REVIEW 107: GRIMBERGEN DUBBEL

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Belgium

BREWERY:  Brouwerij Alken-Maes

STYLE:  Dubbel

ABV:  6.5%

PURCHASE:  Draft (10-oz.), $6.50

SERVING:  Chalice. Almost no head from the tap on the first serving; Round 2 yielded about half an inch. Just-okay retention.

APPEARANCE:  Reddish-walnut color that is mostly opaque and somewhat translucent. Cream-beige head. Faint, uneven lacing around the glass. No real visible bubbling action.

BOUQUET:  Malty, but fresh apple skins are actually more pronounced. Dark fruits, caramel, and bakery-type essences (e.g. nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar) round things out.

PALATE:  Moderate carbonation in a slightly heavy body. Malt and pitted fruit notes characterize the front end, becoming roastier toward the finish. Back end features more fig and dark fruit, finishing with subtle jabs of caramel, hop bitterness and yeast. Rich and sweet, but tempered, aftertaste that hosts a lingering caramel-apple note.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Sometimes it seems the Belgian abbeys can do no wrong when it comes to dubbels. 

I will say that this doesn't quite have the expertly rounded depth of world-class trappist dubbels like St. Bernardus and Westmalle. But it's close. And with that, my little droogs, Crockett's search for a mediocre--or even a merely average--abbey dubbel remains fruitless.




GRADE:  A-

Bonus points if you see the connection.