Category Archives: Corsendonk

Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Corsendonk Pater Dubbel Ale produced by the Brouwerij Corsendonk located in Oud-Turnhout, Belgium.

Let’s go ahead and jump to the website, corsendonk.com, and see what kind of info we can drum up about this particular brew.

Corsendonk Pater is brewed with roasted malt, hence its deep, dark, reddish brown colour.

It is a mellow, dark, top-fermented beer, refermented and matured in the bottle to obtain a lively, bubbly beer with a rich head. 

That sounds good enough.  Let’s pour.

This beverage came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 6.5%.

It poured a deep brown color with some deep ruby highlights showing when held toward the light.  The cap was tan and smooth, however just a touch fizzy.  It was sized well and the retention time was solid.  The lacing was alright, yet it did seem to fall back into the liquid fairly quickly.

The nose was a bit subdued, although I was able to pick up some notes of dark breads and dark fruits.  The fruits were along the lines of raisin and plum.  A touch of chocolate and caramel added some sweetness and a light waft of clove and yeast added some more complexity.  It didn’t smell all that roasty to me to be honest.  It was balanced well, but like I mentioned, just a bit relaxed for what I had anticipated.

The taste seemed to put forth a bit more of the chocolate than the aroma did.  A solid dose of yeast was to be had as well.  The dark fruits were accounted for again.  The breadiness fit right in line.  Mostly like wheat bread I thought.  I got a nice little nutty savor also.  I didn’t really find a whole heap of any of the clove or spiciness.  Oh well, it still had a very pleasant taste.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium/thin bodied.  Very smooth and slick, however just a wee bit watery.  The carbonation was good and a sturdy dose of flavor was left behind on the palate for me to ponder between sips.

Overall, I found the Corsendonk Pater Dubbel Ale to be a fairly authentic and genuine Dubbel Ale.  It might not have been quite as intricate or boisterous as some of the others of this style can be, yet it was still very good.  The drinkability was outstanding. I think that I could put several of these down during a sitting.  In my mind it would be a great beer for the Fall season.  I would not have a bit of a problem with picking it up at that time of year.  Actually, I don’t think that I would ever turn it down if it were offered by a friend.  Have you guys ever tried this beer?  If not, pick up a bottle and give it a test drive sometime.  I think you may find it to be worth the time to sample a bottle.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.8 out of 5
Grade:  B+

Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be drinking the Corsendonk Agnus Tripel Ale produced by the Brouwerij Corsendonk located in Oud-Turnhout, Belgium.

I had the Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale some time ago, but other than that I haven’t tried anything else from them.

From the website, corsendonk.com, we find this bit of information regarding the Agnus.

Corsendonk Agnus is brewed with pale malt, hence its gold blonde colour.

It is a full-bodied, blonde, top-fermented beer, refermented and matured in the bottle to obtain a lively, bubbly beer with a herbal bouquet and hoppy aftertaste.  

Sounds good enough to me.  Let’s drink.

   
This brew comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 7.5%.

It poured a hazy, lemony/yellow color with a huge, soapy, sudsy, soft, bright white head.  The retention time was excellent and quite a bit of foam was left on the sides of the chalice.  I could see a few bubbles rising from the bottom and I could also see a small amount of sediment floating about as well. 

The smell released hints of apple and lemon citrus.  Tones of lemon grass combined with a solid bready/yeasty component.  Spices of both coriander and pepper as well as a significant floral aroma.  Just the slightest touch of sourness on the nose.  This beer smelled pretty good in my opinion. 

The taste let loose more of the lemon citrus and tart green apples.  A little bit of sourness was had at the very beginning, but it quickly went away.  A welcomed peppery bite meshed well with the grassy/earthy hops while the yeasty aspects helped to “round off” the entire flavor.  The bitterness was not overwhelming at all.  Mostly it just gave a slight tickle. 

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Rather smooth and dry.  Clean, crisp, snappy and refreshing.  The carbonation was very lively.  Just the slightest bit of warmth was felt at the back end from both the alcohol and the peppery spice.  An honorable amount of flavor was left behind on the palate too.

Well, I liked this beer pretty well.  I found it to be well representative of the style.  It looked nice, smelled nice and tasted nice.  What else does a person need for an excellent drinking experience?  The drinkability was good and I believe it could be enjoyed at most anytime of year, however the Spring and Summer would be the most ideal in my opinion.  I would definitely like to have another bottle of this sometime that’s for sure.  Have you guys ever tried the Corsendonk Agnus Tripel Ale?  What did you think of it?  Did you like it?  Be sure to let me know with a comment.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.05 out of 5
Grade:  A- 

For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale produced by the Brouwerij Corsendonk located in Oud-Turnhout, Belgium.

I don’t know much about this brew or this brewery and the corsendonk.com website was down at the time I was writing this review, so I looked on ratebeer.com for a commercial description. 

Has a very distinctive bouquet: yeasty, fruity and slightly smoky. In palate, it has notes of port, raisins and black chocolate. 

Sounds good.  Let’s pour.

This particular beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 7.5%.

The brew poured a very dark brown to dark burgundy color with some deep ruby highlights showing through the middle and around the edges when held towards the light.  The head was tan in color, soapy and rocky in texture.  It was of a tremendous size that held great retention.  When swirled the head became a touch more creamy and smooth.  The lacing wasn’t bad as it became patchy and prevalent as the beer worked its way down the glass.

The nose revealed some definitive dark fruits.  Raisins, plums and grapes.  A nice dose of yeasty goodness mixed with some light spices of cloves held true to the Abbey Dubbel style.  Very diminutive whiffs of chocolate were accounted for, however they never became a dominant player in the aroma.  No real compelling hints of smoke were found either.  Overall, I found the bouquet to be quite nice and balanced, although I didn’t think that it was very potent or forthcoming.

The taste revealed more grapes, grape skins and plums.  Fairly sweet in that regard.  Nice strokes of bread and yeast pulled some of the sugary aspects off the taste.  The chocolate was, once again, minimal, but I did begin to find a slight nuttiness that seemed to fit the style well.  The spiciness sat right in the middle and towards the end of the drink I began to notice some sort of metallic taste.  It never became off putting or distracting, yet it was noticed.

The mouthfeel was medium, crisp, smooth and dry.  It wasn’t as chewy as I was expecting and it left only an average amount of flavor on the palate.  A nice, soothing and comfortable alcohol warmth was left right at the back of the throat though.  As I continued to drink this brew, it seemed to become a little bit thin on the overall feel. 

In general, the Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale seemed to be a pretty good brew.  It’s not “world class”, but good none the less.  It was quite easy to drink and I had no trouble finishing this entire bottle.  The appearance, aroma and taste were fitting for the style and I found plenty to enjoy as I sipped on this brew.  It just wasn’t quite as compelling as other Belgian Abbey Dubbels that I have tried are.  With that being said, I would recommend giving it a go if you see it in your bottle shop.  Feel free to let me know what you thought of it also.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  It’s greatly appreciated.

Until next time.

Cheers.

Score:  3.75 out of 5
Grade:  B