One woman's ale journey

A beery boozy journey with delightful snacks along the way and a book in my hand.

Sunday 12 November 2017

La Trappe Dubbel


As with all trappist ales, this one burst out of the bottle and I found it quite difficult to keep the head under control whilst pouring.  The frothy beige head does settle to a more manageable tight thick layer after a while.  This dark brown ale has a beautiful ruby glow and you can buy this for around £2.69 at Beer Hawk, so it's quite a reasonable price for a trappist ale.

The caramel malt smells amazing; it oozes treacly sweetness with a slightly sour nose.  First sip is one to savour as the sweetness of the malts give way to a slightly metallic bitter aftertaste.  The overall impression is one of a succulent malt loaf sprinkled with brown sugar as I could taste dark fruits baked in a mouthwatering loaf.  Despite the evident carbonation resulting in the huge initial head, it feels very smooth and would be quite easy to drink quickly but for the high alcohol content.

It's one of those beers that results in you licking your lips long after you've finished it to make sure that you savour every last drop.  Those monks sure knew a thing or two about brewing and Ale definitely Be Seeing this one Again.  

Brewed by De Koningshoeven Brewery, Holland
7% ABV

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Find out more at De Koningshoeven Brewery

Saturday 11 November 2017

Durham Brewery Bede's Chalice


I've neglected my beer blog of late, so what better way to storm back online than with a 9% Belgian Tripel from my local Durham Brewery.

This is a bottle conditioned beer so I made sure to pour it carefully and managed to get a lovely clear pint, leaving the little bit of sediment in the bottle.  It's a traditional 'beery' coloured ale, being deep golden/light amber with a thin but very very tight off-white head.  The head is so tight that it looks like you've poured a layer of milk on top of your beer - very impressive.

There is quite a complex aroma - at first it just smells of malt and hops but it seems to develop into a smell of fruity peaches with a slightly floral edge as it lies in the glass.  So let's dive in and see what it tastes like.

It tastes exactly as I would expect from an abbey ale with the distinctive sweetness of fermented fruits but with a surprisingly bitter aftertaste.  You can't disguise the high ABV as the strong alcohol content is very apparent in the taste but it doesn't overpower the other flavours, as I've found with some other strong ales.  An added hint of caramel makes it feel initially very smooth until the zingy orange citrus aftertaste tingles your tongue.

A lovely beer for a treat and one Ale Be Seeing Again but I wouldn't have too many or I'd be dancing on the tables...with an empty purse at £4.49 per bottle!

Brewed by Durham Brewery, Durham
9% ABV

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