August 11, 2005 - #33 of 365

Brewer: Stoudts Brewing Company (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beer: Abbey Double
Style: Abbey Dubbel
abv: 7%

Background: 765 mL bottle from the store. 2003. They stopped making this stuff but we were lucky enough to get a couple cases from the back of the distributor’s warehouse.

Appearance: Red-brown with a one-finger head. Color is lighter than the Westmalle and the head is smaller.

Aroma: Plum, grape (and their dried counterparts prune and raisin), chocolate, candi sugar, slight leathery/earthy notes. The second glass smells like cola. One of the best aromas I’ve run across in a while.

Flavor: The fruits come across more noticeably in the flavor, along with the usual spicy Belgian yeast notes. Big leathery/smooth alcohol taste under the tongue. Earthy, cola-like, and slightly vinegary flavors take over as it warms, backed by the alcohol. An excellent example of alcohol as an integral part of the flavor profile. Finish could stand to be drier.

Notes: Very easy-drinking--almost, however, to the point of being too thin. Good chilled, but excellent at room temperature.

Rating: 4 out of 5