Abbey
New Belgium Brewing Company

 

Nov-4-2018

Tawny appearance with a large beige head that faded quickly and left spotty lacing. Yeasty aroma of dark fruit and light spiciness. Residual sweetness in the flavor as the caramel malts show up. Spicy notes found in the aroma are still there along with a hint of tobacco. Faint herbal hop presence in the aftertaste. Creamy, medium bodied mouthfeel and a long lasting finish. A great bargain.

12oz bottle. Scored/graded to STYLE, since I am not the hugest fan of Belgians, but still respect them.

A: Presentation on the bottle is neat and clean and inviting.

S: Belgian yeast and dark malt, sweetness. Hints of banana, spice, cocoa.

T: More of the same; hints of a chocolate character in the malty sweetness, impressions of some darker fruits like raisins. Banana and clove are discernible.

MF: Smooth as all get out and dangerous at 7%; darn near crushable.

O: A nice abbey ale, very approachable for the style. Not overly spicy, funky, or fruity. Nice balance.

One of my favorite beers..

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Nearly clear dark mahogany pour. 2 fingers of foamy white head. Great lacing... nice looking beer.

S: Caramel and malts. Not picking up a lot of yeast.... a bit of dark fruit, but mostly sweet grains and old toffee.

T.F: Just like it smells. Caramel and toasted grains. Faint fruit... maybe a bit of raisin, but mostly the malt character. Medium bodied... sticky on the tongue. Some earthy hops for balance.

O: A below average Dubbel, and doesn't hold a candle to a real Belgian. Still... not bad and easy drinking.

 

 

 

Clear amber. White head. Good retention with streaky lacing.

Nose of sweet red apple and Maraschino cherry, banana bread, clove, and hay.

Following taste of caramel, brown bread, cherry, red apple, banana, hay, and clove. Sweet but dry and spicy on the finish.

Medium mouthfeel, well carbonated but not as effervescent as authentic Belgians. A residual sticky sweetness coats the palate.

A solid American dubbel. It's pretty obvious it's not quite on par with an actual Belgian dubbel but it is a serviceable and tasty beer.

 

(12 oz bottle-conditioned bottle, code 98/26 06OCT19 etc; purchased single off shelf... poured into far tulip)

L: ruby-colored liquid, bit of suspended sediment; dense, creamy, silky, off-white foam; bit of crystalline lace, not much

S: port, prune, moderately floral; subtle chewy jelly candy thread up the middle... anticipating rich, juicy-sweet malt, but with a cut dryness; not much booziness... sedate overall; floral aromatics dominant

T: raisin, blackberry jelly, but mellow sweetness; hint of singed wood, peppery herbal spice humming in aftertaste, as well as a mellow leather overtone... bit more malt and nutty wood in the second sip, maybe also a distant hint of dark chocolate (malt), later building in the finish... excellent overall expression; for its age, dry but not too much so

F: light-medium body, expansive reach via gassy carbonation; moderately dry finish, firm spicy warmth, delicate residual viscous drag (spice singes off its end)... smooth, oily, dry and spicy - heavenly

O: lovely malty depth found in few import Belgian examples (Chimay?); overall character perhaps most similar to Ommegang Abbey?... bro and I first had this end of summer, sharing a swill from bottle - was good enough to warrant grabbing another... not disappointed - one of the better domestic takes; would do a sixer (1575)