Brother Joseph's Belgian Dubbel
Straight To Ale

Brother Joseph's Belgian DubbelBrother Joseph's Belgian Dubbel
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From:
Straight To Ale
 
Alabama, United States
Style:
Dubbel
Ranked #63
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Ranked #21,017
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 10.88%
Reviews:
44
Ratings:
193
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 25, 2024
Added:
Apr 21, 2010
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  52
Maimed in an accident that left him with a hunched back, Brother Joseph Zoettl worked in the St. Bernard Abbey power plant shoveling coal. In his spare time, Brother Joseph used found objects such as marbles and chunks of concrete and tile to build miniature shrines and buildings on the Abbey grounds. Over 40 years, he created 125 different models and replicas. Today, the Ave Maria Grotto covers three acres and is world-renowned as both a fun roadside attraction and an awe-inspiring collection of folk art. We have named our Belgian dubbel after Brother Joseph as a testament to his perseverance, his hard work, and his indomitable spirit. A full-flavored abbey-style ale with a complex taste and aroma, Brother Joseph’s Dubbel is filled with specialty malt and dark fruit character.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by busybeecafe:
Photo of busybeecafe
Reviewed by busybeecafe from Alabama

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I have been drinking this beer for 3 years now. And I loved it then just as much as i do now. I live in north central alabama so this beer is semi-easy to find.

appearance: is brownish with a slight hint of red

smell: not sure i have a lousy nose

taste: im not gonna break it down like how many do. all i can say is its good and goes good with steak & cheesecake both

mouthfeel: easy to drink i enjoy the medium carbonation

overall: i like it
May 07, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.83 by Mickeyharris from Alabama

Jan 25, 2024
Photo of vainosuomi
Reviewed by vainosuomi from Virginia

3.36/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
L: Dark caramel color with some sediment. Frothy tan head.
S: Toffee and caramel with floral and fruity notes.
T: Sweet brown sugar toasted malts up front. Settles into more fruitiness (raspberry?). Finishes slightly bitter with dark chocolate notes.
F: Medium body & perhaps a bit above average carbonation

It's a fine beer, well rounded and easy drinking.
May 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.79 by WDJersey from Colorado

Nov 18, 2022
 
Rated: 3.81 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Jul 14, 2022
Photo of JacobusFavier23
Reviewed by JacobusFavier23 from Texas

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
L-Pours a nice rocky headed beer with a dark murky and mahogany color. The head is natural, frothy and lacy. Be careful pouring, because it's very frothy.
S- Malt forward with hints of molasses. Fruity notes of apple and apricot. Some smell of dates as well. Clove is there as well. Even a slight roasted malt coffee-like smell.
T-Apple, apricot and date are the fruity notes. Maybe some pear. Clove brings a phenolic presence. Some other spice. A nice bitter bite at the end as well.
F-Light bodied with decent carbonation.
O-Really solid. Love about everything from this brewery and had to grab some while I was in bama. Refreshing and well crafted. I'd try it again for sure.
Dec 22, 2021
Photo of Unholy_UFO
Reviewed by Unholy_UFO from Indiana

4.28/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Look: the beer has a almost see through but slightly misty quality in the light. The dark amber color is pleasant.
Smell: Very faint but slightly yeasty.
Taste: good malt character, tastes slightly sweet in a syrup kind of way. The hop character is lightly peppery, everything tastes balanced in this beer.
Feel: slightly more viscous than I thought, but that could also be that it is a higher gravity beer.
Overall: could easily see myself crushing a case of these over the course of a week. The beer is a good quality, Belgian style ale. The only thing I think it could improve with would be some more ester notes than the ones that I do get here.
Oct 03, 2021
Photo of RayCannata
Reviewed by RayCannata from Louisiana

3.35/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
On trip to Mobile wanted to try something local, and was glad to find one that billed itself as a Belgian- style dubbel. It looked that part, and had a decent 8% ABV, but was a little thin compared to most beers with a Monk on the label. Great, rich color, and nice thin tan head that faded quickly. A little dry and not as malty or complex as the Belgian dark ales I like best. But pretty smooth and drinkable.
Sep 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.85 by RPBeerdude from Colorado

Aug 20, 2021
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Sampling this southern beer courtesy of my new trade partner @Davidstan. Excited to try some new beers to me.
The beer pours a rich clear mahogany color with a fluffy khaki colored head of about 1.5 cm. The foam fades to a wispy surface layer early in the sampling.
Aroma is rich with malt notes and some dark fruit. I get toffee and plum, but the dark fruit is sot of non descript fruity, if that makes sense. No hop character and hidden ABV on the nose.
First sip reveals a medium body with very fine carbonation that gently rolls across my palate. Texture is smooth to a little thin.
Flavor is similar to nose, with toffee and dark fruits, raisin or plum, but here I do get some black peppery notes and a little general spice as well. No warming booze and no hops.
Pretty easy drinking for 8% and interesting enough to enjoy the remaining cans that I have in the cellar. Glad to have tried this one and find it a pretty solid example of the style. Would like to see a little more of thickness to the feel but otherwise I enjoy this can.
Jul 30, 2021
Photo of BiologyBob
Reviewed by BiologyBob from Texas

3.74/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Nice light tan head with an amber color to the ale. Not much on the nose, but hints of alcohol can be found as the nice retention begins to release bubbles. Hints on malt start to emerge as it warms. Nice Belgian Dubbel malty flavor. I could be fooled that is was a Belgian, but it came with me from Alabama.
Apr 25, 2021
 
Rated: 3.94 by jordanginsberg from Louisiana

Oct 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.11 by frbnsn from Illinois

Sep 01, 2020
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.88/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Currently #85 in the Top Alabama beers list and #114 in the Top Belgian Dubbel beers list.

