There are certain beer style associations we make. Many are well known. When you say saison, I think Du Pont. When you say sour, I think Rodenbach. Stout=Guinness, IPA=Pliny, lambic=Cantillon, and so on. In this case, when I think of a dubbel, I think of Westmalle. Or possibly Rochefort 6 or Red label Chimay.  Despite their flavour complexity, they are very simple beers. Many are made with only Pils malts and moderate amounts of noble hops. This complexity is all about the caramelized sugar and Belgian yeast strain. I hate to sound like a fan boy or compare local beers to classic world styles, but the Induction was a close second to Westmalle.

Induction = 9/10


Aroma and taste are similar. Both are a whirling mix of light pepper, dark fruits, tobacco smoke, raisonettes, bread and dried prunes. The aftertaste is a little slick, but dry. A phenolic tongue coating is rather pleasant and long lived.
True, this review is a little short, but one can go on and on and on about the flavours in a good Belgian yeast beer.
The label is also a nice homage and bears a striking resemblance to one of my heros, Gordon Freeman.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1
Value +1
Appearance +1 (nice label and reasonable description of what flavours are expected)

Glassware: Chalice

Food Pairings: Ham with a raisin syrup sauce and cloves. Maybe a rye bread and tempeh sandwich. Definitely with some aged Gouda or moderately sharp cheddar.

Cellar: Maybe. Many dubbels improve with age. No reason why this one would not. I might stick one of these in the cellar, they are reasonable priced.

I have been away for two weeks and there are so many local releases to review. Yes, I know: first world problems. So enough of my whining. The latest release by Driftwood is a locally malted dubbel abbey style ale. Local malt was produced by everyone's favourite Island maltster: Mike Doehnel. Abbey style ales were originally brewed in monasteries. "Dubbel" does not refer to double the strength of the single. Before widespread literacy, batches of beers were labeled with one, two or three crosses denoting their relative strength. Today dubbels are the dark, fruity abbey ales that hit an ABV of around 7%. When you pick up this bottle at your local CBAW store, you will most likely notice the slight premium price for an usual bomber release. I like this idea of supporting truly local products for a nominal premium; keep it up! Enough rambling commentary, how does it taste:


Clodhopper Dubbel (Driftwood) = 8/10

The nose is spot on with dark sugar and toffee aromas with no hop presence. Each sip is thick and warming, but not too much. Hints of chocolate, raisins and toast are layered upon a sherry like backbone. It had a lingering taste of salt water taffy. Hard to tell if that tongue tingling was the alcohol or hops. Either way I liked it. This one might be worth cellaring; hopefully some of that warmth might mellow out. Well done.

Glassware: chalice or goblet. The wide top helps to dissipate aroma and allows space for large head common for this style. In this case I used the Leffe abbey glass.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 7% ABV
Value +1
Appearance +1 (nice art and reasonable description of flavour)

Brunehaut Abbaye de Saint-Martin Brune

Ratebeer 3.45 85th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +4

This is going to be good, my nose tells me so. Aromas of toffee malt, raisins, prunes and cinnamon effortlessly fly up into my nose. A mildly tart sip is nothing to be frightened of, but the big dark malts, prunes and raisins may challenge to palate. It feels almost oily and slippery in the mouth, yet there is some effervescence. No noticeable hops because this brew is heavy into the malts. Currently I am reading a copy of a special edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The article is discussing the flavour sensation of umami. Which is best described as meaty or savory; not a big flavour in vegetarian cooking. Anyways, this beer is very umami, rich and satisfying.

Aftertaste +2

It leaves a very juicy and full coating of rich prunes and raisins.

Alcohol Content +1 8%

Oddly you can't taste it.

Value +1

I love a beer that has a flavour profile that changes as it warms up.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I just sat in bed and nerded out while drinking good beer.

Overall 9/10

This is one big, rich and malty beer. Drink it if you can get it.

Petrus Dubbel Bruin
Bornem Dubbel Double

Bornem Dubbel
Dubbel Abbey style

Ratebeer 3.32 76th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +2

It is rather light tasting for a Belgian, but then it is only a double. The head is huge, long lasting and disperses a slightly acidic nose of digested fruits. The taste is rather subdued only the slightest of plum, raisins and sour cherry flavours peek though the malty fog.

Aftertaste +1

The lingering is rather short-lived but slightly sweet in a balsamic vinegary way.

Alcohol Content +1 8%

Oddly you can't really pick it out.

Value 0

There are better Belgians out there.

Ingame Enhancement 0

After downloading some old-school Bandai games like Ms Pac-man and Galaxian, I realized that I was using the most powerful gaming system to play 8-bit video game from the 80's.
Overall 4/10

This beer was alright, but it just lacked the super flavours of an abbey style Belgian

Petrus Dubbel
Jolly Abbot
Surly Blonde Phillips

Petrus Dubbel Bruin

Ratebeer 3.42 81st percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +3

Like a shot your mouth is hit was a heavy sweetness, mixed with an alcohol burn. Full mouth for sure, rather like an alcoholic cherry syrup. Nose is not surprisingly malt vinegar and faint caramel/toffee. A little bit of plum and spice is added for good measure
Aftertaste +1

Once the burn is gone, the brew reveals a sweet caramel and cherry.

Alcohol Content +1 6.5%

Yup its there alright.

Value +1

It was a nice bold taste I would get again. You can pick one up for $3.50 at BCLS.

Ingame Enhancement 0

L4d survivor is just like sex. Why can't I last for more than 2 minutes?

Overall 6/10

Gotta love those strong Belgian Doubles. This one had a less intense flavour than Duchesse de Bourgogne.
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