Got some of this from our local brewery for Christmas, and wow, I really love it. I’ve tried a few Belgian beers before but nothing that really made me want to brew 5 gallons. Until now.
Any great commercial examples I should try before jumping in and brewing a batch?
This stuff is perfect for a cold, stormy, winter night in front of the fire, like tonight.
My personal favorite is Koningshoeven Dubbel (aka La Trappe). Westmalle Dubbel, Rochefort 6, Corsendonk, and Ommegang Abbey Ale are all top-notch as well.
+1
I also enjoy New Belgian Abbey. It is not as high class as the ones listed above but is still a very good double imho.
Most dubbels are great but Chimay Red continues to be my favorite. An interesting thing I have seen with most dubbels as well is that the flavors evolve over time. If I taste two Chimays bottled at different times they will be quite different but both very tasty. You might always have a little surprise when tasting the bottled versions. On tap will be more consistent in the near term but from different batches there can be small differences. This is all due to the complexities that the yeast provides. It is like a box of chocolates…
If you liked the dubble and want to try something a bit bigger, I can recommend the Corsendonk Christmas Ale. It is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. I received a bottle as a gift and it was very tasty.
St. Bernardus Prior 8, and as was previously mentioned, try a strong dark as well (St. Bernardus Abt 12).
The thing with a box of chocolates is someone who knows chocolate well will know what they’re going to get.
To me the Westmalle Dubbel at 50F is the epitome of the style. Chimay and St. Bernardus are close behind. I recently had a domestic dubbel that was pretty good(I’ll find the empty bottle later) but in no way was it in the same class as the Belgians.
+1 on the Ommegang. Their beers rival the best Belgian ales out there. Best part is they don’t have to be transported across the pond.