8% ABV. "Belgian style dubbel ale." Canned 06/18/20. A sixer of 12 fl oz pull-tab cans ran me $9.49 USD plus tax in New Orleans, LA.

Served chilled into a shaker pint.

AROMA: Raisin, date, Belgian saccharomyces, bready malt, rich amber malt, biscuit, plum.

Not getting any prune or fig, but it's got a good dark fruit aroma coupled with malty sweetness and recognizably Belgian yeast. Aromatic intensity is average. Doesn't seem boozy. I find no off-notes.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Belgian yeast. Rich malty sweetness...biscuit malt, bready malts, brown malts, gooey amber malt. Dark fruits (raisin, prune, dates).

It's a bit imbalanced...I find it too sweet.

Smooth, wet, well-carbonated, medium to heavy bodied, thick, a biteen syrupy. Gooey. Unrefreshing (like most every beer in the style).

OVERALL: A decent imitation of Belgian brewed dubbel style beers, but far from exceptional. Lacks the depth of flavour and delicate flourish the best expressions of the style boast. I'd sooner drink Ommegang or the like if confined to U.S. brewed dubbel style beers...this doesn't hold a candle to something like Rochefort 8.But it's better than I expected given it's from Alabama and the price is reasonable especially considering its high ABV.

C / AVERAGE
Jul 03, 2020
 
Rated: 3.69 by Curt3 from Ohio

Jun 30, 2020
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.67/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 oz can, canned 12/6/19, into Odell snifter.

Pours a lovely light caramel color forming a darker caramel-toffee color in the snifter with some pleasant glow. Head is big and fluffy like it should be, 2 fingers, recedes to 1 at a slow pace and sticks around quite awhile. Lots of lace left on the sides, nearly destroying the glass. Great appearance.

Aroma brings floral notes, white pedal notes, notes of caramel, and hints of old dark fruit. Some hay/straw as well.

Flavor brings A-B-C bubble gum up front, followed by some underlying phantom toffee notes, some nutty caramel malt, slight onion, and then some heavy handed floral and (to a lesser extent) herbal hop. Cinnamon, honey sweetness, and old wood also linger around.

Feel is crisp, carbonated, a little juicy dare I say, and wet. Alcohol is well hidden which is not a requirement here and I personally would welcome more, but it tingles on the tongue a bit along with the sizzle of the carbonation. Drying finish, some resins clinging along.

Overall, not gonna be a re-visit for me personally, but a balanced Dubbel nonetheless.

Price paid : $1.89 / can
Would buy again : no
Jun 07, 2020
Photo of El-Heffe
Reviewed by El-Heffe from Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Found at local Walmart for 9.95 six pack.
Served cold in British Pint glass. Excellent head, nice lacing on glass, pale caramel and ruby.
I taste of flowers and honey, but not overwhelming like some true Belgian ales.
Overall Malty goodness somewhat like a a german Marzen, but less "coppery" maybe because its so brewed locally. Very fresh beer and very smooth for an 8% abv. I will drink a couple at least!
Apr 02, 2020
Photo of KTCamm
Reviewed by KTCamm from New Jersey

3.61/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
8/5/19...pours medium dark brown with light foam on top. Light brown sugar malty nose. Cherry cinnamon flavor. light sweetness balanced by a yeasty bitter. Almost tinges on astringency but doesn't quite get there.
Mar 28, 2020
Photo of MNAle
Reviewed by MNAle from Minnesota

3.92/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Aroma is dark fruit, raisins, plums, spices, alcohol.

Look is deep, deep amber tending toward brown, looking hazy red-amber with a backlight, with a 1/2 inch creamy off-white head, receding fairly quickly to a thin head and ring. No lacing.

Taste mirrors the aroma, dark fruit, raisins, plums, figs, spices, dark bread. Quite nice. Mild initially, with slight bitterness in the middle and finish, which lingers into the aftertaste. The taste is slightly sweet.

Mouth feel is moderate-thin, if just a bit sticky.

Overall, this is an excellent American-made dubbel; smooth, rich and varied flavors, very enjoyable.
Oct 14, 2019
Photo of Profundobaso
Reviewed by Profundobaso from New York

4.01/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Look - poured into a small plastic cup (sorry!), fresh from the brewery. Generous two finger head and excellent retention, a sign the the beer has a lot of sugar. Beautiful copper color, transparent. A gorgeous beer.
Smell - distinct Belgian yeast, berries, and honey. Malts also apparent. Pleasantly sweet.
Taste - malt forward in flavor, and plenty of flavorful Belgian yeast that lingers in taste, with a nice sweet malty finish. A prime example of the style from start to finish.
Feel - medium bodied, average carbonation, and slightly heavy at 8% ABV.
Overall - this is an excellent Belgian Dubbel. It gets all of the flavors right without being overly sweet, and maintains a high ABV without it being too detectable. The beer really excels at what it does. People said Alabama doesn't have much in its craft beer scene, and this one is pretty damn good.
Oct 10, 2019
Brother Joseph's Belgian Dubbel from Straight To Ale
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 193 ratings