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“Our Pied-à-Terre Belgian Dubbel is all about its Belgian roots. The combination of this style’s yeast and malts make for a complex flavors. We often have people describing the orange, banana or clove we must have used making this beer. NOPE! These are all characters born from the yeast, malts and hops.”

Served in a Trappist tulip. Crimson red in appearance with a short head that quickly retreats to a ring with minimal lace left in its wake.
The nose is delicate, slightly vinegary and slightly tart. Not a good sign early on in this beer. A vigorous twirl does uncover some hidden traditional aromas like raisin, plums, fruit cake and esters and thank goodness for that because if it wasn’t for the latter this would almost be a drain pour. Pretty underwhelming nose to be honest.
The mouth feel is oily, a little thin and again tart and vinegary. Just a slight hint of acidity which, for us, is not welcome in a dubbel. Mild body and mild-moderate Co2. Average at best.
Unfortunately we’re seeing those somewhat tart vinegary flavours showing upfront. It is at least hitting its mark with the sweet plummy notes but there’s just not enough bottom end…where’s the chocolate? Where’s the spice and the sugary/malty caramelization? Hardly any convincing flavour in the finish either – flat, insipid and dull. What a shame.
We’ll concede that dubbels are a very difficult style to master but the overall aroma and flavor was way off. Who knows, it may not have travelled well or it may not have been stored properly. Either way it wasn’t up to scratch.

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“Trappistes Rochefort 6 from Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy is a top fermentation beer with an alcohol content of 7.50%. Red-brown colour. Slightly spicy aroma and an intense taste of caramel, fruit, and hints of raisins.”

Served in a Trappist chalice. A copper/chestnut hue meets the eye. The pour generates a thumb of tightly held foam that trims off a smidge and settles to a fine sheet over the top. Not a great deal of lace but enough to decorate the glass as it ebbs.
We’d have to say this is the most unique-smelling Trappist Dubbel we’ve ever encountered. It’s pretty complex with this discernible blueberry/blackberry tartness on the nose. On one hand it offers floral scents of sandalwood, Jasmine and frangipani and on the other it’s sweet, slightly phenolic and plummy. It kind of has a sugary apricot scent to it as well. Smells like holidays! Exceptional stuff.
The mouth feel is seriously smooth with a creamy texture. It’s almost unfathomable that it’s 7.5% ABV, absolutely no indication as to its strength. Co2 is mild-moderate with a medium body. Classy stuff.
The front palate exhibits a distinctly sweet apricot and orange liqueur-like flavour. Really sugary as a more tangy and yeasty character evolves in the middle. Just a mild hint of dryness creeping in as sweet raisins and earthy notes of fig lead in to a dry, sweet and almost bourbon-esque finish.
Geez what did we just drink?! A glass of berry flavoured flowers with hints of sweet stone fruit and bourbon?! Incredible, and so far from your traditional Trappist Dubbel it isn’t funny. Very unexpected but a very fine offering.

Rating:

“Since 1856 the monks have also been brewing a dark Trappist beer along with their table beer. Since the recipe was modified in 1926, they have been brewing slightly heavier beer. This is the foundation of today’s Dubbel.”

Served in a Duvel Trappist tulip. The murky brown pour is topped off by a finger of loosely held bubble that eventually settles to a halo with a reasonable lace left clinging to the glass.
Geez it’s hard to resist a traditional Belgian Trappist Dubbel and the aroma of this sexy beast shows exactly why. It starts with the hallmark scents of banana bread, clove, fruit esters and brown sugar but as it settles in the glass wafts of tobacco, banana split, bubblegum, Christmas cake and plum jam begin to develop. It’s a super complex concoction but it’s extremely addictive. Incredible.
In the mouth it’s full bodied with a creamy texture. Despite the richness and weight it still manages to glide over the tongue with minimal grip in the swallow. Maybe a slight hint of bitterness there in the tail as well.
Upfront we taste all of those yeasty fruit esters and sweet, sugary malts spiked with a mild warmth from the 7% ABV. As it progresses we begin to see the rich notes of banana bread, Christmas cake and cocoa mix it up with the spicy clove and pepper that delivers this complex and sweet yeasty finish.
That’s a really classy Dubbel. The question is where does it rate among some of the best Dubbels in the world? Personally, we think the Ommegang and the St.Bernardus Prior 8 are slightly better…..but not by much. Still a lot of great qualities to this Dubbel. Delicious.

