Brewed by Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse (damn, that’s a mouthful), Trappist Achel Bruin Bier is an 8% ABV Dubbel that was definitely complex and enjoyable.

The second in the newly created Atlas Series of beer reviews, we quickly located the map of Belgium and placed this incredibly heady brew on the map for photos. Seriously, I poured slowly and I still can’t believe how tall and frothy that head was – I had to pour the bottle in increments just to get the whole thing in there!

Trappist Achel Bruin poured a lovely burnt sienna color, with no visibility at all through the brew. Its gigantic head lasted as long as the beer did. I couldn’t help but have beer-foam all over my face with every sip. Should’ve snapped a pic of that. Next time, I will.

Its aroma was of dark fruit and yeast. Very sweet smelling. Wicked sweet. Did I mention that it smelled sweet? The flavor mimicked the nose perfectly; black cherry, plum and yeast were prominent for me. Jay noticed a bit of pineapple in there and he’s a [really great] chef, so you can take that little tidbit to the bank. The brew was slightly sour on the sides of the tongue through the finish, which broke up the sweetness quite well. A medium-light to medium body with light effervescence on the tip and sides of the tongue kept it drinkable, even at 8%.

Want to enjoy a good Dubbel? You can count on Trappist Achel Bruin to deliver.

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | DUBBEL | TRAPPIST | ACHEL | BELGIAN ]