Beer Review: Westmalle Trappist Ale

Price: $1.49 (for 11.2oz) plus bottle deposit

Brewery: Trappist Monastery of Westmalle, Malle, Belgium

Style: Dubbel

ABV: 7%

Color: Caramel, Amber, maybe even dark brown, very clear. 

Aroma:  Fruity, slight hop aroma, 

Body:  light-medium,

Stomach Aspect: light to medium. Halfway through the bottle and there's a little "push" in the stomach.  

Head:  Excellent when poured. Head went to almost 1/2-3/4".

Head Retention: Good, nice rings on the side of the glass after each pull.

Taste: Upon first hitting your tongue, the taste of the  beer is sweet, good grain flavor around mid-rear tongue. Move the brew to the back of your tongue and the sweetness turns to a mild (but quick) bitterness. There is even a little Caramel, or Toffee aspect to the brew, which nicely enters and leaves the palate.  Upon swallowing the brew there is a little presence of hop flavor.  One can definitely smell the fruit undertones, but there is even a slight hint of Pear (to my palate) in the flavor around mid tongue. 

Conclusion:  I have had Dubbel's before, but this is the best one I have tasted. The fruity aroma and slight Pear undertones go nicely with the grains, and mild hops.  The color is very pretty, it can almost be mistaken for a Brown Ale, or even an American Amber.  But once you taste and smell the brew you definitely know you're drinking a Dubbel.  The head retention is very nice, some of the best I've seen since I've started my beer blog.  The brew has a wonderful malty finish (almost like a Southern English Brown Ale), but not so malty that it ruins or distracts from the flavor.

Public Aspect:  Well, at a 1.49 per 11.2 oz I'm not sure this is a brew you want to take to a mass drinking environment. However, if you do I think you will be asked a lot of "what type of beer is that?"  I don't think many people know what a Dubbel is, or the history behind the style of beer.  I can easily see a beginner beer drinker shying away from this style. However, if you can muster through the fear of something new, you have to try this brew.   There is absolutely nothing wrong with this brew.  I'm not a big fan of Dubbel's because they are usually too sweet and malty, however, this is a nice balance of sweet, malty, hops, grains.  The 7% ABV means it won't take much to finish your night of drinking if you know what I mean.