I’ve drunk this beer a lot over the years, but I don’t think that I have really appreciated what a beautiful color it is before today. A magnificent, chestnut brown richness, with a great head that gives decent lace and some good retention. Pretty color.

Nose offers some good rich malts, and it promises an almost brown ale experience.

The initial tastes are definitely a little more hoppy than the nose might suggest. There is some lingering bitterness around the edges that almost feels “American-like”! Weird I know.

Well-carbonated, the warmer beer gives a lovely, rich, malty Dubbel character up front that is sweeter, which then breaks on the back-end of the palate into something drier and hoppier. It’s a lovely combination that showcases several different aspects of the beer. This is a more complex beer than many give it credit for, and it’s definitely one to savor in my book. Some sweetish wood character and a little plummy/fig fruit mixed in too.

Dubbels are long way from my favorite style, but this one hits differently. It’s rich, complicated and delivers both in terms of style and complexity. Personally, I think it is underrated by many.