Affligem Dubbel

01-20-2003 Review: In my seemingly never-ending quest to try to thin out my beer "cellar" -- save your e-mails! I don't need "help"...! :) -- I chilled off a dusty bottle of this Belgian Dubbel. And despite (or perhaps due to) the "Best Before Date" of "07 05 02", this is basically a tasty beer, that could perhaps step it up a little in the complexity department.

Dark tan body, that reminds me of the same color as peanut-butter-on-toast. Very serene 1mm layer of foam resting on top, though not a lot in the way of Belgian lacing though.

Aroma isn't very prevalent, and I would say a bit too under-stated for this style. Even when it's alowed to warm up a bit, the nose just doesn't cut it, IMO.

However, the flavor is pretty tasty overall. Nutty, some mild fruit-like notes, but nothing even approaching the complxity that I relish in these sort of ebers. A nice basic Belgian Dubbel, that goes down nice after a long day at work. But a beer that I kinda expect more from -- for the style, and for the price.

Pleasant enough to drink, but there are many other Dubbels that do a much better job wowing me than this. I've had better, and have certianly have had worse....


10/2/03 Re-Review: I've been on something of a Belgian Trappist/Abbey Ale kick lately, and decided to revisit this beer (especially since it was on sale).

This sample is a lot fresher than the one I reviewed two months ago ("Best Before Date" of 06 07 03), which might explain why the aroma is much more interesting now.

Enjoyable flavor profile, and nicely drinkable, but I still have to think that the mouthfeel of this is a touch subdued.

Overall, slight adjustments to by original scores, but not enough in the grand scheme of things to really turn me onto this beer. As I said before, there are many other more interesting Dubbels than this out there.
//TB