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“Brewed each year in Woodend as the leaves begin to fall from the trees, Double Trouble is a Holgate classic dating back to 2004. An homage to the Trappist monks of Belgium
who started brewing rich dark beers in around 1850, that would evolve into the beer style now known as dubbel. Using dark malts and rich caramelized candi sugar, the monks would formulate their own special recipe that would match the spicy fruity characteristics of their house yeast perfectly, to produce a rich and fantastically complex beer.”

Served in a wide rimmed tulip. At the centre she’s a solid dark brown working to a mahogany hue around the edges. Capping off is a finger and a bit of tanned foam that hastily collapses to a ring with some spotty lace left trailing behind. In true Dubbel fashion a big impression of dark fruit sweetness is the first to entertain the olfactory’s. We get hefty wafts of plums, raisin, dried figs, banana bread, clove and fruit cake leading out. Some mild fruit esters, toffee, white bread and jaffa are all subtle but certainly in here to fill it out. Maybe some boozy notes coming through as it comes up to room temperature as well. Quite a complex aroma. In the mouth it’s full bodied and rich but not overly heavy on the palate. A vibrant Co2 offers a slight lift while the 8% ABV presents with a bit of warmth. Surprisingly pleasant to drink. The flavour profile is extremely rich and decadent with a somewhat sharp sweetness that’s softened by chocolate, toasty malts and dates upfront. Hints of fruit esters and Belgian candy sugars flow across the mid as yeasty clove and banana bread lead in to a dry, earthy and somewhat dark fruity finish. Quite a few similarities to the 2014 Double Trouble. Yes we’ll concede the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of wriggle room when it comes to Belgian Abbey brewing, this is why we must take our hats off to any brewer that has the cojones to take on this intricate and centuries-old style of brewing. And to pull it off this well?? Respect.

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“If you can bear the wait, this classic Dubbel will truly come into its own after 6 to 30 months of repose in a quiet, cool place to allow the already prominent plum, raisin notes to reconcile to perfection.”

We couldn’t even wait two weeks since the day we bought this bottle let alone lay it down for 6 months! Maybe another bottle is on the cards 😉 Moving on. We served this in a wide rimmed chalice. The dark brown pour just reveals a mahogany hue when held against the light. A wholesome three finger head is generated which retains well but eventually peels off and establishes a thin sheet that omits a wavy lace pattern down the walls of the glass. The term “pinning the tail on the donkey” comes to mind when summing up this aroma. They’ve absolutely nailed the basics. We get a nose-full of chocolate cake, licorice, tobacco, banana bread, clove and raisin that simply erupts out of the glass. We also get faint scents of fig and brown sugar creeping in too. Absolutely divine! In the mouth it’s held up well with a smooth and slightly sticky texture on the palate. The carbonation is low, the body medium-full and a considerably well contained ABV (7.5%) makes for a gracious swallow. Seriously drinkable. Upfront it’s malts-a-plenty. A delicious little plummy twang cuts in which opens up an approach for milk chocolate, licorice and ovaltine to sail through the mid and punctuate with a lightly roasted, somewhat sweet, chocolatey and figgy finish. Great duration on the back too, this lengthy and lustful drop just keeps getting better as it warms. Here’s another offering that this highly respected Kiwi brewery can add to its growing list of cracker beers. Another bottle of this to lay down is certainly on the cards, if it somehow gets better than this then we’re looking at a definite 10. Delicious!

