Hello guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Grimbergen Double Ale produced by Brouwerij Alken-Maes Brewery located in Alken, Belgium.  I actually think that it is now a subsidiary of Heineken.

From the website, maes.be, we find this description. 

Double has undergone two fermentations, which gives this ale a chocolaty, toffee taste with a warming brandy-like finish.

Let’s give it a taste.

This brew has an ABV of 6.5% and it comes in an 11.2 oz. bottle.

It poured a brownish/ruby color.  It resembled that “oxblood” color that you sometimes find on guitar finishes.  The head was khaki in color with an awesome size.  It was soft, creamy, fluffy and billowy.  The retention time was excellent, the lacing looked great and it really hung on to the sides of the snifter for a long while.  It was an excellent looking beer I thought.

It presented decent wafts of dark fruits and clove.  Hints of raisins, figs and dates.  I found some yeast, but I actually thought that it had a very prevalent grainy aspect.  A bit more than I wanted actually.  A light touch of chocolate and caramel added a touch of sweetness.  Overall, I didn’t think this “Dubbel” was quite as rich or appealing as some others of this style.  I thought it was decent, but just a bit meek in comparison.

Within the taste, the dark fruits (raisins) and cloves seemed to push forward a bit more.  The chocolate and caramel seemed to be more noticeable too.  The yeasty/breadiness complimented the fruits and sweetness to the point that it created a very harmonious and even flavor.  However, I did find a bit more of that grain that I wasn’t very fond of.  All in all, it was a decent taste, but still not quite the best I’ve had along this vein.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  It was dry, kind of chewy and smooth.  The carbonation was good and a decent amount of flavor was left behind on the palate.

Well, I thought the Grimbergen Double Ale was an honorable and adequate “Dubbel”.  It had a lot of the proper characteristics, although it wasn’t overly complex or elaborate.  It was super easy to drink and I think it would be worth a try if you see it, however I doubt that I would go out of my way to obtain it.  It would probably be a great introductory beer for someone interested in trying this style.  If you’ve tried it, what did you think?  Leave me a comment and tell me all about it.

Thanks for reading everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.75 out of 5
Grade:  B