Affligem Dubbel

Brewed By: Brouwerij Affligem / De Smedt (Heineken) in Opwijk, Belgium

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 7.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

TIL Affligem is Heineken's bitch....about Affligem:

Affligem has a long history as an Abbey, going back to 1074 when six knights quit their day job of kicking ass, and traded their swords for a more peaceful life. Ten years later, and the Abbey was born. Like most Abbeys, Affligem was subject to numerous take downs and rebuildings. In 1796, the French state shut down the Abbey. It was not restored until 1887.

The Monks at Affligem were brewing beer since the early days of the Abbey. During World War II they handed over their recipe to sustain/preserve the business. The brewery is located in Opwijk, Belgium, and is owned by Heineken. For more info, check out the brewery's website. 

The Affligem Dubbel is an...Abbey Dubbel. This one really needs no explanation. Described as dark and spicy, this one should feature lots of clove, spice, anise, raisins, molasses, and bananas. The bottle is cool, and the glass is no slouch...let's see how she stacks up.

Affligem Dubbel

Wow...this is a raw, rustic Dubbel. I'm digging this from the onset, with the beer's dark reddish-brown/orange body. The body is hazy, and you can see yeast suspended in the beer, along with a stream of carbonation rising upwards from the chalice's nucleation point. This one kicks up one to two fingers of thick, bready, caramel-tinted head. This just looks the part of an Abbey Ale, all rustic and conditioned...nice. [there's good, clingy head retention/glossy alcohol legs]

The aroma is even better than the appearance. I'm getting some apples and wheat up front, with some caramel sugars. If you dig deeper you get rich raisins, breads, brown sugars, bready desserts (I think raisin bread is a safe call), mild anise, clove, green bananas, perfumed dark fruits...it's just deep and layered, and goes way beyond the apple and wheat notes you initially get.

The taste follows through with the nose, almost spot on. That's not a bad thing, as you get blasted with sweet caramel, raisins/molasses, apples, and wheat up front. There are figs and stone fruits abound in here, with perfumed dark fruits firing on all cylinders across the tongue through the beer's velvety-smooth and perfectly carbonated body. I'm getting some hints of bread in here, brown sugar, raisin bread, dark fruits, dried dark berries, and tons of spicy phenols ala clove and cinnamon. Finally, I'm getting a dash of light anise/licorice.

This is classic Abbey through and through. Maybe it plays things a little safe, but the execution is flawless. And this feels rustic and vintage. I wonder how old this recipe is. I'm not getting any of the beer's 7.0%, but this is full-bodied and authoritative. The mouthfeel is perfect, with great duration, and tons of creamy, carbonated goodness. Complexity is fairly high as well. This expands in layers, with apples, raisins, wheat, caramel, and molasses up front; the mids hit carbonated figs, dark fruits, perfume, clove spice; the back end has malts, with breads, cakes, raisin bread, brown sugar, cinnamon, clove...the finish is dry and lightly dusty. This is well-balanced, and big. Nice... 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I can't believe I'm saying this about a Heineken-owned product, but this is a Light Divine Brew and one of the better Abbey Dubbels I have had. What pushes this beer over the top is the absolutely PERFECT and MEMORABLE mouthfeel, and the layers of complexity. This beer is also perfectly balanced, with good bitterness, tons of spice, lots of malts, and a dry clean finish. As this warms up the spice and malts are popping, and adding the yeast from the bottom of the bottle seems to add character. I'm just enjoying the heck out of this beer, and I could see myself buying this beer again in the Winter months. I feel like this is the perfect beer to pair with a meat and cheese tray, preferably during a football game. You could also pair this beer with stews, hearty soups, grilled meats, and ham. This is just some rustic and refined goodness. I'm surprised...I'm intrigued...I give this a VERY STRONG RECOMMENDATION, especially at around $10 a bottle. Check it out. 

Random Thought: I feel like classic Abbey/Belgian Dubbels are quite different from the candi sugar overload American counterparts. There is nothing wrong with that, but surely this style distinction is worth noting. Compare something like Solemn Oath's Big Box Make Magic to the beer that we have in front of us, and yeah. Two awesome beers with completely different experiences. 

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Dubbel

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2014 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 7.6% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Wrapping up with my lastest trip to Wisconsin...about New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Thumbprint Series Dubbel is part of New Glarus' Thumbprint Series, and is brewed using the traditional Belgium brewing methods that include a long kettle boil, and fermentation with Belgian Candi Sugar. This one is described as having a "cordial of caramel and spiced fruit notes." 

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Dubbel

This one pours the part...that is, with a hazy, reddish body, and two or three fingers of dense, bready, red/orange-tinted head. It looks very much like a Belgian Ale/Dubbel. Bright light confirms the hazy, reddish-orange body. There is a lot of peppery carbonation rising upwards, and the beer is effervescent with good head retention and lacing. 

The aroma isn't bad either. There's a nice chalky/dusty character on the aroma which reminds me of Chimay...I'm getting some earthy leather, oak (was this oak-aged???), light medicinal funk, and some nice hoppy notes. As you dig into the aroma more you get big dark fruits, including figs, grapes, plums, and a sherry/wine note. There is light perfume and candi sugar on the nose as well. 

