Corsendonk Pater Dubbel

 

Pater is a dark brown, mahogany tinged Belgian dubbel with an amazingly tight and frothy cream head.  It looks absolutely splendid and I couldn't wait to dive in for a sniff and a sip.

The aroma is so deliciously malty with a hint of tangy hops, as you would expect from a Belgian beer, along with notes of boozy fruit, like you get in a Christmas cake.  It also has a slightly soapy floral fragrance that was a bit strange and prevented it from scoring full marks for aroma.

It redeemed itself in the taste though.  It's very malty with notes of dark fruit, liquorice and treacle followed by a slightly dry, bitter coffee finish.  It really does have a lovely sweet/bitter balance.  It's very well carbonated and full bodied, giving a full tongue-tingling experience and resulting in one or two bubbly burps.

This is a lovely Belgian dubbel with a sweetness that reminded me of treacle pudding and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Corsendonk Brewery, Belgium

6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Corsendonk Brewery

Harper's North Bridge Brown Ale

 

North Bridge Brown Ale is a budget beer from Aldi and although it's not a patch on Newcastle Brown Ale, it's not bad at all.

It's a lovely chestnut brown colour but it's let down by the very small, rapidly disappearing beige head so you very quickly end up with a flat looking headless ale.

It has a lovely malty smell with a dash of sweet caramel which is replicated in the taste, along with some chocolate and burnt toffee.  The chocolate is more sweet than bitter so it has a lovely balance for the sweet-toothed among us.  Most surprising is the harsh carbonation, which considering its flat appearance came as quite a shock to the palate. 

Not bad at all for a budget beer and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed for Aldi by Harper's Brewing Co
4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Darwin Wearside Monk

Sunderland isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of Trappist ales but Darwin have brewed an absolute belter in Wearside Monk.  This Trappist ale isn't Belgian, it's Mackem and it certainly gives some of those well known Belgian ales a run for their money.

St. Peter's Church, Sunderland founded in AD 674 was one of the two churches that formed part of the Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery, with St Paul's, Jarrow following in AD 681.  Darwin Brewery had the Monkwearmouth monastery in mind when using Trappist yeast to brew Wearside Monk.  The monks were sure to have been avid home brewers so it's a wonderful tribute to our fascinating local history.

It's a beautiful chestnut brown ale with a loose beige head that disappears rapidly leaving a patchy layer.  There is a tiny bit of sediment in the bottle so I didn't pour it all into my glass in order to keep it lovely and clear.

Well it definitely smells like a Trappist beer with an aroma of sour tangy hops, malt, caramel and dark fruit.  It smells very rich and warming, almost as if it's been brewed in bourbon or whisky casks.

The taste is awesome and so complex that it's hard to describe.  I picked up hints of caramel, malt, dark fruit, tangy hops and even banana.  It has a dry/bitter finish as well as a lingering warming alcohol effect.  It has a medium body and it's perfectly carbonated to give a little fizz on the tongue without being at all harsh.

It's absolutely lovely and I'll be stocking up on more of these as soon as they're back in stock.  What a unique Mackem Trappist ale!  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Darwin Brewery, Sunderland

7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Darwin Brewery

Corsendonk Summum Roodbruin

Corsendonk Summum Roodbruin is a dark mahogany brown coloured Belgian Dubbel with an amazingly tight beige head that doesn't budge, lasting and lacing until the final drop.  The head is amazingly robust, leaving thick lacing on the glass.  

There's a light aroma of malt, fruit, treacle and tangy hops along with a slightly metallic hint.  There's nothing light about the flavour with a big hit of roasted malt, dark fruit, sour hops and treacle.  As it's a Belgian dubbel with an ABV of 8.1% ABV it's no surprise that there's a slight hint of alcohol in the taste but there's nothing harsh or raw about it; it's more of a warming taste of alcohol as if the beer has been brewed in bourbon casks.  As it develops, I could taste more caramel and even a hint of liquorice giving it a bitter/sweet finish.

