Dubbel
DESTIHL Brewery

December 17th, 2015 - Nothing sadder than the promise of a good Belgian Strong Ale, only to realize the beer falls far, far short. This brew looks like a Belgian Dubbel but has a staid smell, flat and reeking of stale cherry and oxidized fig. The body is too thin for what it's trying to do, and ends with a dull, nutty thud. The alcohol note is there but it's unstitched from the other flavors.

500 ml bottle into a chalice. Had 7/13/17.

Pours a dark ruby, semi opaque, with a one and a half inch foamy head with good retention and lots of foamy lacing. A really interesting aroma- cherries, plums, some red wine, malt, grapes, light chocolate, a little Belgian yeast. The taste also runs down a different track- malt, plums, chocolate, caramel, grapes, light wine and cherries, a little Belgian yeast. Smooth, dry, creamy, maybe a little bit of a lighter body than typical for the style, highly carbonated.

Not a totally traditional representation, but it mostly is. Very good aroma, the high carbonation isn’t helpful. But overall, I thought this was solid and interesting. Don’t understand the really low rating- as I type, it’s 3.32. Much better than that. The only real negative is the price point. Worth a try.

 

From the bottle in a snifter. In the world of dubbels this one pours a clear dark
mahogany with a nice head of off white foam that settles to a thick ring, light pool,
and subtle light lacing. Nose of brown sugars, raisins, heavy breaded malts like a
dopplebock, and subtle earthy notes. Flavors follow the nose with brown sugar touched
breaded malts that taste closer to the dopplebock style than the dubbel style with
raisin and grape notes that fade into the rear with an earthy overtone and light
mineral qualities. Decent mouth feel, warming from the booze and lightly carbonated
making me still think more of a dopplebock than a dubbel. Slick, lightly coating, and
a lightly fruity finish. Overall decent but missing some of the more complex components
of the style. Decent for the price, but solid overall.

Pours a crisp opaque maroon tinged brown color with a thick frothy tan head. Head dissipates leaving very minimal lacing and only a thin layer of foam on the top of the beer.

Smell has aromas of nuts, caramel malts, and some dark fruits. There is also an aroma of something that I'm having a hard time place, but its sort of like overly cooked broccoli, green beans and spinach. Very vegetal in nature. Strong metallic aroma as well is noted.

Taste is not as awful as the nose had me anticipating. Flavors of almonds, cocoa, caramel malts, Strong metallic flavor on the aftertaste is not good. There is a bitterness to the beer - not the pleasant hop bitterness - but rather a unpleasant bitterness. There is a bit of that vegetal character as you drink the beer that peaks through, but thankfully its not as pronounced as it is in the nose.

Feel was very mild carbonation - almost unnoticeable. Definitely under carbonated.

Overall, maybe this was just a bad batch - the reviews are kind of one or the other extreme - but either way, this one was not good at all. The only thing going for it was the look, everything after that is not good. Off flavors all around. Worst part? Its sold in a pint bottle and very pricey. At the going rate this beer is NOT worth buying.

 

Ruby color. Some light showing through. Rich and complex malty, yeasty and roasty aroma. Mild dark fruit sweetness. Toasted almonds. Earthy yeast flavors. Medium body. Low carbonation. Really good Belgian dubbel.

 

Destihl Dubbel has a thick, cream-colored head, a mostly clear, plum-brown appearance, some tight bubble streams, and practically no lacing left on the glass. The aroma is fruity and slightly spicy, and it's bold- you can detect it from a pretty good distance. With the taste, however, things begin to break down: I picked up some spiced bread, red onion, wild onion, radish, and turned, raw spinach. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and Dubbel finises dry and disgusting. I might just finish it, though.

RJT

i agree with the other reviewer here, as brief as they are there, its correct. a pretty classic representation of the style, with little deviation from what you might find in one of the belgian staples. murky reddish brown in color with a pretty nice head on it. maybe not quite as expansive and lasting as the best of the belgian ones, but it looks pretty good. the nose and taste are there too, grain driven, sweet like raisins and plums, with a little bit of alcohol coming though. molasses and graham cracker, bright belgian yeast without much of the spice side, and a dark cherry finish. some red wine elements, but no acidity at all. overall a satisfying if somewhat generic dubbel. well made, well designed, but without any attempt to make it unique. i am okay with that in ten dollar six packs of pale ale and amber ale, but in a style like this, in a single bottle at this price, i think i need a brewer to show me a little inspiration. by all counts this is a really solid dubbel, but for the price i think it leaves something to be desired. i can drink old world belgian examples for less money than this.

A truly classic representation of the style. Hits all the style notes for a Belgian Dubbel for me. If you want a Belgian classic that is American made, pick up this beer.