The taste here isn't quite as prolific as the aroma...unfortunately. I'm getting lots of earthy funk, leather, oak, faint and nondescript hops, and very mild dark fruit character. There is a lot of carbonation, with some hints of perfume, candi sugar, and light Belgian funk. There is an earthy charred/leather note in here, and I'm really digging that. To me, it points this beer in the direction of grilled and barbecued food pairings.

This is a medium-bodied and well-carbonated beer. It's a bit airy, and it's way too drinkable at 7.6% or whatever it clocks in at. It has average palate depth and duration for the style, and also average complexity. This one leans towards dry...and not very sweet. Both of those things ultimately end up defining this beer within the typical Dubbel guidelines. I actually like this a lot, even if it's an average offering within the style. Up front: earthy leather, char, hints of oak, grains, airy and papery hops; the mids hit some Belgian funk, and throw in some caramel and dark fruits, suggestive Belgian yeast, light spice/perfume; the back end is trailing spice/perfume, bready, clean, dry finish. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. Again, those earthy leather/char notes would really compliment grilled or smoked meats. New Glarus suggests pairing this with smoked ham or grilled aged steak, and I would tend to agree with those suggested pairings. For my money, this is a good Dubbel, but kind of also par the course. I would feel right at home sipping on one of these in the Winter, but I probably would not go out of my way to seek this out unless I lived in Wisconsin. Then again, if they brew this again next year, I'll probably pick it up. 

Random Thought: I <3 New Glarus

Engelszell Benno Trappistenbier

Brewed By: Stift Engelszell Trappistenbier-Brauerei in Engelhartszell an der Donau, Austrian

Purchased: 11.2oz/333ml bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2013 Vintage)

Style/ABV: Trappist Ale/Belgian Dubbel, 6.9%

Reported IBUs: ???

Tonight's beer is unique enough, and I was happy to find it sitting on shelves in Binny's. The beer came in one of those holiday gift packs, and the gift pack included two bottles of beer and a sexy Engelszell glass. Without further ado, let's dig into Austria's Trappist brewery. About Stift Engelszell:

Stift Engelszell is the only Trappist monastery in Austria, and was founded in 1293 by Bishop Bernard (Wernhart), and was technically settled in 1295. The abbey suffered spiritual and financial decline during the Protestant Reformation, until it started to receive support from the Wilhering Abbey from 1618 onward. In 1699, the abbey suffered a disastrous fire, and from 1720 to 1746 the abbey fell into the hands of various administrators. In 1746, Leopold Reichl, the last of Engelszell's abbots, began to rebuild the abbey. In 1786 Engelszell was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II.

According to Wikipedia, in 1925 Engelszell was re-founded as a Trappist monastery by refugee German monks who were expelled from the Oelenberg Abbey in Alsace after World War I. In 1931, Engelszell was again elevated to the rank of an abbey, but in 1939, the abbey was confiscated by the Gestapo. Four monks were sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp, and others were imprisoned or drafted. At the end of the war, only a third of the community returned to the abbey. Sine 1995, the abbot has been Marianus Hauseder, and there are nine or so monks in the community.

In May 2012, the abbey was approved by the International Trappist Association to become the 8th producer of Trappist beer. For more information, check out the abbey's website, or this lovely Wikipedia article.

The Engelszell Benno Trappistenbier is a Trappist Dubbel that punches in at 6.9% ABV, and is sold at the brewery or at their online store. Evidently it gets imported into the states as well via bottle, and I've had the Engelszell Gregorius on tap. It was tasty. The Benno (here now pronounced "Beano") is brewed with water, malted barley, honey, hops, and yeast. 

Engelszell Benno Trappistenbier 

The Benno pours into a hazy, honey-amber/dark orange/brownish body, and kicks up three fingers of orange/amber-tinted head. The head is dense and fluffy like a wheat beer, and as it departs there is some nice lacing. Head retention is great. Bright light confirms the swampy and murky but radiant orange beer. It's reminiscent of a Dubbel. There's some nice carbonation storming upwards in this.

This has a really nice, rustic aroma. The aroma is pretty raw and funky, with some dusty leather, Belgian yeast spice phenol, banana, bubblegum, clove, light cinnamon and ginger, wheat malt, some toast, and some peppery spice phenol. There is some fruit aroma lurking in here. Along with the banana, white sugar, and wheat is some cherry, peach, golden raisin, and stone fruit.  

I did pour the yeast into my glass...but I've let it settle for a bit, and I'm still getting a lot of medicinal and herbal twang. This one tastes quite peppery, with tons of peppery phenol, cinnamon, cumin, some Saison-like peppery phenol, and some nice funky leather. I'm sort of reminded of the wacky Saisons from Fantôme, and that's not a bad thing by any stretch. This one is bitter too, with good floral bitterness, bitter peach, and some citrus. The honey does show up, mostly in the back and as part of the body.

