Corsendonk Pater (Abbey Brown Ale)

Brewed By: Brouwerij Corsendonk in Turnhout, Belgium
Purchased: Single bottle (11.2oz) from a Corsendonk mixer from Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 7.5%

 

Last night I reviewed Corsendonk's Abbey-style Tripel, Agnus. Tonight I am reviewing their Abbey-style Dubbel, Pater. If you want to check out the history of Corsendonk or read the Agnus review, check out my post here.

I'm not going to make the same mistake I did last time, so I have the bottle right here. This is a bottle-conditioned "Abbey Brown Ale." According to Corsendonk, it is dark, robust, rich and malty, and has notes of raisins, black chocolate, yeast, fruit, slight smoke, and port. I want to pay extra attention to the "port" note because these bottles have been sitting around for a bit. They aren't past expiration, but they aren't hot off the press either. Port and sherry notes are the result of oxidation in aged beers; it is not really a defect as the flavor is typically desired or expected with aging. You often get a leathery, musty, earthy, stale, or dusty quality. My bottle of Corsendonk Agnus was a little bit dusty and had that slight aged feel. 

Both the Agnus/Tripel and the Pater/Dubbel clock in at 7.5% ABV. Belgian Dubbels are a dark, malty variety of Belgian ales. They have complex malts, hints of chocolate and caramel, and fruity esters. Dubbels are more malt-foward than Tripels, and feature darker fruits. Let's see how the Pater stacks up. 

The beer's real color.

The beer pours a seemingly dark black or purple color. I have a new habit of shining light through all my beers to try and capture their true color: and this beer actually has a gorgeous red color. This beer looks quite a bit like a wine or some sort of dense red drink. In fact, even in moderate light you can see tons of reddish hues escaping this beer as well as some hints of purple. The beer poured with a massive 4-finger root beer float/tan-colored head. The head has settled into a nice 2-centimeter coating. I poured ALL the beer into my glass, and as a result there is quite a bit of yeast sediment floating around. I'm still undecided as to whether or not I prefer the sediment. It's hard to tell if there is carbonation, but the beer has some clarity as light does pass through it. Obviously not filtered.

The smell is of really nice malts and fruits. I smell plums, pomegranate, grapes, definitely a wine or port note, some sugar, some dust or powder, maybe a hint of toast or smoke, roses and perfume, raisins, and maybe some molasses. There are also some pulls towards black chocolate and yeasty notes as well.

The taste is very mellow and complex, and again the alcohol is not present or noticeable. There is a great dry black chocolate finish on this beer followed by some nice warming on the back palate. Lots of plums, port-grape, and dusty powdery notes are present on the front of the palate. There are raisins and yeast notes, some light apple notes, dried berries; I'm also pulling out a light touch of toast. 

Corsendonk "Pater"

This is medium-light in terms of body, with a dusty and medium-depth mouthfeel. This has medium depth on the palate, but is amazingly complex. There is really a wine-like quality to the beer, and subtle chocolate notes on the back of the palate. The front of the plate is smooth, carbonated, fruity and port-wine like; the middle is malty, yeasty, and dusty; and it rolls into the back end which features some toast, raisins, and subtle dark chocolate. Very nice. 

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 91%

 

This is another subtle, complex, and mellow beer from Corsendonk. I'm really impressed with the powdery, dusty, and wine-like nature of this beer. This beer would make an excellent addition to a red sauce pasta dish, or any rustic meal really.

 

This is a bold and complex beer, but it shows maturity and restraint. I enjoyed this beer quite a bit, and I think this would be a great beer to keep stocked in your cellar. I will drink this again, and I do recommend the Corsendonk Dubbel. 

Having said that, this is a top-tier, divine Dubbel. I really dig the complexity of this beer, but appreciate the fact that it is mature and restrained.