Seductive well-rounded medium body contrasts musky Belgian yeast peppering with ripe raisin rampage and brown-sugared molasses malting. Caramelized brown chocolate nuttiness and grape-jammed plum-fig-date dried fruiting heighten its complexities. Tertiary dark rum, brown banana, black cherry and blackberry nuances sweeten the back end.

Easygoing Belgian dark ale crowds sweet cotton-candied entry with banana-bruised coriander spicing and doughy sugar breading. Although astringent ethanol burn overrides wispy dried fruiting, latent raisin-grape-cherry undertones enrich its caramelized backend.

Inviting auburn-browned Belgian dubbel brings bittersweet raisin-pureed bruised banana to clove-spiced hop sharpness and mossy fungi earthiness. Brown-sugared stewed prune, dark cherry and pecan illusions contrast vinous black grape souring above musty cellar funk. Creamy caramel finish retains chewy dried fruiting. On tap, enjoyable candi-sugared dubbel blends sweet ‘n sour cider pucker into creamy caramel malting and wintry clove-gingerbread spicing. Lingering white peppered hop sharpness usurps peat-mossy red grape, fig, and raisin subsidy.

Rich dubbel ‘brewed with plums’ really hits the mark. Candi-sugared Italian plum influence weighs heavy on peppery Belgian yeast strain. Musty muscat grape-juiced stewed prune musk and cinnamon raisin breading pick up sharp hop spicing. Tertiary green grape, blackberry, raspberry and boysenberry tartness stays beneath surface. Fizzy grape soda sweetness contrasts vinous oaken grape tannins at ripe plum finish.

Treasonous Belgian dubbel re-creation snubs stylistic barriers for a novel deconstruction relying more on nutty brown-sugared dried fruiting than peppery candi-sugared yeast spicing. Peanut-shelled cola-pecan-praline illusions, maple-sapped fig-date-prune-cherry nuances and molasses-draped sarsaparilla snips crowd the caramel-burnt toffee malting. Coarse ashen hop astringency counters the lovely soft-watered effervescence.

Noirish Belgian strong dark ale brings honeyed molasses malting to lightly coriander-spiced dried fruiting. Candi-sugared blood orange, white fig, caramelized apple, black plum, black cherry, peach and praline illusions serenade fruitcake midst. Sherry dots muddled brown-sugared mocha-fruited finish.

Musky monastic-styled Belgian dubbel, “brewed with raisins,” works sour dried fruiting into phenol hop coarsening and a sharp metallic sheen. Tempered raisin persuasion picks up light molasses-sapped caramel malting, but expectant candi-sugared sweetness lacks. Vinous green and yellow grape tannins bring mid-palate pucker to fig-dried banana breading. A hint of bourbon, almondine and chestnut found in deep recess.

Diverting Belgian strong ale stays light and fizzy on the tongue, but bitter and dry on the backend. Despite brown-sugared Belgian yeast influence, molasses tea caking, earthen grain pungency and dessicated fig-date-plum conflux seem closer to dewy English pale ale. Gingerbread, cinnamon and hazelnut make cameos.

Engaging 2011 limited edition tap-only strong ale pleats funky Belgian-styled candied yeast with creamy banana-pureed apricot-peach-pear fruiting and sweet clove-coriander spicing to contrast sharp peppery-hopped bitterness. Astringent alcohol acridity layered below expressive brown-sugared fruited spices.

On tap at Andy’s Corner Bar, softly creamed copper-toned Belgian dubbel (cask version) brings mild floral waft to receptive dried apricot, medicinal cherry and navel orange tones. Dainty pilsner malting underscores dehydrated fruiting.

In 1-pint 9-ounce bottle, ambitious collaboration between Sierra Nevada and the monks at New Clairaux Abbey layers Belgian chocolate-spiced caramel malts above black-peppered purple and red grape esters to musty basement-like yeast funk. Brown-sugared clove spicing trickles into ancillary fruitcake, raisin and prune illusions. On tap at Andy’s Corner Bar, sharp dried-fruited copper-toned Belgian-styled dubbel retained creamy brown-sugared dark-spiced tingle. Tannic grape skins cushion fig, raisin, and cherry fruiting. Recessive banana-clove sweetness contrasts peppery hop sop.

Rangy rust-hued Belgian dubbel ale may pass for chic sour ale. Unsweetened dry-smoked ‘Italian chestnut honey and jam’ overridden by tart orange-dried Courvoisier penchant, oaken cherry sourness, cider-y white wine sharpness, and fizzy carbolic pep. Mild herbal spell wavers through fruit-spiced Abbey-styled moderation.