Dubbel

Cathedral Square is Missouri's newest brewery. Based out of Saint Louis, Cathedral Square actually contracts all of it's brewing through the Weston Brewing Company. Weston, which is north of Kansas City, isn't exactly known for putting out quality beers... I've heard the problem exists somewhere in the bottling line. Curious, why would anyone contract brew through a brewery that has such a bad track record? Don't as me, because it doesn't make any sense whatsoever...

This stout little bottle is quite unassuming. It's got a curvy upper half that looks a bit like soft serve ice cream atop a cone. The label is pretty plain, with it's blue background and curiously menacing stork icon. You can never really judge a beer by it's label so I tried not to develop any preconceived notions about this little Belgian bottle from a brewery I'd never heard of. When I poured this beer into my glass I noticed a pretty big aroma coming off the beer. There was a good deal of malt at first but hints of candied fruit, chocolate and caramel were all present. An odd aroma for a Dubbel, but a great combination nonetheless.

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.

If you're a fan of Belgian beers then you probably know all about Chimay's Red. Chimay is the only Trappist ale available to most people and the Red label dubbel is their entry level beer at ONLY 7% alcohol. The wide availability of Chimay may lead some to conclude that this is the Budweiser of Belgian beers, but that certainly isn't the case. Chimay, and more specifically their Red label beer, is a great example of the Trappist genre. Chimay's Red is a strong but well balanced Belgian Dubbel that had a sweet and maltly taste up front and finishes smooth and creamy. It is, in so many ways, a perfect example of the style. As the younger brother of the Tripel, the Dubbel is still a big beer. It has strong flavors but is able to remain sweet and smooth. For anyone who has been intimidated by Tripels or Quadrupels in the past, you should really pick up a bottle of Chimay's Red.