Saturday, September 3, 2011

Westmalle Trappist Dubbel

The last of my current batch of Belgian Trappiste beers. It comes in a 330mL brown bottle with 7% alcohol/vol. The label is not flashy, and has no english on it at all. Good thing I can read french. :) It says that it is made of all natural ingredients (which makes sense, since water, malted barley, hops, and yeast are all natural). It was also bottle conditioned, so there is still some yeast and sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Upon opening, a fine mist arose from the bottle. It has a slight malt and fruity aroma. It poured a deep copper colour, with a thin foamy head. There was a strong fruity aroma, slightly malty, and no detectable hops.

The first sip was radically different from any of the other Belgian Trappiste ales. It had the same fruity taste, but the amount of bitterness and aftertaste departed substantially. This beer had a strong aftertaste but it didn't detract from the flavour. There was a noticeable warmth from the alcohol. The beer was highly carbonated, but didn't leave a sharp feel in the mouth. In a small way, the amount of carbonation was a bit distracting from the flavour. I enjoyed this beer a lot, but am not sure if I would actively pursue it again. I think Chimay Rouge and Orval were much better.

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