This beer is oddly complex, and again, I'm reminded of a Fantôme Saison with the bitter medicinal/herbal/peppery kick, and hints of Belgian funk and leather. This has no wild yeast or Brett in it (as far as I know or can tell). Palate depth is good, complexity is good...it drinks medium-bodied with good carbonation, and the 6.9% is hidden minus some mild warming. You get fruity peaches, Saison-like floral notes, some stone fruit and citrus, and burgeoning phenol and spice up front; the middle rolls into huge phenol and spice, with tons of herbal/medicinal, pepper, funky Belgian yeast, some leather, earthy; the back end continues with the bitter, medicinal, peppery funk...fade to dry. Honey character in the back and in the mouthfeel. Pretty unique...

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I really don't know...I'm gonna go with a Light Average, but honestly, I think I might rate this higher and I'll have to revisit this. This is an oddly compelling and unique beer...it's very earthy, spicy, herbal/medicinal, and it has that rustic and wild Fantôme funk with unchecked Belgian yeast and dusty leather. It's kind of...an ugly duckling beer, like a Rottweiler or Pitbull. This beer really does have a ton of character, and the biggest sin here is calling it a Dubbel. A Dubbel...this is not. There's no plums or brown sugar or any of that shit. Yup. I'm gonna quit now, but definitely pick this up and hey, let me know what you think if you happen to read this. Food pairings: rustic, peppery foods. Treat this like a peppery Saison. Peppery turkey, chicken, duck, potatoes, carrots, etc. This is like some Medieval times beer. Recommended. 

Random Thought: I cannot emphasize enough how intrigued I am by this beer...and the Engelszell Gregorius isn't too shabby either. I have another bottle I'm camping on, and I'll check this out again in a few months for a possible re-review. 

Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #279-288) bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled ??.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's Thursday night so you know how we do. I'm talking about tonight's beer, which was a random shelf grab...but will hopefully taste amazing. Oh, and it's a Pipeworks beer and tonight is Thursday. That means it is an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!!! Woo. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is another beer in Pipeworks' series of Belgian-style Dubbels. The first one was their Date Sugar Yeast Magik, followed by their Blue Beardo. The back of the bottle states:

"Nelson Sauvin hops, Belgian yeast, and black Raspberries?! What's this abbot? Brother Razbeardo may be razz'n you, but he's not kidding around; this ale is a slam monk. The juicy hop aroma will entrappe you, while the tart black raspberries and warm, spicy yeast character will make you speechless. Brother's brewed a real zen outta zen. Better pour this one on the dubbel!"

Oh puns. And hey! How about that. The Razbeardo pours into an opaque, purple body, kicking up a finger of purple-orange-purple head. That is totally unexpected. Bright light confirms this purple beer, which looks like some Lindemans' fruit lambic thing or beet juice. There's some visible carbonation in the mix, and some sea foam head retention, and nice lacing.

Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo

This may be the best smelling Pipeworks' beer I've had in a long time. The aroma is exploding with Nelson Sauvin hops, which impart an aroma reminiscent of the hoppy side of a Black IPA. I'm getting tons of passion fruit, leafy berries, grapes/plums/dark fruits, and some resinous/oily/sappy lemon. Pine sol grape passion fruit mmmm. The hops absolutely dominate this beer's aroma, and I'm just picking up a hint of bready caramel malt base. I would not peg black raspberries in a blind smelling...I might even call this beer some sort of Black IPA based on the aroma alone. A'i'g'h't. Let's have a sip.

Wow. Gooooodddd Goddd Damnnn! Wow! This shit is legit. This has to be one of the best things that Pipeworks has done, ever. You get bum rushed with a mix of the Dubbel base and Nelson Sauvin hops up front. We're talking about a double dose of dark fruits, grapes, plums, passion fruit, subtle caramel and brown sugar, some toffee, mild perfume and Belgian spice...the hops provide balance to the malt sweetness, and give the beer much needed bitterness and character. Once you transition to mid-palate the bitterness picks up with some resinous hops and hard dark sugar. And then on the back end: mother fucking raspberries. Raspberries man, the elusive fruit absent in the aroma. You get juicy/fruity raspberries on the back. And it finishes hoppy and dry. 

This beer is fantastic. Dumb luck or not, the combination of a Belgian-style Dubbel with raspberries and Nelson Sauvin hops works. First, this beer isn't overly complex. Then again, many of the Pipeworks beers aren't. They are simple, straightforward beers. And there's nothing wrong with that. But this beer is incredibly balanced, has good palate depth and duration, and features flavors that gel. The 10.0% ABV is completely undetectable. The mouthfeel is medium-full, featuring slightly low levels of carbonation. I suspect this one might condition in the bottle with some time. You get sugars and malt sweetness up front, which quickly turns into a mesh of Belgian Dubbel dark fruits and Nelson Sauvin fruitiness (passion fruit, grapes, etc); the middle rolls into some resinous lemon and hops, with some lingering dark sugars, and growing raspberry; the back hits you with raspberry, lingering Nelson Sauvin hops, and finishes bitter and malty. It's just so vibrant, refreshing, and balanced. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Divine Brew...just wow. I was not expecting this. It's amazing what Nelson Sauvin hops can do. But really, what defines this beer is how unique it is, and the incredible harmony and balance it strikes. This is just really fucking impressive. I imagine that there is even room for improvement, tweaking the carbonation up front, maybe adding some more hops? I dunno. Compared to the Blue Beardo and Date Sugar Yeast Magik, this beer is miles ahead. Dear Pipeworks, brew this again for me. K, thnx, <3. Food pairings: duck, honey ham, glazed meats, anything with a sweet sauce, Korean Barbecue, tartar, grilled meats, strong cheeses, and pork chops. I'm really feeling the pork chop vibe.

