Val-Dieu Brune | Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In the Maredsous school of Belgian beer, this is a nice go to Belgian that is not outstanding but will more than suffice.
Claims mocha (not really there) and a tad sweet, this will still leave you satisfied, but just know that there is even better out there.

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3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

4.09/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Intense dark brown color with orange gold highlights. Light tan cap and lacing.

Strong aroma of dark ripe figs and molasses accented with ripe dark cherries.

Wow, pretty complex and sophisticated flavors here. On entry the flavors present all together yet there is a high solo voice of Dry Oloroso Sherry richness that hints at but doesn't achieve sweetness. It's as if someone swirled caramel and honey in a bowl, poured it out then filled the bowl with the ripe fruits mention above. Finish brings dark barley notes of chocolate and unsweetened cocoa. I know, those two sound alike but they're not the same.

Full texture with balancing carbonation.

Another roasty, toasty hearty brown that does credit to Belgian brewing tradition.

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3/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

3.55/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Clear brown color with beige head. Aroma has mostly yeast esters with brown sugar and some sourdough. Taste starts sugary and yeasty, continues with some earthy notes and a light cardboard bitterness on the finish. Light body with a high carbonation, also quite dry on the finish. It tastes really authentic and "belgian" but it doesn't stand out with anything.

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4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.72/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

4.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Nice definite toffee and bready notes...not quite as sweet as St Bernardus, with a just a tinge more metallic aftertaste than St B's
Would enjoy again, but would let it flatten out a bit more in the glass and get rid of some of the effervescence .

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4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.29/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 750ml bottle into Chimay goblet.

L-Medium brown pour with a quarter inch of tan foam.

S-Copper metallic smell, yeast, brown bread, sweet malts, musty wood.

T-Brown bread, yeast, toasted grain, tart raisin.

F-Heavy carbonation, creamy mouth feel, not overly sweet.

A solid brown ale, refreshing and light for an 8% beer. Quite easy to imagine monks drinking this.

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3.84/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.21/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

3.93/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

3.94/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown amber colour (almost black actually) with a decent head of foam that stays very well. Smell of toffee and some roasted malt. The taste has toffee and roasted malt as well, together with licquorice, caramel and dark chocolate. There is also a strong (pilsener?) hop profile in the finish. I didn't note any fruit esters: this is more of a malt-hop-dubbel. It reminds me of some German doppelbocks actually. No complaints here though: a good dubbel, especially for those who like their beers a bit less sweet.

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4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.19/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.34/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I was given a few samples of beer from this brewery marketed in Spain as Maset. This one is Maset Rubia.

330ml bottle into 350ml beer glass.

Pours a hazy, medium brown with a small head. Lots of lacing.

Nose is big with malts, brown sugar, toffee. Nice.

Palate is big and malty with brown sugar, toffee, caramel and biscuit. Well balanced. Very nice.

Mouth feel is good - medium bodied and quite silky smooth.

Overall a very enjoyable beer. Big, malty and quite sweet.

Highly recommended.

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