Cranberry Abbey
Town Hall Brewery

 

 

Clear, bright crimson coloring, slim head, while it lasts.

Aroma: The distinctive touch of Belgian yeast hits first, followed by the unique notes of special B malts. Dark fruits, rich malts, and, hey, here come the cranberries. And with them the sour notes. Little bit of sweet, more and more sour.

Now, to taste: Much complexity here, lots of flavors happening. Fruit stays on top and keeps an even balance. Dominates the dubbel flavors, but, otherwise, like I said, balance. Much, much, much, and terribly tasty. Mmmm, yah, I'm pretty happy with this one. Good balance, plenty of deliciousness.

On tap at the brewpub. Served in a Town Hall Chalice glass.

Appearance: Color is a deep brown amber with a hint of ruby. Moderate amount of bubbles and a big three finger off white head with decent retention. Leaves a lot of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A very fruity and yeasty aroma with good hints of cranberries and caramel. Upfront scent of sweet cranberries along with Belgian yeast. Hints of pepper, funk, and clove spice. Fruit scent of dried banana and pear. Toasted malts with hints of caramel, toffee, biscuit, and grains. Hints of candied sugar. Dark fruit undertones of grape, raisin, and plum. Aroma is a bit laid back for an Abbey but it is pretty good.

Taste: Like the smell previews, a fruit and yeast forward taste with notes of cranberries and caramel malt. Sweet taste of cranberry fruit upfront. Belgian yeast with notes of funk, pepper, and clove. Notes of dried banana, pear, and apple. Light taste of candied sugar. Toasted malt with notes of biscuit, caramel, toffee, straw, and grains. Dark fruit presence with notes of grape, plum, and raisin. A pretty nice fruity taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Creamy, juicy, and slightly slick. Pretty smooth.

Overall: A nice tasting fruit beer. Lighter than typical for the style but I think that was the point. Would go great with Thanksgiving cranberries without filling you up too much.