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“Abbey of the Dead perches on a mound of skulls above a river of blood, offering up candy to the lost souls. She is sweet, and beguiling, she is dainty and beautiful, but inside she is not cotton candy and rainbows. Brewed to celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead festival, Abbey of the Dead is our blood red Belgian ale brewed with sugar skull candies, spiced with marigolds and dried hibiscus flowers, and a hefty backbone of big Belgian malts to tie it all together. Spicy from 2 Belgian yeast strains, you’ll get cocoa and toffee on the nose, earthy marigolds and plummy, citrusy hibiscus notes. Light in body, but big in malt – and no pumpkin.”

Served in a snifter glass. The rich mahogany appearance caps off with a well retained three finger head that persists beautifully. Rings of thick, sudsy lacing are left clinging to the glass as it ebbs. Due to years of familiarising ourselves with this brewers beer we know he has the tendancy to sour or barrel age most of them. Let’s just say it works for certain styles and potentially ruins others. The Belgian Dubbel is one not to be soured and it perilously seems that is the case here. Offering malty scents of plum, raisin, fig, chocolate and pudding, this aroma flirts with scents of cherry, blueberry, phenols and currants. Although the base aromas are here the estery yeasts are coming through a bit too excessively. The mouth feel is soft and creamy but a subtle acidity that develops reinforces what we’re saying. Co2 is medium and a mild bitterness adds a little kick but this lip puckering sourness is a little untoward. The front palate is overbearingly sour with that vinegary phenol character that is simply not welcome in a Belgian Dubbel. Tart fruits like raspberry and pomegranate come forward as a restrained dark malt undertone tries to push through across the mid. The sour acidity lingers in to the finish and rounds out a slightly disappointing Dubbel. OK, there are beer lovers out there that enjoy sour beers. We don’t mind sour beer too but we truly think that some styles just aren’t meant to brett-fermented. A Belgian Dubbel is in the don’t sour category. Plenty of better beers from these guys, we aren’t fans of this one.

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If there was ever anyone more trustworthy with your craft beer it would be these two blokes. Behind Black Heart brewery are two surgeons – a cardiac surgeon and the other, a perfusionist. Not only do these guys posess the skills to save lives (or pump your stomach after a tipple too many) they also have some brewing prowess, boasting a huge range including a Bohemian Pilsner, a Dunkelweizen, a Christmas ale and an Imperial Stout. Not to mention this Dubbel, which we’ll stop talking about and pop open!

Served in a beer tulip. The appearance offers a rich mahogany below a finger and a half of loosely packed tan foam. The head recedes quickly to a collar with scarce lace trails being omitted. Quite a strange aroma emanating here. The main one throwing us off is this unwelcomed scent of chlorine. Our guess is that the hops and the rich malts are clashing instead of combining, creating this ultimately muddled aroma. There are subtle hints of toffee and dates but this slightly tart/citric and almost vinegary fragrance is off putting. Disappointing. In the mouth it’s a little thin with a slightly sour feel. Mild Co2 and mild-medium body. What has been done well is the masking of the 7.4% ABV. Average all round so far. The flavour profile opens up with a kind of sour/vinegary character that is quite foreign to the traditional Dubbel. Once all the sourness settles we finally get a hint of caramel and dark malts in the finish. Even in the finish, unfortunately, we can still taste this persistent sour citrus flavour . Extremely bummed out by this Dubbel. We reviewed their Tripel a couple of months back and were surprised at how good it was. This brew, though, is confusing and far from what we like in a Dubbel. Didn’t like it at all.

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“Beer is sacred at Bright brewery. Our Fainters Dubbel honours Belgium’s Trappist monks, who first created and savoured these rich and complex ales. Even the deep copper colour is reminiscent of Abbey stained glass. To develop the rich malt-driven aromas and complex palate accentuated with raisin and spicy clove, it is essential that we remain celibate throughout the brewing process. Monks aside, the remote high peaks of the Fainters beyond Bright inspired both the naming of this beer and our brewer, who regularly pilots his paraglider above these majestic ranges.”

