Allagash Dubbel.

• Appearance: Reddish clay mud but clear. Fine, fluffy head.
• Smell: Fruity, apricot, slightly yeasty.
• Taste: Slightly spicy, not particularly sweet, a little too mild.
• Mouthfeel: Malty solution, moderate carb.
• Drinkability and Overall: Not particularly impressed, unfortunately.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Brother David's Double.

Picked up Anderson Valley's rendition of a dubbel the other day. I'm starting to feel some revival of my interest in Belgian beers after that Arend Tripel. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed them. Head died off immediately while I was fiddling with my camera, so that's a bad sign. Smell is pleasant but not quite on style. Taste is pleasant but not quite on style. Mouthfeel is pleasant but not quite on style. This is a weird beer. It's definitely an "abbey -style ale" with some emphasis on the "-style". It's pretty malty with some fruity notes but it's just not all there. At the end of the day, it's not a bad beer and is easy-drinking. It's like a batter in the box, full count after a couple swings and misses, and then getting beaned. I don't know what that means.

• Appearance: Clear, deep red-brown. No head retention.
• Smell: Lots of rich raisin but lacking some essential character.
• Taste: Strong esters, bordering on some heat. Malty, raisin-y, maybe some cherry on the finish. Not much spice presence.
• Mouthfeel: Carb is a little on the low side but the resulting smoothness is not unpleasant.
• Drinkability and Overall: 9%ABV so it's dubbel strength, but nothing else is quite on target. In spite of that, it's a decent beer as far as beers go.

Also, I finally got a new camera, so that's great. My hand was a little forced because I was starting to notice the sensor defect on my Casio Exilim P&S (which I had bought to replace my older, and apparently high grade Exilim, whose shutter stopped working) more and more. Scored a sweet deal on a Pentax K100D, and the picture quality is so much better. It's amazing what a little DoF control can do for a viewing experience. Not playing with any editing yet but I'll take some time to do at least some cropping eventually.

Rogue Creek Ale.

Are you kidding me? BA claims this is a dubbel. From the name and taste, I would figure this more like a kriek/lambic. Muddy brown color, superfine head disappears into a ring around the glass. Mild fruit (cherry) flavor that mostly turns sour towards the end. Really disappointing. Maybe after a few years?

St. Bernardus Prior 8.

Pours dark, nearly opaque, caramel color. Luxurious head but small, not fine, bubbles. Taste is less malty and more creme brulee but without so much sweetness, maybe golden raisin. Less carb that I would expect. I might reckon that I prefer the Pater 6 to this. Read on BA that some dude got this in a mixed 4-pack that came with a chalice. I want the chalice.

St. Bernardus Pater 6.

Been a while since I've had a dubbel. Pretty tasty, not as malty as some other dubbels I've had. Banana, raisin, dry. Good carbonation and relatively light mouthfeel overall. Very drinkable.

Goose Island Pere Jacques.

Oddly, this bottle wasn't as good as the first. Not too sweet and malty, but lacking a bit of carbonation, making it a bit heavy. I thought I would have a bit more to say.

New Belguim Abbey.

Look. I highly doubted anything not coming out of Belgium and calling itself Belgian-styled was going to leave an impression on me. And I was correct. But as long as you go into something with lowered expectations, you can't be too disappointed, I suppose.

Looks like an abbey. Kind of smells like an abbey. But they really mean it when they say, "...brewed in the style of a Belgian 'Double'..." Style. Of. Not "is". Nothing much to report other than a watered-down abbey knockoff with hints of apple.

St. Sebastiaan Dark.

Look. I don't know what was up with this. Or if this is just the way it's supposed to be. But it was super flat. Like drinking Coke that had been left opened in the fridge for a week. But I did get this sweet jug. It's going to be my surreptitious liquor jug. Juggy.

Ommegang Abbey Ale.

This is actually brewed in New York. As a dubbel, it's incredibly bitter. Toasty, nice carbonation, but I find it a little lacking in the flavor department compared to the Maredsous brews. Hm, meh.

I do like it, but it seems I keep thinking about Brother Thelonious. I would like to find something a bit sweeter than what I've been getting.

Maredsous Dubbel.

One of the beers I picked up at the greatest beer store ever at like $4 a pop.

So. Belgian abbey ale, huh? It's very carbonated, kind of reminds me Coke, actually. It has a rich caramel color and taste, very fizzy and sweet but not overpoweringly so or syrupy.

It's actually rather thin in the mouth compared to some other Belgian-style abbey ales I've had. ...I'm not going to say I'm disappointed. It's just not what I expected.

Brother Thelonious.

I had this sort of on a whim (but also on a hankering for a Belgian-style ale) at a restaurant in B-N, IL because it came in a goblet (which was actually just a wine glass). And it was one of the best beers I've ever had.

It has a warm, comforting scent that, oddly, made me think of cinnamon and sweet potatoes. And the color is an absolutely beautiful rusty amber. Even served cold, the body and density makes you feel rather warm inside. I only say warm because it's a hard call between "warm" and "satisfied". The taste is full-bodied and velvety; the mouthfeel is perfect. Fat Tire will never cut it ever again.

I also saw a 4-pack of Young's Double Chocolate Stout cans. They were purple and orange, I think. Fuck. That. Shit.

Full Moon.

A seasonal brew from Blue Moon (Coors, lulz). Not bad. But not that impressive either.

Actually. It tasted worse than Blue Moon.