#prior8

So glad to have the St. Bernadus mixer as part of the LCBO holiday release.  It fits nicely into two product categories that the LCBO seems to enjoy including in the gifting season line-up: exclusive Belgians and mixed packs.  

While I have always enjoyed the somewhat-regularly available ABT 12, and literally finished the Pater 6 right before reviewing this, I wanted to talk about this beer in particular for an interesting reason.  This is considered the best example of a Belgian Dubbel in the world according to ratebeer.com, and the sixth best via beeradvocate.com: no small feat.  

I am also considering a Dubbel as my next homebrew, so an in-depth analysis of a classic should be helpful.

Appearance:  Pours nicely clear; a deep mahogany with a thick cap of creamy off white head that doesn't fade.  Laces nicely in the glass.  Against the light, this has a lovely reddish hue.

Aroma:  Big malts up front, more bread than caramel, but definitely sweet and chewy.  Light toffee leads into honeyed fig, overripe banana, molasses.  While the Pater 6 let the apple-pear fruitiness of St. Bernardus' yeast strain come through this really pushes the earthy-spicy quality that I really like in Belgian beers.  Mild spicy-Old World hopping as well.

Taste:  Not as dry as Westmalle, and far more digestible than Chimay, this beer strikes a nice balance between full-bodied malt complexity and ease of consumption.  A little sweet with just enough bitter hop and alcohol to balance out on the drier side.  Finishes surprisingly clean.

Palate:  Smooth, moderate to full bodied with high carbonation.  Silky-creamy with great sustain.  Lingering malt and fruit on the tongue with just a hint of alcohol heat.