This is our first entry for this Victorian brewery. We’ve had our eye on them for a while so we thought it was high time we gave them a go. Served in a snifter glass. The gorgeous mahogany pour can only manage to arouse half a finger of beige foam before it peels off and settles to a fine halo around the circumference of the glass. As expected lacing is scarce. Not all is scarce though, as our first few whiffs uncover a decadent, malty nose with scents of toffee fudge, chocolate, clove, banana, brown sugar, csramelised pear and raisins. A certain liqueur-ish complexity lends a kind of Muscaty/Porty astringency to it as well. Very nice. In the mouth its creamy texture is sharpened by a subtle alcohol burn (8.5% ABV) Co2 levels are low and the body is medium-full. Upfront a burst of sweet and luscious malts offer flavours of toffee, raisin, chocolate, banana and port. Behind it all is a firm warmth from the ABV. Although there are no variations in flavour the intensity of it all crescendo’s through the mid and rounds off to a robust malt finish with good duration. This is an honest and malleable representation of this incredibly complex style of brewing. We’re already looking forward to the next addition from this brewery.

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“Petrus Double Brown Ale is a top-fermented dark beer. Brewed with pure spring water and carefully selected hops and malts. The dark beer with its subtle and slightly caramelized flavour is preferably served cool.”

We’re liking this label, with a picture of God holding a key in one hand and a chalice in the other with the cheeky quip that reads “the key to heaven”. Obviously the almighty doesn’t mind a Belgian Dubbel now and again. Served in a beer tulip with quite an interesting appearance. Against a dark background a deep mahogany brown is offered but when held to the light a bright strawberry red hue is revealed. A modest finger of khaki foam is knocked up which retains well and releases nice, artistic patterns of lace as it ebbs. Oh wow! The aroma is delicious, we wish we could just eat it. This rich and caramelised toffee scent emanating is simply divine! Plenty of yeasty notes are coming through, bringing with it a strange, almost medicinal aroma, although it’s subtle and could easily be mistaken for the slightly phenolic cherry character. Not bad. In the mouth it’s creamy and luscious with an excellent smoothness to it. Carbonation is moderate and the body is about mild-medium. No alcohol burn at all, so the 6.5% ABV is well masked. Very sweet on the front-palate. Raisins, plum and brown sugar come to mind as an earthy fig character works to balance it out. Hints of stewed pears and candied apple appear in the mid before it descends in to sweet, chewy toffee finish. This sweet, fleshy fruit flavour reappears again on the back end displaying it’s good legs. Not bad but a little too sweet to be brilliant though. The delicious presence of cocoa and chocolate weren’t as pronounced as other top shelf Dubbels are. Tasty and very enjoyable, just not convincing enough to be great.

Rating:

“Ommegang Abbey ale is directly influenced by the patience and wisdom of the Trappists, who ever seek divine union – a pretty high standard for an ale, but a good one, we think. Deep burgundy colour, rich and malty. Enjoy with savoury dishes, rich cheeses and almost every dessert.”

There is a small piece of text on this bottle which prompted us to do a bit of research. It states “part of the Duvel family of fine Belgian ales”. It is true, Ommegang is owned by Duvel Moortgat. All the more reason for this to be a standout beer. Uncaged, uncorked then served in to a beer tulip. The dark mahogany pour manages to arouse a modest finger of lightly tanned foam. The head is retained well, eventually reducing to a fine layer with a thick halo around the edges. Wet, streaky lacing is being omitted. Very rich, decadent and creamy on the nose. A moreish complexity throws up wafts of dark nutty chocolate, fruit cake, apple pie, licorice, raisin, toffee, spice and mocha. A soft stinging scent of alcohol does creep in but it’s disguised extremely well. This is one remarkable aroma. The texture of this beer is creamy with mild levels of Co2. The 8.2% ABV is hidden so well it’s almost untraceable in flavour. Definitely on the fuller bodied end of the scale. There isn’t so much a progression of flavours here, more an array of rich and heavy impressions of caramelised pears, plums, raisin, toffee, licorice and alcohol that move in and intensify as the flavours go through the motions. Excellent length too, a kind of aged red wine oakiness lingers on the back end just to make everything more complex. What an amazing beer this is. One that would go hand in hand with red meat, cheeses and a roaring fire. Phenomenal!

