The Westmalle brewery, based in Westmalle, Belgium, is one of the last remaining truly Trappist breweries. The abbey has held the Trappist label since 1836, and their first beer was brewed in the same year. The Trappist code requires that the abbeys survive on enterprise rather than charity, so many of them chose to brew. As with most of the Trappist abbeys, Westmalle also produce their own range of cheeses, which I am sure would go excellently with their beers. Today, although still officially a Trappist brewery, most of the work is done by workers in a secular setting, separate from the abbey, however 22 Trappist monks still supervise the brewery's activity.
Anyway, on to the beer. Faced with the choice of a Tripel or Dubbel, I was quite stumped, so was eventually reduced to a game of eeny-miny-mo, and came up with the Dubbel. It poured a wonderful cloudy dark colour, with some hints of redness when held up to a light. At 7% it had a surprisingly thick head which laced the glass almost perfectly as I drank the beer. The nose was rich and fruity, but managed to keep a hoppy dryness which I have come to expect from darker Belgian ales. In the mouth I was hit by the aromatic flavours and soft mouth-feel. The flavour wasn't as robust as I had imagined it would be, but this didn't take away from the fact that this was a truly exquisite beer. Easily quaffable and remarkably smooth, this one would go perfectly with some soft cheese, or even possibly a lighter meat dish. I'm now really looking forward to the Tripel!
Scores
Presentation(Packaging) 8
Pour/Colour 9
Nose 8
Taste 8
Mouthfeel 9
Overall 8.5/10
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