Random Thought: I came into this with low expectations, I left happy. Stay tuned for next week...I have another interesting Pipeworks beer coming down the shoot.

Pipeworks Brother Blue Beardo

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #227/228) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled 10.23.2013)

Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Happy mother-fucking-new-year!!! About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is a bit of a redemption review for me, after I was underwhelmed with Pipework's Date Sugar Yeast Magik. Although that beer was super sugary, there is no sugar coating that it wasn't a very good beer. Tonight's beer is brewed in a very similar fashion, only it features blueberries instead of dates. Punching in at 10.0% and featuring some nifty bottle art, here's to hoping that this one goes a little better. The back of the bottle states:

Pipeworks Brother Blue Beardo...beer from heaven? Nope. Shitty picture.

"Brother Blue Beardo has run amonk within the confines of his monastery adding blueberries to his Belgian Dubble brewed with dark sugars and a warm, spicy Trappist ale yeast, just in stein for the end of the berry season. This blue brother is surely full of cheers."

This one is already doing a lot better than the Date Sugar Yeast Magik. The beer pours into a murky, dark orange/red/purple/brown body, and kicks up a finger or two of Belgian Dubbel-esque tan head. This one appears to be appropriately carbonated, and looks the part in the glass.

Ah...the aroma on here is very nice. This reminds me of Solemn Oath's Big Box Make Magic, and smells a lot more refined than the Date Sugar Yeast Magik. I'm getting tons of Belgian candi sugar, perfume, and suggestive dark fruits: plums, Smucker's Grape Jelly, and perfume/sugar fruits. I wouldn't peg blueberries on the aroma in a blind tasting, so I'll leave that one be. I'm also getting some caramel-malt and some hop kick on the aroma, which is welcomed layer of complexity.

The hops and intense caramel sugars show up in the taste. The malt complexity in this beer is a huge improvement over the Date Sugar Yeast Magik. I'm getting a dark grain character in the taste, along with caramel, and some darker sugars. There's some Belgian candi sugar, brown sugar, and a little turbinado in the mix. The yeast character here has some nice light spice, and I'm getting big plums, figs, and suggestive dark fruits. Again...like the aroma, I wouldn't be able to peg blueberries in this. But the profile of the blueberries works with the Belgian Dubbel style. There's some bready notes in the mix as well.

This one is two months old at this point...I don't know if the extra time to condition in the bottle is a factor here, or if this beer had better success in fermentation. This is a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better beer than the #167 batch of the Date Sugar Yeast Magik. This is medium-full bodied, and is appropriately carbonated for the style. It could even be more carbonated, I think, but what is present is in line with the style. Palate depth is good, and the complexity is moderate. There's some intriguing depth to this beer if you search for it. The 10.0% ABV is totally hidden, and this beer drinks way easier than it should. I'm getting sweet Belgian candi sugars and dark fruits up front, with some hops and dark sugars; that rolls into bready malts, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, and other complex sugars; that rolls into some spice and dark fruits, and the finish is mostly dry and mostly attenuated. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This beer has surprising depth, with a nice range of dark sugar flavors, some good malt complexity, dark fruits, and a little hoppy balance to boot. The completely hidden alcohol is a plus as well. It's a good beer. It's also a huge improvement over the Date Sugar Yeast Magik. It's proof that Pipeworks cares about their beer, and that they consistently improve from batch to batch. You can pair this with strong cheeses, meats, red meats, steak...anything that goes with those dark fruit flavors. This style is often slightly vinous, but this beer is a little more sweet and carbonated. It's not dusty either. Still, this beer will hold up to steak, red meats, and maybe even a light pasta dish with red sauce. Good stuff, I recommend this.

Random Thought: So I was talking to someone from Pipeworks, and they implied that they are still dealing with some growing pains, which might explain why there is some variance between batches. It's to be expected with a growing brewery, and I have only good things to say about Pipeworks. They do a good job fixing issues in future batches, and I'm confident that these guys are going to continue to be doing awesome things with future batches. Cheers to Pipeworks in 2014, and happy new year everyone!