Medium bodied with good carbonation, it has an abundance of prickly malty bubbles with a sour fruit centre that burst in your mouth.  It's a real lip smacking beer with sweet caramel lingering on the lips and slightly sour dark fruit and malt on the tongue.

You can tell it's a strong ale as you're drinking it but without any raw alcohol taste it goes down far too easily.  A very easy to drink Belgian ale, it's perhaps not the best dubbel I've ever had but at £6.99 for a pack of 4 from Lidl it's definitely good value.  My four have now all magically disappeared but I'll be keeping an eye out for these hitting the shelves again and Ale Be Seeing You.

Brewed by Corsendonk Brewery, Belgium
8.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Corsendonk Brewery

Leffe Biere de Noël/Kerstbier

  

Leffe Biere de Noël is a stunning beer; it's a mid-brown colour with a lovely amber hue and a bubbly cream coloured head.  The head is quite loose so it's not surprising to see it disappear but it does retain a thin foam layer. 

The aroma is so malty with a huge hit of spicy mixed fruit and a hint of smooth, sweet toffee.  It's not a terribly strong smell but it is so appealing and I knew I was in for a real treat as I leaned in for my first sip.  The taste is HEAVENLY; tangy toffee, sticky treacle, sweet malt and a slight hint of cinnamon - this is a dark ale lover's dream.

It's medium bodied and well carbonated which gives the feel of champagne bubbles bursting on the tongue, however, I would have preferred the bubbles to be a little less harsh.  It's a shame it's so fizzy as it was looking like it would score full marks across the board.

An absolutely delicious malty ale with sweet toffee notes and a pinch of festive spice, I'd be more than happy to drink a Biere de Noël again so Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Leffe, Belgium

6.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Leffe

Chimay Red

 

Chimay is one of the most well know Trappist breweries and they certainly know how to brew outstanding Trappist beer.  Chimay Red was the first Trappist beer to be brewed by monks at the Scourmont Abbey in Chimay, Belgium in 1862.  It is an amber dubbel made with water drawn from the two wells inside the monastery.

Pouring a rich mahogany colour with a tight beige head that seems to magically continue to grow, this is a beautiful red-tinged brown ale.  There is some sediment in the bottle so I poured it carefully to get a clearer ale as I'm not a fan of bits but you can of course include the yeast if that is to your taste.  

It has a mouthwatering aroma of dark fruit, particularly raisins and plums, sweet malts and a hint of spice.  Although it doesn't smell of alcohol, the aroma is so rich that you can tell it is a strong beer.  The taste is absolutely sublime: such a lovely blend of malt, treacle and fruit with a perfectly balanced citrus/metallic bitter finish.  The sweet/bitter balance is perfect and I had to remind myself of the 7% ABV to stop me glugging it down.

It's a medium bodied ale that is well carbonated, with bubbles slightly on the harsh side and they certainly left my tongue tingling.  It really is a delicious dark ale and I can definitely say that Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Chimay Brewery, Belgium
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Chimay Brewery

Wychwood King Goblin

I do think that you are always guaranteed a good beer from Wychwood and King Goblin is no exception.  I love the look of this one: a warm amber, ruby tinged colour topped off with a loose beige head, however, the head does disappear quite quickly, leaving a thin foamy layer.

There isn't a strong aroma, although what I could smell reminded me of dark red fruits, sweet malts and warm spices.  It's quite fizzy to start with but it has a lovely treacle taste and a liquorice aftertaste.  The taste of sweet black treacle lingers on the tongue until your next mouthful...and in my case, I didn't have long to wait.

It's a shame the head didn't last very long at all as it gives it a flat appearance which belies the yummy taste you're about to experience.  For me, King Goblin was absolutely divine and Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Wychwood, Oxfordshire
6.6% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Wychwood Brewery