Out of the Bottle: Red Sky Dubbel

The last of my Trappist beers for 2012 is ready to pour. Time to see how my Dubbel turned out.

Visually, the beer pours with a slightly hazy, deep mahogany hue. The small cream head is extremely dense and slowly settles to a patchwork quilt of foam. A nice latticework of lace is left in the beer's wake.

There are a lot of similarities between this beer and my Quad, which I expected. Like the Quad, dark dried fruit aromas of prunes, raisins and currants are front and center. There's also just the slightest hint of baking chocolate. Pepper and coriander scents keep the sweetness in check.

The beer's aromas transition nicely into the flavors. Sweet dark fruit flavors are out front, bolstered by a bit of chocolate. The bitterness level is just enough to balance the sweeter flavors. In the mouth, the beer is light and dry. Soft carbonation creates a nice tingle.

With a final ABV of 6.5%,the beer is much lighter than my Quad and Tripel, which it should be. This makes for an easy-drinking beer that won't leave you loopy after a couple of glasses.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased.

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