Koningshoeven Dubbel is a special beer...actually all beer brewed with passion is special...but Koningshoeven brews are truly unique, flavor aside.  To begin with, they are a Trappist brewery.  Only seven breweries in the world can use that trademarked word (Trappist).  In order to be a Trappist brewery, the beer must be brewed under the supervision and responsibility of a monk, who lives according to the rule of St. Benedict.  Proceeds of a Trappist brew not only support the monastery but also charity towards the poor and disenfranchised. Koningshoeven is unique among Trappist breweries in that while 6 of the 7 Trappist breweries' domicile is Belgium, they are located in the Netherlands.  Next time your chic friend goes to order an Amstel Light, steer them in the direction of a Koningshoeven beer.  Not only does it taste better, but they will be uplifting the poor of the world through their purchase. So how did this Dubbel treat me? The Pour: The beer is beautiful.  But aren't all Trappist beers?  I hear it is because the yeast is actually derived from angel sneezes.  Anyhow, the beer really is a great looking beer.  It is deep brownish purple with smaller carbonation bubbles.  The head is great, but ...

Having already reviewed Rochefort 10 and 8, I felt compelled to go ahead and drink another Trappist Ale. Don't feel bad for my sacrifice, it's all part of the job!  This is the last (or first, depending on how you look at it) of the three Ales that are made by Rochefort.  In terms of alcohol, this is the "weakest" of the three, coming in at a mere 7.5% ABV.  Obviously, this is still a substantial brew.  Since I've had the other two, I'm going to attempt comparing the three to some degree.  (If you are interested in the reviews of the other two, see the links above.) Rochefort 6 had brown-orange tinted body, which came through beautifully in the glass.  Atop this body sat a light, creamy, brown, billowing head, which was thick and finely carbonated.  I'm sure the monks who made this beer would appreciate me saying that the body was terrestrial and the head was celestial. On the nose, this beer had substantially more fruit qualities than the other two.  To me, the aromas came through as syrupy pear and tinges of apple cider.  The syrupy notes were very nice.  Alcohol was somewhat noticeable in the nose, slightly less ...

We've already reviewed Rochefort 10, which many of you (including Nate) couldn't get because of state alcohol restrictions.  10 is 11.3% ABV, and many states only allow up to 10%, which is ironic given the name of the Rochefort that they can't get.  Anyway, I thought that I'd review the 8 so that some of you can experience a Rochefort product.  I'm also planning on posting about the 6 as well.  Here is the 8 Trappist Ale. This beer is not a lightweight by any means; it still comes in at over 9% ABV.  When I poured the 8 I could tell that it was a little different in color than the 10, but it still had the stable light brown head that its older brother had.   As far as the aromas go, there were not too many huge differences, but I'll give what I thought.  A metallic note was on the nose along with some sweet vinous notes.  Like the 10, I caught raisons on the nose.  The alcohol was still punchy but with less gin notes and an earthy woodish smokiness.  There was some breadyness from the yeast in the beer.  I also caught what I thought was a ...

This is our third Chimay beer for this site.  If you remember, Chimay is one of very few beers that are designated as Trappist Ales.  (To find out more about Trappist Ales, click here.)  Our first Chimay review was of their Red label.  All three of them are similar but jump one percent ABV per version and have some notable differences as well.  Chimay White has 8% ABV and comes in a characteristically (for bottle-conditioned ales) thick bottle.   When I poured this beer it had a golden-orange body, which was very effervescent in the glass.  Also similar to many Belgians, this beer had a foamy billowing white head, one that you might still find after leaving the beer for an hour. Aroma-wise, the beer had candy sugar qualities and some very noticeable cola attributes.  Alcohol aromas also made their way to the nose on this one.  Yeast, which lent some spice, was also pretty prevalent in the smell.  It may or may not mean much to a lot of you, but there was the smell of home-brew wort in the beer.  Some very restrained hops were also notable. When I tasted this beer, it had a nice, spicy hop taste on the tongue. ...

Here is the second of the Trappist Ales, which we suggested for Drink with us Friday.  SImilar to Chimay, this Rochefort 10 is the strongest in a series of three (the others being 6 and 8).  (By the way, I agree with Nate that Chimay Blue is an excellent beer and worthy of of being tried.) Rochefort is designated as a Quadruple Ale, the implication being that it is fitting for times stronger than "normal" ale.  I have plans to try their 8 and 6, but for now, let's talk about their 10. This beer had a thick, tall, and light brown stable head.  The body was densely brown and active.  As I looked at it, it seemed like an imposing ale. When I bent down to sniff this Trappist Ale, I immediately caught the aroma of the 11.3% alcohol that dominated the beer.  There was a sweet, sugary aroma on the nose, along with a malty and vinous quality.  I caught the smell of raisons, a slight cherry fruitiness, and hints of chocolate.  In addition, toasted caramel was a thought that ran through my mind. Having finished my ritual of sight and smell, I was ready to take a sip.  Man was this ...

What a fantastic beer!  Anybody who has claimed to not like beer has not allowed this fine beverage to change their mind. First off, the beer was highly carbonated.  I am very carefully when opening corked beers as I want to upset the beer as little as possible.  The last corked beer I drank (Three Philosophers)  op-end with ease...the cork slipped off.  Chimay exploded reminiscent of a bottle champagne.  The pour revealed a a cloudy reddish brown liquid.  I noticed small particles (yeast, I assume) suspended in the liquid.  The head on my beer was a bout 3 fingers and was supported by large carbonation bubbles that rested on the surface in a very uneven and unique manner. The smell was fantastic.  It was a very earthy aroma.  I was expecting to pick up strong malt aromas, but instead my olfactory senses were immediately overwhelmed with a strong but pleasant iron/metallic aroma.  Underneath I picked up the malts, laden with a fruity essence, namely grapes and apple.  I also picked up on smells that reminded me of spice, brown sugar and molasses. The mouth-feel, despite the dry and bubbly character, was extremely smooth and warm on my tongue.  The flavor of this beer ...

It's been quite a long time since I have had any of the Chimay Ales.  At the time that I drank them, I knew they had a reputation of being very good beers.  As time goes on, you develop your palate and taste stuff very differently.  I imagine that I'll taste this even a little differently in five years.  One thing has not changed: it is a very good beer that deserves to be tried.  By the way, the reason that I bought the three beers (i.e., the Red, White, and Blue Chimay, which would have been fitting for the Fourth of July) is that they came in a three pack with a "25 year of Chimay in America" anniversary glass.  Here is how I see the beer with my current tasting abilities. The appearance of the beer closely resembled its bottle's red label.  Fine carbonation was a major feature in the the head of the beer, which helped to maintain its long stable head.  Creamy--that is a good way to describe the appearance of the head.  As I looked at the glass, I saw just how effervescent (like Coke, pop, or soda, whatever you might call it) the beer really was.  The aromas and tastes of the beer were ...