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“The Little Brewing Company’s Mad Abbot range of ales are produced in the style of the Trappist monasteries of Belgium. These ales are bottle conditioned resulting in yeast sediment in the bottle, and undergo careful cellaring before release. They are made with finesse in true Belgian style with alcohol content well hidden beneath the complex flavour. The Mad Abbot Dubbel is a dark, rich, luxuriously strong ale”.

I recall a brief yet enjoyable visit to this brewery in Port Macquarie (NSW) some years ago now and remember trying this exact beer and thinking, wow this is a tasty drop. I’m sure it will be the same. Served in a tulip glass the murky brown pour produced a 1 and a half finger beige head that slowly collapsed to a collar with reasonable lace. Like all good Belgian dubbels, this one comes with big viscous overtones of caramel and sticky toffee. Hints of spice, rum & raisin, licorice, nougat, brown sugar and sourdough are all here to be enjoyed as well. Just superb, as good aroma as you would expect from any Belgian Dubbel. In the mouth the texture was quite creamy and full bodied with medium carbonation. The palate opens up with rich, chewy flavours of dark fruits, caramel and rum while the the mid displays roasty elements and subtle spice. To finish it off are sweet, caramelised notes of toffee, brown sugar and raisin which are boosted by a subtle booze sting (6.9% ABV) in the tail. Just as I remembered it, we both feel this is as good as any Belgian Dubbel on the shelves. Brilliant attempt at a very intricate and complex style of brewing that has to be respected. Big ups.

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“Some things are just better in threes… think about it: The BeeGees, Blind Mice, even flavours in Neopolitan ice-cream. It just works, it’s harmonious. That’s why our new Single Batch is called The Rule of Three, because it balances three of our favourite things, assertive hops, biscuity malt and spicy phelonic yeast… if you wanted to peg it down to a style, we’d say it’s like a Belgian Dubbel meets an English Special Bitter.”

Another single batch from the boys in Fremantle, WA. This beer is a Belgian dubbel/E.S.B with the addition of styrian goldings hops. It pours a nice deep copper with a bubbly head that thins out and disappears really quickly. No lacing after a few sips. On the nose we get hops straight away with that classic bitterness from the biscuity english malt used. There are wafts of spicy pepper, herbs, honey sweetness and a touch of alcohol, despite the low 5.7% alc vol. The dubbel part of this beer is quite mild. The real joy in the beer though is the smoothness and overall complexity of the brewing. If it was not so refined, it would be borderline home brew flavours. There is a nice dryness from the hops on entry but it’s smooth as silk as it moves down on the throat. Some mild ash flavours are balanced out by sweet hints of honey and some viscous raisin, caramel and toffee. The IBU level is 32. It’s another nice addition from creatures.

Rating:

“Like a plump monk with a taste for the finer things, this not-so-traditional ale leaps from the middle ages to the 21st century with a double helping of dense, punchy flavours that will fortify your soul. Just as you would a fine cognac, this strong ale asks to be sipped and savoured in a wine glass or brandy-balloon, allowing the full pleasure of its rich aroma. Utilising Abbey malt, candy sugar and Belgian ale-yeast, this is a heady brew, given all the time it needs to age and mellow, and will develop with further cellaring. The resulting flavour fusion of raisin, toffee and cognac is positively divine”.

Poured into a tulip glass the appearance displays a deep amber tone with orange hues. Head is almost non-existent with the beige fizzy bubbles collapsing instantly to a halo around the side of the glass. Poor lacing. As you would expect from a Belgian style Abbey dubbel there is a bold presence of vicosity. Some sour fruit esters, raisin, booze, banana, toffee, spice and a sublte presence of herbs team up to produce a pretty impressive aroma. Mildly carbonated with a chalky mouth feel. Throughout the palate is a mild sweetness that develops a more chewy character on the back end. Initially we picked up raisin, booze and toffee, some spice and fruit esters in the mid-palate are rounded off by a yeasty and resinous finish. 8% ABV is evident in aroma and flavour but it’s to be expected for this style. And to be honest we’d be disappointed if it was missing. Very good attempt at a very difficult form of brewing and it goes to show the intricacies of Belgian Abbey brewing. Nevertheless, a decent beer.

