The blonde in this Eifel brand, named after the Belgian Eifel, in which its birth town of Büllingen - a beautiful place by the way, now that I have seen it - is situated. Vichy bottle from a local Delhaize supermarket in the same region (Amel I believe). Snow white, towering high, foamy, large-bubbled, slowly receding head over an initially clear, warm golden blonde robe with vague khaki tinge and fierce, almost champagne-like sparkling, turning misty with sediment. Aroma of dry cereals, iron (confirmed by the 'hand test'!), Conference pear, green banana, white peach, vague soapy note (coriander no doubt), sawdust, clove, apple peel, cooked turnip, straw, old newspapers. Fruity onset but restrained in sweetness, green pear and green banana, fizzy carbonation; smooth cereally core, a bit grainy even and fairly low in residual sweetness, a dryish character continued in a floral hop bitter note, adorned with a touch of (phenolic) clove, a vague whiff of (added) coriander and ongoing pale malty white-breadiness. An 'allemansvriend' as they say in Dutch: completely middle of the road, boring and generic even for this blandest of classic Belgian ale styles. Too bland to distinguish itself - but doubtlessly serving its purpose on a local level.

The dubbel in this Eifel series, at least conceived at Büllingen in the German speaking part of Belgium, but apparently executed by Van Den Bossche in Flanders. Large-bubbled, yellow-beige, irregularly shaped, opening head over a misty caramel brown robe with ruddy glow. Aroma of red apple slices, brown bread, pear, old raisins, wet caramel, clove, dry autumn leaves, touch wodka, tea. Sweetish, fruity onset, hinting at pear and medlar but also showing this somewhat 'sharper' blueberry-like note; fizzy carb, smooth body. Caramelly core, brown bread too, slick and clean, with light (phenolic) spicy notes of clove and rosemary, paired with herbal hops adding a bittering touch - but malt sweetness remains the main factor. Simple and a bit rough around the edges, but decent and effective if you are after a typical Belgian dubbel.

33cl bottle from Delhaize in St. Vith, Belgium.
F: medium, white, average retention.
C: deep gold, light hazy.
A: rich malty, citrus, banana, apples, dusty, spicy.
T: medium malty base, light bready, caramel, apples, banana, bit yeasty, medium carbonation, more like Belgium ale yet ok, enjoyed.

33cl bottle from Delhaize in St. Vith, Belgium.
F: huge, tanned, extremely long lasting.
C: dark brown, hazy.
A: roasted tones, cocoa, herbal, bit dark bread.
T: medium to full malty base, light roasted tones, bit herbal, cocoa, caramel, nutty, dark bread crust, medium to high bit disturbing carbonation, nice, enjoyed.

33cl bottle from Delhaize in St. Vith, Belgium.
F: medium, white, average retention.
C: gold, clear.
A: banana, red apples peels, honey, spicy.
T: medium malty base, banana, red apples, perfumed, bit caramel, honey, spicy touch, nice balanced bitterness, medium carbonation, ok drinkable yet nothing really special.

33cl bottle from Delhaize in St. Vith, Belgium.
F: medium, tanned, average retention.
C: dark brown, hazy
A: malty, mellow fruity, some caramel, berries, some leaves.
T: medium malty base, caramel, berries, some bready tones, leaves, bit herbal, decent bitterness, medium carbonation, nice balanced for the style, enjoyed.

33cl bottle from Delhaize in St. Vith, Belgium.
F: medium, white, good retention,
C: gold, hazy.
A: banana, citrus, clove, mineral water.
T: medium malty base, light banana, bit grapefruits, coriander, mineral water, spicy touch, medium carbonation, let´s say drinkable.

Süffiger, süßlicher und hell malziger Antrunk. Belgisch hefig, moderat herb, spritzig. Leicht trocken, mittellanger Abgang, erfrischend. 10/8/8/9/9/8