Solemn Oath Big Box Make Magic

Brewed By: Solemn Oath Brewing in Naperville, IL  

Purchased: 64oz Growler Fill bought at Solemn Oath in Naperville, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 7.5%

Reported IBUs: 20

Tonight's beer is fresh off the tap, and should be delicious. About Solemn Oath:

Solemn Oath is a brewery based out of Naperville, IL, and was founded in 2012 by brothers John and Joe Barley, and former Rock Bottom employee Tim Marshall. Marshall's experience was with Belgian-style beers and barrel aging. After John and Tim scouted out the location, they began to install the brewery and on-site taproom. The first brew day was on April 21, 2012. Prior to that, the brewery signed a distribution deal with the Windy City Distribution, and launched three beers during the Chicago Craft Beer Week in 2012. The brewery already has expanded, adding additional barrels (up to 3,200 barrels) in January 2013. While the brewery currently does not bottle their beer, they have an on-site taproom where you can get a beer, grab some food from one of the many food trucks that stops by, and watch them brew their beer on site. For more information, definitely check out the brewery's ABOUT page or main website.

Tonight's beer, the Big Box Make Magic, is a collaboration between Solemn Oath and the Chicago craft beer bar, Hopleaf. Described as having, "rich toffee and caramel malt flavor is balanced by Belgian yeast notes of raisin and dried cherry with a subtle earthy, grassy hop balance," this Belgian Ale clocks in at 7.5% ABV and packs 20 IBUs. Let's get this into a glass and see how it stacks up.

Solemn Oath Big Box Make Magic

The beer pours into a reddish/brown body, and kicks up one to two fingers of creamy and dense amber/tan head. The head is leaving some nice lacing on my glass. The body on this is mostly transparent, or dare I say fully transparent. There's some nice carbonation kicking up in the middle of the glass. 

The aroma on this beer is really nice. I'm pulling off a lot of Belgian Yeast, some bread/dough, sweet and perfume candi sugars, and lots of sweet sugary fruits. Notable is the aroma of cherries, and some fruit puree. It's a sweet, sugary aroma...and right about what you'd expect from an American take on a Belgain-style Dubbel.

Yum. This is a good beer...it's not as good as a lot of the stylistic Belgian Dubbels you can get, but there's a nice blend of hop bitterness and sweet cherries, candi sugar, and complex burnt sugars. I'm getting a lot of toffee, caramel, toast, bread, and even some brown sugar. There's some Belgian Yeast spice/funk as well. The big cherry flavors make this all worth it.

If you like cherries, or the dark depths of toffee, caramel, brown sugar, and bread, then this beer is going to work for you. There's also a nice interplay between hop bitterness and malt complexity. The beer itself is medium to full-bodied, with very good palate depth, and moderate complexity. This is a bit more bitter (IMO) then some of the Belgian Dubbels, but it works. At 7.5%, this is very drinkable, and goes down well. You get sweet dark fruits up front, followed by a blast of cherries and raisins; that rolls into big hop bitterness, and huge malt complexity (dark sugars, caramel, toffee, bread); the back end continues with the bitterness, and throws some peppery spice and Belgian funk in the mix. As that fades away you're left with a dry finish, with lingering cherry goodness. An all-around solid twist on the classic style.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. At the brewery/bar I sampled this and the La Grippe. The La Grippe was actually pretty fantastic, but I went with the sweeter, lower-ABV Belgian. This is a Dubbel for people who like bitter, malty Dubbels. BUT, there is a nice cherry kick that elevates this beer. It's quite drinkable, and would pair well with red pasta, steak, crème brûlée, or even something off-the-cuff like a Monte Cristo. I would definitely recommend checking this out if you swing by Solemn Oath. Get it while you can. 

Random Thought: I fucking love Solemn Oath. Talk about underrated stuff. These guys are already collaborating with Hopleaf and the Lost Abbey. Their beer is CLEAN and refined. These guys are right up there with Two Brothers and Goose Island in terms of cranking out clean, polished beer. Not to dismiss Pipeworks or Spiteful or whatever. It's a good time to hunt #MidWestWhalez

He'Brew Rejewvenator Dubbel Doppel (2013 Limited Release)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel/Doppelbock, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

As a gentile, I have to give props to He'Brew for taking their beer names and sticking it to all the folks that can't enjoy an awesome name like "Rejewvenator." I say that as a gentile, though. About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2013 Rejewvenator is all kinds of crazy. The bottle states that this is a "Belgian Style Dubbel Ale" AND a "Doppelbock European Lager." How can that be, wondered no one reading this crappy blog. According to my bottle, this beer is brewed with Lager and Belgian Ale yeast, in addition to some 2-row, Munich, CaraVienna, and Dark Crystal malts, and some Warrior, Cascade, Amarillo, Crystal, and Goldings hops. Oh, and this beer tosses in some dates and figs because why not! You can also check out the 2013 Rejewvenator at the Shmaltz Brewing website. 

This one gushed a bit upon opening, but I assume this is bottle conditioned so blah blah tread lightly. The beer pours into a reddish-brown body that doesn't look half as murky as most Belgian Dubbels, and I kicked up a finger of bready, tan-colored head. In bright light the beer is a clear, transparent, SUPER CLEAN, reddish-orange color. Maybe it isn't conditioned? I don't know how they worked the Lager yeast and Belgian yeast. The beer has a hazy cauldron effect, and swirling the beer kicks up some healthy carbonation, along with some lacing and legs. It's a good looking beer.

