St. Clair
Two Water Brewing Co.

473 mL can from the brewery; dated Oct 17 2023 and served barely chilled.

Pours clear orange-amber, sporting an inch-thick cap of creamy, light tan-coloured head that fizzles off within a couple of minutes' time. A tight collar is left surrounding some filmy wisps on the surface; not a lot of lace initially, but there's some deposition later on. Muted aromas of bready malts and caramel, with hints of fig newton and raisin bran muffin; mostly malty, not a lot of yeast character.

The flavours are not bad, but they're lacking in depth. I'm getting bready, lightly toasted malts, caramel and candi sugar sweetness, backed by hints of dark fruit. Raisin & fig, with faint citrus peel, clove and thyme-like spiciness; very light yeastiness on the back end, with a mildly spicy, slightly toasty, weakly warming aftertaste that lasts for a moment or two after each sip. Medium-full in body, with assertive carbonation that remains crisp and lively right down to the last couple of sips. Smooth, soft, rather luxurious mouthfeel that suits this style well; also quite drinkable for a dubbel.

Final Grade: 3.49, a B-. I must commend Two Water for taking a stab at this tricky style, but the truth is that St. Clair Dubbel leaves a lot to be desired. The uninspiring aroma is my biggest complaint, but the flavour profile isn't all that much more interesting, either. On the plus side, the prickly, elegantly frothy mouthfeel is very close to what I want out of a 'lighter' Belgian dark ale - and as it turns out, that's just enough to bring this Belgian-style brew back from the brink of being branded very bland, indeed. Still worth a try if you're stopping by the brewpub, as it's undoubtedly one of their more exotic offerings to date.