Sprecher Brewery is releasing their Belgian Style Dubbel this Saturday for their 25th Anniversary party and I was lucky enough to get a pre-release bottle of their Belgian Style Dubbel today and if this beer isn’t reason enough to head over their with me Saturday, I don’t know what is. Posted below is my review and event information:
A- / 4.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4
16 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip. 6.50% ABV, 10168 on the neck (June 16th, 2010). Interesting because when I picked it up today I was told it was bottled just today. Either way it’s as fresh as humanly possible.
Appearance – The tall pour froths up a one-and-one-half finger dense light khaki-colored head. The beer is a beautiful clear mahogany red-brown with sharp red-orange highlights in the light. The head isn’t retained all too well as it sinks to a creamy pile leaving lackluster spots of lace on the glass for a Belgian style.
Smell – Dark Belgian candi sugar pairs well with the up-front toasted malts. Deep, dark fruit esters from the Belgian yeast play a pivotal role despite being in the background. Complex notes of cherries, fig, and prune add a layer of dimension to the hearty, biscuity, caramel malt nose. Serious hop-heads won’t find much of their favored aroma in this dubbel but it absolutely hits the mark on the style.
Taste – Round, deeply toasted malts push right to the forefront of the flavor profile hitting fast with a smooth, dense breadiness and sweet caramel cube flavor. Belgian yeast and candi sugar aren’t messing around either as they follow up the maltiness swiftly. Dark fruit esters still add a fantastic cherry, fig, and prune complexity while the alcohol becomes very slightly noticeable on the back end. The nuances grow nicely as it warms while toffee pokes out through the finish.
Moutfeel – Very smooth and robust, this dubbel really hits the mark here where most fall flat. A medium level of carbonation allows this beer to go down smoothly. A very light warming sensation finishes up the sweet, malty dubbel.
Drinkability – Sprecher’s 25th Anniversary dubbel nails the style that seems hard to pin down by some smaller American craft breweries. With a fantastic mouthfeel and comparable taste and aroma to boot, it’s a dubbel worth the extra money and definitely worth cellaring to see how it ages. I presume it’ll change gracefully to something possibly even better than it is fresh. Nice work Sprecher!
Come on out Saturday June 19th from 6-10 P.M. to try the awesome new Sprecher beer and hang out with Randy Sprecher. There is no cover charge and if you attended the Firkin Fest last weekend and retained your ticket stub it will get you a free beer!
