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Category Archives: Grimbergen

Review of Grimbergen Double Ale

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

Review of Grimbergen Blonde Ale

09 Aug

For today’s drinking pleasure I’m going to be sipping on a Grimbergen Blonde Ale from the Brouwerij Alken-Maes Brewery located in Alken, Belgium.

Let’s get right to the commercial description from the website, maes.be.

Ochre coloured top fermented Abbey Beer with an ABV of 6.7%. The use of Gatinais barley combined with carefully selected hops creates a perfectly balanced, relatively light tasting beer with a fruity malty taste.

Let’s get it in the glass.

This brew came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and had an ABV of 6.7%.

After the pour the beer appeared a very clear, golden/honey color with a very thick, full, white head. It was soft, fluffy and soapy. It had nice retention, however the lacing was a tad spotty. The cap settle to a nice film on top that remained for the duration of the drink.

The aroma brought forth nice, sweet hints of lemon zest. Spices of coriander and pepper along with some welcomed yeasty tones. After the initial whiff, I started to obtain a slightly sour scent that was not overpowering or distracting. Rather it sat right in the middle to complement the main fragrances of the sweetness and spiciness. As the brew warmed considerably I started to recognize some herbal “hoppiness.” Not bad in the nose I didn’t think.

The taste had a medium strength lemon sweetness with stronger aspects of spicy pepper and coriander. I got further sweetness from a taste of honeysuckle. Definitive yeasty and bready undertones complimented the sweetness very well. Only a minuscule amount of sourness or bitterness was obtained. The spice started to relax quite a bit as the brew developed. Overall, I thought the taste was pretty good and balanced fairly well too.

The mouthfeel was medium, dry, crisp, smooth, refreshing and thirst quenching. It left a better than average amount of flavor behind on the palate.

We have a decent little beer here. In my opinion, it’s better than most Blondes that I have tried. A great beer for Spring and Summer. Very easy drinking and not too filling or heavy on the stomach. It’s nearly sessionable even at 6.7%. I think that it’s worth a try if you see it. I know I would have no problem drinking it again if it were offered.

Thanks for reading and commenting guys. I hope you know how much I appreciate it. I hope the blog has remained interesting for you and that it still gives you a bit of enjoyment.

Cheers.

Score: 3.8 out of 5

Grade: B+