Bottle from Prik & Tik, Riemst. Pours hazy dark brown with a lasting, thin, frothy, tan head. Aroma of dark toffee, brown bread, mocha, liquorice, raisin, vague strawberry, cherry. Taste has sweet-spicy liquorice, toffee & raisin, brown-bready maltiness with a sour berry effect. Herbal hoppy finish, notes of mocha, liquorice & raisin. Medium body, slick texture, fizzy carbonation. Better than your average industrial Belgian Dubbel.

Huge light amber head, dense, over foxy chestnut beer. Sweet, caramelly, roasted nose; melanoidins, molasses, dandelions. Sweet-roasted, bit sticky impression. Molasses, syrup but pretty attenuated at the same time, making it more lean. Bit chocolate, cakebottom. Good carbonation, medium body. Average.

Bottle shared at home - Hazy Amber pour with a small off white ringed head. Medium sweet malty notes of toffee and fudge, some caramel, light singed brown sugar, molasses, dark dried fruit, medium body, sweet malty spiced finish.

F: big, pale tanned, good retention. C: dark brown, hazy, opaque. A: dark malt, cocoa, chocolate, caramel, bit nutty, toffee, banana, honey. T: malty, cocoa, bit caramel, dry on the palate, chocolate, banana, strawberry, bit soapy, not bad at all, medium body and carbonation, enjoyed, 33cl bottle from Carrefour market in M2 Shopping Center, Maasmechelen.

Clear deep amber colour, tall creamy beige head, dissipates slowly, creamy layer remains, good lacing. Aroma toasted malts, dark fruits, light molasses, caramel. Thin taste, medium sweet and bitter, malty, light fruity, caramel, Sweetbitter aftertaste, caramel, sugary notes, medium bodty, watery texture, soft carbonation, too thin for a dubbel I guess.

The dark Kompel, from a 33 cl bottle found at Waasland Drinks in Sint-Niklaas (strangely, because as far as I know, this brand is Limburg through and through, but anyway). Irregular, thick, frothy, off-white, lightly lacing, stable, moussy head over a warm brownish-red copper coloured beer with deep ruby tinge, clear but ’muddy’ and completely clouded, a lot more brownish too with sediment. Aroma of hard butterscotch candy, light banana, damp earth, sweetened beetroot, iron, dried fig, very old raisins, candied cherries, moist toast, sugared tea, gingerbread, liquorish, red apple peel, jute, caramel, sage, cloves, strawberry, honey, hay, old straw, peach. Fruity onset, tad estery with some banana, hints of unripe peach, dried apricot and redcurrant, more sweetish than sourish, minerally side notes, quite spritzy carbo, supple, somewhat soapy mouthfeel, bit thinner than average for a dubbel of 6%, with a slight metallic edge to it. Caramelly, bit resinous malt middle, supporting the dried fruitiness from the onset as well as upcoming clove-like phenols, sweet in its core but with a mildly bitterish toasted edge in the end which actually establishes a bit more body than expected based on the first sip. Finish continues this caramelly malt sweetness with bittering toastedness along with the phenols (bit liquorish-like) and the metallic aspect, but adds further leafy, bit spicy, earthy but quite effective hop bitterness as well, more so than usual for a dubbel. Lacks a bit in body, a tad too metallic and thin for a dubbel, but well-restrained in terms of fruity esters; the phenols on the other hand are quite pronounced, without becoming obnoxious. Carries more hop bitterness in its tail than your average more ’industrial’ or commercial dubbel and the toasted malt bitterness is a nice touch as well. Not a bad effort.

330ml bottle from trade with Benzai. Pours hazed deep amber, large tan head. Aroma is ripe dark stewed fruits. Taste continues, with berries, liquorice, dark fruits. It’s flavoursome alright, but soon becomes a little thin and watered down.