It’s a Trappist
Westmalle Trappist Dubbel
4.28/5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Since I don’t own a Westmalle glass, I’ve poured my cellar temperature 33cl bottle into a Chimay chalice.
The beer is nearly opaque. It has a brown color with ruby highlights. A decent amount of pinkish tan foam rests on top. Swirling the beer leaves a good amount lacing.
Smelling the beer reveals Belgian candi sugar and some dark fruits, like plum and fig. The Trappist yeast provides some spiciness, but it is mild.
Dark, complex malts characterize this beer. It’s earthy, nutty and like the aroma has some flavors of plum and fig. This bottle is labeled best by 27.05.12, so it’s close to two years old and I believe it may have become slightly oxidized. It is still quite tasty though.
The beer leaves behind decent coating that is very flavorful. Carbonation levels are average and it has a full body. My lips feel ever so slightly sticky.
I really like this beer a lot. It’s a fine example of a true Belgian Abbey dubbel. If you’ve never had this beer, you are missing out!
