Abbey Ale: Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Dubbel Rotating Out of Production|
Score
7.28
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Brewed again in more recent years under the name Barrel-Aged Abbey Ale Dubbel.
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle - pours dark brown tan head - nose and taste of bourbon, caramel, sticky dark fruit and oak - medium body
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Damn what a tasty bottle. Best Ommegang beer I've had, and it's not even close. Packed with brown sugar, clove, bourbon, raisin, anise, and yeast, all against a firm oaken bitterness and a remarkably easygoing finish. Miraculously never grows cloy; sweet, but a dry, spicy finish clears away any unwanted lingering sugary notes. So much better than expected.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Clear light brown with small beige head. Aroma is dark malt, medium body, medium/low carbonation, and little lacing. Taste is dark malt, bourbon, and a little alcohol.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle looks really, really good. Beer in the glass dark brown, nice small head. Dry malty aroma. Starts strong, malty, alcoholic. Some warming notes of wood, dry malty, modest roasty. Also dusty. Dry-bitter background. Finish more balanced, still dry-malty and woody. Probably a bit past its prime. Still good.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
From my wife's parents: pours brown with a light brown head. Aroma is fruity, slightly boozy, some tree and vanilla. Taste is kind of sweet. Malty finish. Lingering aftertaste.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
750 ml bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled on 7/21/2017. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red; light copper/brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, pear, red apple, apricot, peppercorn, coriander, clove, vanilla, bourbon, oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with light notes of chocolate, banana, bubblegum, coconut, orange peel, licorice, toffee, molasses, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, spices, and moderate bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, pear, red apple, apricot, peppercorn, coriander, clove, vanilla, bourbon, oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with light notes of chocolate, banana, bubblegum, coconut, orange peel, licorice, toffee, molasses, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast; light herbal/spice bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, pear, red apple, apricot, peppercorn, coriander, clove, vanilla, bourbon, oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate/banana, orange peel, licorice, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, spices, and moderate bourbon barrel flavors; with an awesome malt/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from yeast spiciness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.5%, with zero barrel booziness after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Dubbel style! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, spices, and moderate bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and quite refreshing to drink for the big ABV. Awesome barrel integration; with perfectly balanced yeast, malt, spice flavors. The barrel isn't huge, but has really nice presence. I think the yeast phenols are covering it up a bit. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected.