Abbey Ale - New Belgium, Fort Collins

I like Beglian Dubbels, Tripels and Quadrupels. These beers rank pretty high on my scale of favorite beers. Strong ales with sour yeast flavors are truly a work of art. I've been waiting anxiously to try New Belgium's Abbey Ale for quite some time. I finally got around to picking up a bottle of this Dubbel style and I was a bit surprised with what was inside... My first impression of New Belgium's Abbey Ale was that it was more spicy than I liked and it didn't mask it's 7% ABV well enough to be a smooth drinking beer. These aren't show stopping flaws, but they prevent this beer from being a great Dubbel.

The New Belgium Abbey seemed flawed when I poured it into the glass. The aroma was a bit unusual, a little too much acetone hit my nose. The yeast and cherry aroma didn't mask the alcohol well enough and it seemed as it this beer would be a bit too unbalanced to be drinkable. But aroma doesn't mean everything so I moved on to the flavor. This beer doesn't taste bad, but it tastes a little unfinished or unrefined. The alcohol content is apparent when the beer hits your tongue and the finish leaves you with a spicy and unpleasant finish.

Allowing this beer to warm up near room temperature helps mellow out the flavors a bit but you're still left with a Dubbel that just doesn't quite taste like a Dubbel. On it's own merits, the Abbey Ale is a decent attempt at a Belgian Strong Ale. As a Dubbel however, it is a disappointment.