dark red and clear, nice but not very stable brownish head giving off some lace. Aroma: toffee, apples, cinnamon. Taste: fresh, rich and malty with a hint of cocoa powder, also juicy and slightly tart with apples. Nice but short bitter aftertaste. The body is relatively thin.

2yr 12oz. Beautiful lacing coats the glass sides randomly while a thick layer of typical belgian off-white foam stays silently on top of the dark brown hue that intercepts soft ochre reflects. It does offer a good ester base (bananas that begin to rot) though I find the yeast a bit dominant in that it seems to obstruct a bit the malty pumpernickel that brings a whisper of dryness into the otherwise mostly typical grapey, licorice, plum, caramelic dates etc. dark malts flavors. Mostly sweet through and through, leaving a bready yeastiness lingering on in the finish that while not being astringent, gives the feeling of leaving cerealic (akin to drying oatmeal and nut skin) residues on the gum and teeths. I’m not necessarily a fan of that aspect, but otherwise, the flavors are well balanced, gently toasty and show some restraint, while alcohol is not a factor and the carbonation pairs with the slight tartness to offer a gentle refreshing aspect. Competent if no stand-out.

Bottle from Beers of Europe. Dark brown with a hint of red when held to the light. Persistant beige head. Aroma of caramel, chocolate, raisin, licorice, soft cheese, yeast. Slight sourness and some hop in the finish. Very good.

Bottled. Amber colour, pretty big white head. Dry, tobacco-ish nose. Caramelly, dry-ish flavour with the hops present. Bit sweetish. Middle of the road-dubbel.