On tap at Biggie’s, updated version of brewers’ most popular ale (newly labeled and stylistically bettering similarly-named ’06 precursor, Belgian Style Dubbel) places spicy brown-sugared dried fruiting alongside caramelized chocolate malting. Molasses-dipped dried cherry, fig, raisin and date sweetness gains peaty respite as well as subdued chestnut, banana bread and toffee notions.
Citric white ale spicing and funky yeast fungi furnish burnished golden Belgian-styled pale ale. Cheerios-like cereal oats and biscuit-y wheat spine upended by lemon rot acridity, grapefruit rind bittering and vegetal astringency. Herbaceous floral-hopped whim lacks resolve, seems misplaced.
Scoffing traditional Belgian-styled candi-sugaring for ‘golden sessionable’ witbier (minus the wheat) perfect for sunny day lunchtime boat cruise alongside light dishes such as sautéed whitefish and freshly barbecued scallops. Grassy-hopped white-peppered herbal spicing lingers through rye-malted burnt orange, banana bread, and extracted vanilla illusions given a teasing ethanol burn.
Elaborate hop-spiced cork dryness subtly lingers across tart cherry jubilee/Lambic blend, picking up amiable honeyed orange nudge while staying less fruity than Ommegang’s more herbaceous Hennepin. Terrific highly alcoholic Belgian knockoff gains moderated white wine souring as buttery caramel, floral yeast mold, and prune undertones re-affirm calming medicinal warmth to exquisite cider-wooded barleywine finish.
Ambitious amber-clouded aperitif integrates sweet floral bouquet with cotton-candied white-sugared sweetness, tart cherry-citrus spray, and rosemary-oregano herbage before alcohol-laced acidity deflates complexity of dry-hopped finish. Watery texture depletes earthen mineral basin. Supposedly ages better than wine.
Dry whiskeyed cherry frontage, persistent raisin-prune conflux, cotton-candied sugaring and cinnamon-spiced molasses sweetness envelop sparkling chestnut-hued barleywine-like Abbey ale. Pleasantly resonating dried fruiting overrides brown-riced rye-wheat backbone. Hefty 10% alcohol volume is sure to frazzle brain.
Highly carbonated chestnut-hued Trappist ale overwhelmed at first sips by dry raisin prominence. Earthen cherry wood tones and meandering chocolate malt follow-up gently sweeten fig-date tartness while brawny 8% alcohol flow gives sugared maple finish a much-needed kick.
Splendid cream soda essence highlights alcohol-stricken sharpness while butterscotch and almond wine illusions enhance dry ginger ale-like sweetness. Mellow flow softened further by buttery finish without disrupting up-front ebullition.
“First brewed by Belgian monks,” foamy dark amber brings soft-watered freshness to prickly-hopped fruit-drooped red ale bitterness for a fine American knockoff. Only drawback is malt creaminess subsides too quickly at vague finish. Seasoned drinkers will get bored after a few gulps.
Extraordinary mahogany-hued Trappist ale features curious turpentine-like caramel malt entry, brandy-soaked maraschino cherry theme, and brutish raisin-prune-plum scheme above dewy peat moss. Creamy molasses consistency, velvety Muscat grape mellowing, and candi-sugared nutmeg-cinnamon spicing subsume alcohol warmth. Strong medicinal finish carries forth highly complex offering.
Sour yeast-scented bitter-hopped Belgian brings sweet Scotch malting and ashen hop resin to dainty butterscotch finish. A bit bland for pale ale but fine for adventurous pilsner skulls.