Abbey dubbels are dark, malty ales that get their name from being twice as strong as regular beers – clocking in at 7 or 8%. The original dubbel was made by the Westmalle monastery and has a gentle mix of stewed fruits and spices with a heavy, creamy mouthfeel. The beer is generally found in bottles, however you should look out for Belgian bars that have it on tap. This seems to give the beer an extra vibrancy. Most of the Trappist beers stick to this formula with varying amounts of spice and yeast in the flavour. The Rochefort 8 and Westvleteren 8 add bitter coffee and liquorice flavours making a more intense brew.
On the secular side the Maredsous 8 plays up the fruitiness of the beer and is one of the finest dubbels around. Elsewhere the Dupont Moinette Brune has a caramel sweetness to it, the St Bernardus Grottenbier has a surprisingly heavy dash of coriander, Grimbergen Dubbel has a twist of orange and the Ciney Cuvée Brune has a port like edge. Dubbels will always deliver a dark fruitiness, but you may find a few surprises too.
You will also find dubbels in surprising places. In the South island of New Zealand there is a town founded by Scottish Presbyterians. In the winter of 2010 the local microbrewery produced a superb beer called Dubbel Happy that had an explosion of white chocolate, allspice, nuts and liquorice. It had incredible depth of flavour yet was balanced and easily drinkable. It was also produced as a limited run which the brewery has no plans to repeat, though they are trying out some other abbey style ales. You’ll find these one off brews all around the world – American brewers especially seem to have got the knack – and they are well worth taking a punt on.
Five to Try -
1. Westmalle Dubbel
2. Westvleteren 8
3. Moortgat Maredsous 8 Bruin
4. Rochefort 6
5. Dupont Moinette Brune
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