Beer - #305 - Iron Fist - Dubbel Fisted

Iron Fist Dubbel Fisted to start my Friday. WooHoo!  I make no secret for my like of Belgium Style beers.

Brewed by Iron Fist Brewing Company this one in the Style of a Abbey Dubbel and that's in the abbreviated place of Vista, California USA

This the Friday day jumbo 750ml, bottle of an  8.1%ABV beer,  of 243 calories a serve. 4.8 standard drinks in this, so best behave before barbecue time. Also this is bottle conditioned.

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When starting an uprising, two is always better than one. Or so I’ve been told. And after you try Dubbel Fisted, you’ll find out the reason for its namesake. While peering into a glass of the deep amber colored brew you’re holding in your drinking hand, you’ll realize that you probably want one in your open hand too. Rich chocolate, caramel, and plum notes are almost too tempting for words. So therefore a Belgian Style Dubbel with a California Twist.

A very sweet aroma on opening, but at the same time almost sour, and fruity sweet. Looks an absolute treat in the glass, but the thin head dissipates quickly.

Seems well carbonated and fizzes like sherbet on pouring. The aroma dissipates too, leaving a somewhat disappointing lack of something.

But it has a lovely rich body of taste when you're drinking. Initially this is quite sweet, and there are strong hints of fruits, and heavier caramel or chocolates.

This has many of the nice things that Dubbels have, but this does appear to have a couple of flaws. It might be too flat, the carbonation seems to be all excited itself away leaving a flattish tasting mouthfeel.

Then the sweetness might get you confused as it's all front predominant.

What you don't get is the astringent alcohol tang that you might otherwise expect, and the mustiness that you could be waiting for isn't there either.

This is bottle conditioned and I have no idea if I can put one in a cool place to sit and get better or different with age, I really do need to research that more .

The pdubyah-o-meter isn't all that and a bag of chips on this, it's a fairly solid beer that does nothing to put you off. So it's a better than good 7.5.

As it sits it just gets flatter which I'm not sure is desirable, and this is the worst of it. I'll perhaps not research about putting one aside for a rainy day later and just enjoy what I had as a pleasing and pleasant start to a weekend.

Thanks to the nice people at Liquorland in Forest Hill for having this on the shelf, it makes it easier for me to enjoy my weekend.

ABBEY DUBBEL

These are dark, malty, yeasty strong ales in the Trappist tradition, but produced (mainly) by secular brewers. Dubbels range between 6.5-8% abv, and have a dark brown, cloudy colour, and a palate mixing malt, a lush fruitiness, and yeast. They are typically bottle-conditioned.

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Beer - #258 - Tuatara - Dubbel

a Dubbel, from Tuatara, Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company in the style of an  Abbey Dubbel in the mystical Paraparaumu, New Zealand

A seasonal beer, so something a little special perhaps.  650ml of a 7.5% ABV beer, of 3.6 standard  drinks, and maybe around 25 IBU's which appears normal for this type and style. Also, and it's important, 225 calories.

Perhaps it’s time to discuss putting beer down. No we’re not insulting the object of our love and livelihood, we’re talking cellaring. With the different malts and house-made Belgian candy sugar, this classic Dubbel could benefit from 6 to 30 months of repose in a quiet, cool place. If you can bear the wait you’ll find the plum and raisin characters, the characteristic phenolics and the hints of dark chocolate reconciled to perfection. ABV from 8.5% to 7.5%.

The aroma is disappointing , but it settles to something like chocolate. I'd best pour it as sniffing a bottle seems weird.  Poured thinner, perhaps paler would be a better, or less thick than I thought it might, with a smallish head, that like my hopes and dreams faded away. All of which is nonsense as it's quite a nice rich deep red-brown colour.

A nice fruit aroma. And it drinks really nice, a really familiar palate of mustiness, and a little sweetness and a bang of astringent alcohol.  Which doesn't sound as good as it tastes, and it tastes great.

I'm easily impressed, this is really easy drinking, and, does it for me.

A reality check though says that this perhaps doesn't have as much upfront sweeteners, doesn't have a lot of middle carry and might be a bit thin, but the alcohol tang isn't a thing as it warms up a bit. However you can put this into it's category as a Belgium beer, it's jolly good stuff

The pdubyah-o-meter says, get in!, and makes this a very very good 8.5 arbitrary stars.

Hopped With Pacific Jade, Styrian Goldings neither of which appear a mention on the hops list  I forlornly copied 

How to sum this up then, Nice. I'd drink it again. It's of it's style, and if you like the style you'd probably be ok with this. It's not strong on any points, there's no over-riding element, and if I had the patience I'd put one on the cupboard for ageing.

Like that's ever going to happen. Cheers!

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Beer - #138 - Maredsous 8 Brune/Bruin

The second of a pair for this afternoon - a Maredsous 8 Brune/Bruin. Brewed by Duvel Moortgat in the style of a Abbey Dubbel Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium.

300ml of an 8% ABV beer - Bottle conditioned.

A brown or brune ale brewed under the supervision of the monastic community of Maredsous. Top fermented beer, brewed according to Benedictine tradition. Refermented in the bottle;, and conditioned for two months. Maredsous Brown should ideally be served at a temperature of 6-10 C

I'm really hoping for more malts and sweets in this and less alcohol note.

There is a fruit aroma, like sultana, and it's a very dark brown pour, with a magnificent fully head. The aroma settles to a rich malty note, but like the Tripel it carries a sourness about it.

There's nothing of anything in the palate for this, it's fairly soft, and unassuming. I could get why you loved this beer, it's not a challenge and it's fairly strong, you could impress your mates with it.

However when push comes to shove this is a struggle to get to the same 5 on the pdubyah-o-meter  that the Tripel did. This is a beer that's comes with a reputation, one that I might have even made up in my own head, but I was expecting something with a bang and got a whimper.

I can take that it's a beer brewed at commercial levels if it ended up being true to itself, but this isn't that, it seems to be brewed to be inoffensive and to maximise an audience. The dinky bottle and the indication that it should be special are just  not enough.