He'Brew Rejewvenator 2013

The aroma on this beer is super weird...I'm getting big plums, figs, and clove...but it's clashing with dates and apples (and apple slaw salad), and a clean (but slightly spicy) Lager yeast. There's some candi sugar and musty funk on the nose as well. I'm also getting some faint toast/chocolate...hmmm...

If you drink a lot of Belgian Dubbels, you will immediately know that something is amiss here. You get plum and clove in this, along with some musty Belgian funk, but that transitions to a sharp Bock-like cleanness with fruity and malty flavors. I'm picking up some apple, berries, and lighter caramel. You do pick up on the dates and figs, and there's lots of shades of purple grapes and plums and dark fruits in this. You also get some hints at toast, and the finish leans towards a Bock.

I'm inclined to say this is more of a Bock than a Dubbel, as this drifts towards malty sweetness. It's good though. The mouthfeel is medium-full, and super clean. The beer is supported by good carbonation, and a malty-sweet body. There's a touch of booze in the back, but it's like a subtle kiss in a good dessert wine...so drinkability is high. Palate depth and complexity are both alright. Up front is big clove, Belgian yeast, and some plums/figs/dates; that rolls into some malty sweetness, a hint of bitterness, some musty funk, and some burnt sugars; the back is dry malty sweetness, some toast, and a very Bock-like finish.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This was a fun experiment, and this beer reads like a Fall/Autumn beer. Which is perfect, because Autumn is around the corner. Having said that, I kind of feel like a beer brewed with dates, figs, and fermented out with two types of yeast should blow me away. This works nicely as a good, solid Doppelbock...I wouldn't call it a Dubbel. Though, there's a lot of nods towards plums and clove in this, and perfumey candi sugar. It's a fun beer for sure, and I look forward to seeing what the 2014 Rejewvenator will be. I'm going to pair this beer with a brat and some salads, but the malty sweetness and kiss of booze you get in this beer would go well with desserts, creme brulee, or even a burger/steak with caramelized onions and a nice dark, sweet sauce. 

Random Thought: What is up with people photographing/recording their wedding proposals, and then posting that shit on Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook. First off, how creepy is it to have a camera person hidden in some bush 500 yards away from where you are proposing. Even if that person is your friend, it's still fucking weird. And then you have to make sure the camera person doesn't blow your cover, or you don't give their position away when you keep stealing glances in their direction. And then to top it all off you are going to post what is supposed to be one of -- if not THE MOST -- romantic and intimate moment in your life so all your dumbass friends can see it on Facebook? I guess. Whatever floats your boat, honky. 

Val-Dieu Brune (The Brown Val-Dieu)

Brewed By: Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu in Aubel, Belgium 

Purchased: 11.2oz/330ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Ah, the infamous doubleheader. Much more enjoyable when your team isn't the 2013 White Sox and they don't suck. About Val-Dieu:

The Cistercian Abbey “Notre Dame du Val-Dieu” was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, near Maastricht (the capital city of the Dutch province of Limburg) and the county of Dalhem. The legend goes that the uninhabited valley into which they settled was so hostile the locals called it the "valley of the devil." The monks renamed it "Valley of God," or Val-Dieu in French. Val-Dieu was the only Belgian abbey to survive the French Revolution. Today, the abbey is still linked to the Cistercian Order, and the abbey of Lérins.  

According to Wikipedia, the abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of Limburg Succession, and again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and again in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV. Under Abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 to 1749, the abbey flourished, until the church was destroyed again in the French Revolution. 

The brewery (Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu) was established in 1997 at the abbey farm. Originally, the monks of Val-Dieu brewed beer to make the water drinkable and to avoid diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. The beers brewed at the abbey today are inspired by the original recipes of the monks. The abbey emphasizes basic ingredients, a rigorous brewing process, and straight up legit water from the regional Gileppe dam. For more info, check out the abbey's website, or the Val-Dieu website.

The Brown Val-Dieu is described as having a coffee/mocha character, with some roasted malt character and spice.

Val-Dieu Brune (The Brown Val-Dieu)

Like the Blond, this beer was eager to leave the bottle, and poured with crackling, cackling carbonation. The beer pours into a cola-black body, and a centimeter of head quickly peaced out like some Date Sugar Yeast Magik shit. In bright light this beer is a hazy raisin-purple, and there's a brown ring of carbonation clinging to the edge of the glass. Agitating the beer does kick up some head.

The aroma here is more of the same stuff you get on the Blond: lots of wheat, perfume, fruity esters, and Belgian phenol stuff. There's a heavier chalky aroma coming from this, along with some hints of underlying booze, roast, and dark fruits. I'm getting some grapes, plums, raisins, and hints of rum.

You get a lot of chalky dark fruits in this, with some big boozy phenols, and some smoke and roast in the back. The surprise twist in this? The blast of mocha and chocolate towards the back. I'm getting rum, grapes, plums, perfume/phenols, hints of pepper, boozy depth, some powder/dust, and that malty blast of anise/smoke/roast/mocha/chocolate. The depth of flavors is nice.

