Elegant 8
Strangebird Beer

This one pours clear and shiny bright copper before yeast sediment turns it dull and cloudy. The head is thin, creamy almond, and holds for about a minute before forming a thick ring. A curtain of lace draws down on the Antiek goblet before breaking up to form fine Belgian lace.

The aroma opens with sweet cherries soaked in malt. Fresh plums come out later, as do dried cherries and light cloves.

It has a mild sweetness in equal proportion to the bitterness. The flavor is more malt than fruit. Cherries are secondary to plums. It has a lightly toasted malt that comes out with warmth, as does mild spice. Cloves come out in the finish, and this beer clearly improves at approaches room temperature.

The texture is similar to smooth, stiff nylon. It has a medium to full body and alcohol as expected. Lively carbonation is prickly. It has a metallic feel, with light astringency.

This is an enjoyable Dubbel which I enjoyed on a hot, dry summer afternoon. Paired with a Saki-washed sheep's milk brie and herbal salami. The brie and salami work together, bringing out bitterness from the beer. The nutty earthiness of the brie brings the malt forward, while neutralizing the sweetness. The salami overpowered the beer.

Pours a nice mahogany with a light brown head.

Sour wild yeast, musty earth, roasted nuts, and dark fruit- raisin, plum.

Raspberry, plum, sour yeast, whole grain bread and dry nutty/earthy finish.

On tap at Strangebird Brewery in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a dark-ish golden brown, with a small white, and lots of lacing.

This smells like caramel, dark fruit, clove, leafy spice, honey, and chocolate.

This is definitely one of the better American-made dubbels I’ve had – with a nice silky malt character, lightly sweet and very toasty, with a restrained yeast note – slightly floral and slightly spicy.

This is medium bodied, creamy, and quite drinkable.

I’ve always wanted American breweries to do more Trappist-style stuff, so I’m glad Strangebird is tackling it locally.