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“Corsendonk is a Belgian beer brand. The brandname refers to the Priory of Corsendonk in Oud-Turnhout; which was in operation from 1398 to 1784, and was rebuilt in 1968 as a hotel complex by new owners Corsendonk Hotels”.

Poured into a tulip glass the colour of the body displayed a dark chestnut brown with a tight one and a half finger head that retains quite well, omitting reasonable lacing as we imbibe. Oh so Belgian on the nose. The aroma consists of classic yeasty and estery characters with funky hints of apricot, spice, sourdough, toffee, raisin and plums/dark fruits. Medium-high carbonation for a dubbel with a creamy, full bodied mouth feel. Initially a delicious fusion of port, raisin and fig couple up with a lively tickle on the tongue. A slight sourness develops in the mid-palate and it’s quickly followed by lingering notes of warming alcohol, oak and sweet, dark fruits in the finish that draws out well on to the back end. The 7.5% ABV was well hidden among the array of rich and complex flavours. It’s no Trappist Dubbel but its genuinely Belgian and genuinely tasty. Not bad at all.

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Quality Belgian Trappist ale here. There are only very few select breweries in the world that can brew this beer, and this brewery is one of the best at it, it’s what makes it so good.

Served in a beer tulip the muddy, tawny/copper pour constructs a 1 and a half finger beige head that peels off but maintains at about a 5mm cap. Healthy lace. Loads of caramelised, toffee-like aromas initially but with tangy stone fruits like apricot and raisin coming through to balance out. Also quite heavy on the dark, sweet fruits such as prunes, fig and plum that compliment the earthy spices of clove and nutmeg. Maybe a hint of fleshy pear in here too. Nice…really complex and exciting way to kick this off. In the mouth it’s smooth and oily with mild-medium carbonation. The body is light but still fairly grippy. Following on from the aroma is a delicious combination of caramel, apricot and spice upfront. Dark fruits stand up through the mid leading to a heavily sweet, sugary finish with fresh pear on the back palate. Some light alcohol warmth is felt in the finish but for a 7% ale it’s really well disguised. Damn these Belgians have really mastered their craft, we have had some good attempts at a Dubbel from non-Belgian brewers but they don’t come close to this. The original, and the best.

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Fact: La Trappe (De Koningshoeven) is one of only two Dutch Abbey brewers that can carry the authentic Trappist product label. The other is the lesser known Zundert by Abdij Maria Toevlucht.

Served into a beer tulip the deep mahogany pour whips up a generous 2 finger tan head that eventually settles to a fine layer on top. Good head retention. Laced well. The differences in aroma between Dubbels and their siblings – Tripels and Quads don’t differentiate a whole lot but once you smell a Trappist beer all the rest seem to be inferior. Instantly our olfactories are tantalised by the rich, syrupy and spicy aromas of raisin, port, brown candi sugar, alcohol, clove, toffee, banana and honey. Moderate sweetness which is nicely offset by the earthy undertones. Very nice. Surprisingly smooth in the mouth with a gentle creamy texture. The carbonation levels are low and the body is about medium, maybe leaning to the fuller side. A malt-forward combination of caramel, fig, spice, raisin and alcohol initiates the flavour profile, with spice along with a subtle alcohol warmth (7% ABV) continuing on through the mid-palate. A sugary sweetness is picked up late and eventually followed by the sweet, sticky finish with good legs. Wow, classy stuff this would have to be one of the better Dubbels on the market. Completely true to it’s style, not overly sweet but still rich and complex with all that chewy goodness going on. Hats off, this is a top shelf brew.