Out of the Cellar: Red Sky Dubbel

2013

I really ought to do this more often. Pretty much one year from the day that the grains and hops hit the brew kettle, I'm drinking the last bottle of 2012's Red Sky Dubbel. This is only the second homebrew I cellared. The other being my Belgian Strong Pale Ale. Thankfully, there are more beers on the way.

Last year, I stated that "Sweet dark fruit flavors are out front, bolstered by a bit of chocolate. The bitterness level is just enough to balance the sweeter flavors". Most of that is still the case.

2012

Surprisingly, the sweet/bitter balance hasn't really changed. If anything, the beer is even more spicy. I imagine that's because the yeast is doing a lot of the spice work. Although raisin and prune aromas and flavors still dominate, there's a more prevalent Baking Chocolate flavor that's almost roasted in nature. The body is even more dry than it was before. A soft carbonation is still present and continues to carry just the right tingle. Head retention isn't quite as good, but there's still a fair bit of lace left in the beer's wake.

So what's the story here? That I need to make sure I always keep a few bottles of my stronger beers in storage for a year or more. If the rest come out like this one, I'll be quite happy.

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