Abbey Normal
BJ's Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc.

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From:
BJ's Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc.
 
United States
Style:
Dubbel
ABV:
6.6%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.3 | pDev: 19.39%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
24
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 16, 2021
Added:
Apr 07, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  5
BJ's Abbey Normal is what the Belgian's call a Dubbel (or Double Ale), which is the most popular style of Abbey Ale. This historic beer style is traditionally brewed by Trappist Monks in Belgium. A full-bodied, light brown ale with a fruity flavor profile, the unique bouquet of fruit and spice comes from fermentation with an authentic Trappist yeast.
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Ratings by Mrose78:
Photo of Mrose78
Rated by Mrose78 from Arizona

2/5  rDev -39.4%

Apr 06, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

2.95/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
750ml corked bottled as part of BJ's beer club series. Brewed in Temple Terrace, TX. Beer opens with a decent pop even though it was a struggle to extract the cork once again. Pour is deep brown in color with a light cap of mocha foam. Bit of reddish highlights are difficult to ascertain as a lot is in suspension in a slightly murky glass.

Aroma is bright though thin perhaps. Some muddled dark malts blend fairly well with some yeast notes. Warming opens things up a bit to add some spice to the equation. Taste follows with light muddled malts, a bit thin for the style but somewhat expected at the modest ABV. Feel continues the trend, light in complexity and flavor yet fairly easy on the palate as a result. Overall a decent dubbel light but not a memorable one by any means.
Oct 16, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by 2beerdogs from California

Apr 29, 2015
Photo of Mdodge8837
Rated by Mdodge8837 from Minnesota

3.96/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Very tasty! Good smell and feel.
Mar 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.74 by Boone757 from Virginia

Feb 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.47 by IreRican from Arizona

Jan 31, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by stampfler07 from Colorado

Sep 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Todd61 from Texas

Aug 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

Aug 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Gagnonsux from Texas

Jul 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by J702 from Nevada

Jun 29, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by dertyd from California

Mar 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by dbarny76 from Oklahoma

Mar 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by zbooks from Texas

Mar 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Jame515 from Texas

Sep 27, 2013
Photo of FosterJM
Reviewed by FosterJM from California

2.59/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
1254th Review on BA
Bottle to Goblet
750ml C/C

Thanks to my buddy Ryan for this bottle.

App- A very wonderful looking beer. A ton of colors melding. Purples, browns, reds. A nice 2 finger light khaki head with some great cling.

Smell- Pretty standard offering of a dubbel. malty, dark fruits, yeasty, sugar. Just wasnt alot here, even after it warmed.

Taste- WTF!!! Something had to have gone wrong. Its like a dubbel, a kvass and a pile of pond water had a baby and put in this bottle. Not layers, just bad.

Mouth- Standard medium carbonation. A bit fizzy with a standard medium body. Soft residual dark fruits.

Drink- Not sure what happened with this one, but very glad I didnt buy one.
May 06, 2012
Photo of JamesS
Reviewed by JamesS from Indiana

4/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
At Greenwood, Indiana location... poured a very nice brown/burnished copper with excellent head and some decent lacing throughout. Nice deep malty scents with hints of sugar and a very deep spicy hoppiness. Nice flavors, with a great deep maltiness, slight roastiness, hints of sugars and cherries, and a peppery spicy ending. Goes down quite well, nice and thick, and just slightly warm.
Apr 06, 2012
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
"Abbey who?" "Abbey....Normal." Every time I see that used, my mind jumps to Young Frankenstein. Served on-tap at the Laguna Beach locale, on to the beer:

Brownish red in color, topped off by a reasonably fair sized head and several strings of lace. The nose has reasonable balance, giving off some banana, clove, and spice aromas. It is a little spicy, but not TOO spicy.

A little more complex is the taste. Sometimes a beer may taste good at first then become too much after that, but in Abbey Normal, the overall flavor doesn't commit that sin. Flavors of banana, touch of clove, apple, and cinnamon hit. The alcohol isn't over the top, and there is just enough balance to where this isn't a mess of booze or too much yeast character (see BJ's Grand Cru). It's medium full in body, and a adequately drinkable.

Often enough, an American brewed strong Belgian style can be a mess. I anticipated a mess (remembering the BJ's Grand Cru as another strong Belgian style), so rating the Abbey Normal as a 3.5 is a bit of a victory for the BJ's crew. Still, I probably wouldn't order it much, given what's already pouring at BJ's.
Mar 28, 2012
 
Rated: 1.75 by canders0927 from Texas

Mar 21, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by creez from California

Mar 20, 2012
Abbey Normal from BJ's Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc.
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 24 ratings