It's apples and oranges to compare this Brown to the Blond, but the Blond was middling compared to similar beers. This beer is a legit contender in the Abbey Dubbel ring. The mouthfeel is medium-full to full-bodied, with creamy carbonation smoothing everything over, and chalky density with some hints of powder/dust and spice in the back. Palate depth is outstanding, with each sip taking you on a journey, and each journey lasting 15-30 seconds. Complexity is also good. I'm getting a blast of wheat/stone fruits, and then dark fruits up front with some rum; that rolls into boozy perfume and phenol, peppery spice, chalky density; the back has chalky malts, anise, smoke, roast, mocha, chocolate, and finishes seductively boozy with lingering spice. At 8.0%, this has seductive booziness, but drinkability is high.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Hot damn, this is a good Belgian Dubbel. The expansion of flavors across the palate is top notch. I would buy this beer in a 4-pack or 6-pack format, or by the bomber. Like the Blond, this has a vinous quality that might work with Parmesan chicken and spaghetti with a red sauce, anything with a red wine sauce, purple potatoes or potatoes in general, rustic dishes, and meats and cheese, of course.

Random Thought: Does anyone else remember the second Sox game in that double header that went until 1am? No? I don't either, and I doubt the 7 people that were left in the stands at 1am remember either. 2014, baby.

Pipeworks Date Sugar Yeast Magik

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #167) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's Wednesday night, so it's NOT Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™! Yay! Exclamation points!!! Tonight's beer is something special, so let me say mean things.

At some point, we all mature and stop brewing Stouts and IPAs and start making some Abbey-style Belgian Ales. Unfortunately for Pipeworks, they also didn't mature to realize that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are middle-of-the-road douche rockers. I don't want to totally dog the Peppers and their songs about sex, California, and having sex in California...but their last few albums have been a chore. Of course, tonight's beer is paying homage to Blood Sugar Sex Magik, one of the good ones. Even a bag of douche nozzles hits a dinger twice in their career. Blood Sugar Sex Magik came out in 1991, and pretty much rocks from start to finish with songs like Breaking the Girl, Suck My Kiss, I Could Have Lied, and Give It Away. It's also a punishingly long album at over 70 minutes, and features the radio friendly killer Under The Bridge. Under The Bridge is the song that launched 20 more songs about Dani, California, and having sex with Dani in California. My jokes are repetitive, kind of like Chili Pepper's singles. Anyway...About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is brewed with dates, and Trappist yeast, so good things should lie ahead. The bottle states:

"What we've got you will definitely want to get and put it in you. Dates, Sugar, Yeast, Magik is a Belgian Dubbel brewed in collaboration with Cleetus Friedman of The Fountanhead and inspired by the classic album of the nineties. Ample amounts of dates, Belgian candi and dark demerara sugars and Trappist ale yeast will take you to the place you love (take you all the way) and make it difficult to give it away (even to your momma, your pappa or your daughter)."

It's worth noting that "Fountanhead" is misspelled on the bottle. It's also worth noting that Fountainhead is a restaurant/bar in the Ravenswood/Lincoln Square/North Center neighborhood of Chicago. Cleetus Friedman is an executive chef at Fountainhead. And lastly, "demerara sugars" are just dark/brown sugars.

Depressingly...the beer pours totally flaccid. I kicked up maybe a centimeter of tan head, and that rapidly dissolved into the beer's raisin-colored/brown body. This isn't the first flaccid beer I've had from Pipeworks; and these things do happen...but yeah. In bright light the beer is a super murky/hazy orange/brown color, with some strangled carbonation trying to reach the surface. There are some legs...and a ring of bubbles sticking to the side (but not really lacing). As an aside, the new orange logo'd caps are fucking awesome.

Pipeworks Date Sugar Yeast Magik

This actually smells alright, with big banana, plums, and tons of candi sugar. It's not overly complex, and it reminds me a bit of Kwak, which is a touch worrisome. If you haven't tried Kwak, don't. There's a touch of phenolic spice and clove on the nose as well, and lots of shades of undefinitive stone fruits. 

Unfortunately, the lack of carbonation carries through in the taste, and this is a style of beer that really needs carbonation. The taste is alright, better than Kwak to be sure...but not by a lot. There's dark candi sugars in here, pretty strong plums/dates, and grain. There's also a bit of Quad-like booziness and overly ripe fruit: bananas and apples, namely. 

Pipeworks brews A LOT of beer, so I've come to terms with the fact that they'll occasionally have some issues (the infected Blue Lady batch; the flat bottles of Nisperos De Batata). The cool thing is Pipeworks does tend to fix their beers in later batches. I recall early reviews for the End of Days citing a lack of body, but latter batches have totally nailed it. I also don't know how prevalent the carbonation issues are for this batch...so we'll see how this one goes.

That said, this beer is without carbonation. It has a medium-full body, and the palate depth would be good if not for the lack of carbonation. Complexity is low. Thankfully, this beer isn't boozy or hot...it's not quite the hot mess that Kwak was, but yeah. I'd like to see how this tastes with proper carbing and maybe some time in the bottle/fermenter. DAE secondary? Up front is candi sugars, bananas, and sweet dates; that rolls into more of the same with some Quad-like booze and overripe fruit; the back end has a touch of bittering, with some lingering sugary fruits. There's a note of grain/oats/creamy...which I've seen before in other Dubbels, but yeah. Le.

Rating: Below-Average (2.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Light Below-Average, and mostly due to technicalities like lack of carbonation and middling to low complexity. I almost went with an Average rating because I really dig some of the flavors going on here, and I think this beer has serious potential...I know this is a collab brew, but I hope Pipeworks will brew this again and tweak the process a bit. Belgian Ales are kind of my favorite thing, and I love me a good Dubbel, Tripel, or Strong Ale. Compared to the infected Blue Lady, this beer might as well be the divine juice from a monk's loins. That said, I'm going to pair the second half of this with a burger...this is worth checking out for all you Pipeworks fans, and I'm hoping to see future batches tweaked or a carbonated version of this on tap.

Random Thought: Dear Red Hot Chili Peppers,

And here we go again, it's never gonna end

We're all so sick of California Songs

Yeah, we know you love L.A.

There's nothing left to say

Please no more California Songs

St. Feuillien Brune

Brewed By: Brasserie St. Feuillien / Friart in Le Roeulx, Belgium

Purchased: 330ml bottle from a St. Feuillien Gift Set bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 7.5%...8.5%?

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing on with the St. Feuillien beers...tonight we jump from their Blond to the Dubbel. Dat dark fruit twist...should be nice. About St. Feuillien:

St. Feuillien is is an Abbey-stye brewery based out of Le Roeulx, Belgium, founded in 1873. The brewery's history goes back to the 7th century, when an Irish monk by the name Feuillien came to Belgium to preach the Gospel. Unfortunately...while traveling through Le Roeulx, Feuillien was martyred and beheaded. In memory of Feuillien, his disciples built a chapel in 1125, which became the Abbey of Prémontrés, later known as the Abbaye St-Feuillien du Roeulx. The Abbey prospered until the French Revolution. St. Feuillien makes use of natural ingredients, centuries-old brewing methods, and (I believe) all their beers are bottle conditioned. You can read more about them HERE. 

Tonight's beer, the St. Feuillien Brune, is a Belgian/Abbey-style Dubbel. Interestingly, my bottle states 7.5%, but the website states that this clocks in at 8.5%. I suppose it doesn't matter too much. The website describes this beer as a brown ale with big fruit, malt, "liquorice," and caramel flavors. Let's glass it up and see what we got.

St. Feuillien Brune

This one pours a murky brown color, with a couple of finger's worth of tan head depending on how aggressive you pour. The head settles into a finger of creamy, sustaining, tan-colored foam. There is some lacing, and as you might expect, head retention is great. In bright light this beer is a reddish/ruby color, with some orange tones, and lots of visible setiment floating around in the murky body. If I had to guess, this will be well carbonated.

The aroma on this is big and bright, and very fruity. I'm getting plums, grapes, caramel, sweet molasses, brown sugar, Twizzlers, licorice, and lots of perfume-like phenols. I love the aroma on these big, brazen Belgian Ales, and this one is great.

This is a big, boozy beer...with lots of hop kick, big phenols, and a ton of complexity. This veers into Quad or Dark Strong complex, and reminds me a bit of the Maredsous Tripel. I'm getting a lot of dusty spice, giant phenol/medicinal/herbal, brown sugar, clove; big sweet molasses, caramel, and light licorice; and plenty of plums, raisin, and dark fruits. There's some ghostly chocolate booze complexity on the back end, and this beer brings some seductive and boozy heat without veering into hot. I'm also getting some slight hints of funk, grass, and even cheese? 

This one is creamy, oily, dusty, and full-bodied. It lays on the body thick, and throws in some hop bitterness mid-palate, and booze in the back. The finish is  malty, hoppy, and then dry. Complexity is very high, palate depth is okay. Up front is carbonation, medicinal bitterness, phenol spice, herbal, clove, brown sugar; this rolls into caramel, molasses, malt roundness, more spice, dark fruits; the back end trails dark fruits, bitterness, booze, ghostly chocolate...fade to dry, malty, and bitter...

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is pretty damn complex, with really nice boozy complexity and tons of subtleties in the taste and aroma. I let this one get pretty warm, which...worked out well. A true compliment to what is surely a sipping beer at 7.5% (or 8.5%). This beer would be a great compliment to peppery chicken, turkey, soups, stews, and hearty dishes. I can't help but associate this beer with winter weather, which is ironic as today was the warmest day of the year so far. The vinous qualities inherent to this style also work well with muscles and certain pasta dishes, in my opinion. And this also would hold up to cheeses, burgers, etc. This is very solid stuff, and possibly better than very solid. I would recommend this.

Random Thought: Okay, so the Bulls lost yesterday, but the Blackhawks won today and the Bulls play tomorrow...I'm not saying it's a good time to be a Chicago fan, but it's a good time to be a Chicago fan.