Ølfabrikken Abbey Ale is our interpretation of the dark and strong ales brewed in the Belgian monasteries. A more than hundred year old yeast strain provides the beer with notes of raisins and prunes supplemented by a discrete spicy aroma from coriander. The flavor is big and vinous and dominated by caramel. Enjoy it with braised meat, game and ripe cheese. Of course unpasteurized, unfiltered and refermented in the bottle.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by oh6gdx from Vaasa, Finland who has tried this beer once. (6/18/2008 2:32:06 AM)
"Bottled. Orangeish amber colour with huge slightly off-white head. Aroma is some yeast, fruits, alcohol and mild spicing. Flavour is fruits, spices, alcohol and yeast. While cold not the most exciting thing, but as it warms up it gets smoother. "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (4/5/2008 12:34:05 AM)
"A careful pour produces an easily four-finger thick, light tan colored head that forms a textured, varied surface and leaves a nice spotty lacing pattern on the sides of the glass as it slowly recedes. The beer is a rusty, dark plum color, but shows a brilliantly clear, though chunky, light cranberry hue when held up to the light. In the light that carbonation is shown as quite aggressive with madly streaming bubbles swirling ever-which way. Quite spicy smelling, this mixes quite well with a vibrant fruitiness. Bright notes of bergamot zest, a touch of earthy spice character (clove & anise & herbal notes) and fruit notes of poached pear, sweet plum and raisin are all quite noticeable up front. Behind these notes is a chewy malt character that smells of toasted malt, browned biscuits and lightly burnt bread crust. The coriander character is huge here, but the brewers seemed to have used a quality selection of the spice as it contributes more of the citrus-like notes than the dirty, gritty spice notes that a "cheap" version does. This has a really expressive aroma that is quite a joy to savor.
Well carbonated, though it has settled down a bit in the last five minutes that I spent enjoying the aroma. Still the zesty carbonation provides a frothy, tongue scrubbing texture that helps to keep this beer light. This is despite a sweet fruitiness that reminds me of a mix of sweet plums, raisins and perhaps a touch of caramelized apples as well as the ample, coriander derived, sweet citrus character. The beer dries out a bit in the finish as it has a mix of light alcohol warming, an earthy herbal-spice note and a dusty toasted grain character. The citrus-flavors & residual sweetness seems to create flavors of maraschino cherries somewhere in the middle. This beer is quite light for a beer of this strength and sweetness (though the sweetness is not rich). The finish picks up a fair amount of spicy phenolic notes as the beer warms up a bit; turpene laden notes of clove cardamom and even a touch of pine sap. This remains a fruity (especially a sweet, almost candied citrus or even bergamot note) beer up front, though the sweetness softens up just a bit.
If the coriander was not such a clean, high quality character, I would most certainly say that this beer was over-spiced. As it is though I really like the fresh, rich, citrus zest character that the coriander adds; it is most certainly the dominant contributor to both the nose and flavor though. This beer could certainly be more complex, with more depth to its character, especially with the exaggerated coriander notes, though the coriander might be hiding a really complex beer (though I don't think this is the case here). I wouldn't say this is simplistic though and it is quite tasty and quite drinkable.
Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.9)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $11.75 Unit Cost: $7.41 per Pint
[3] Review by staleyiv from Newnan, GA, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/29/2008 11:56:07 PM)
"Aroma on this brew is sweetness and tartness with some sour overtones as well as some Belgian yeast and candy sugar. Appearance is a rich, reddish-brown in color when held to the light with a very full head on top that is ever expanding and a light-tan in color and well-carbonated leaving lacing on the glass. Mouthfeel is clean and well-rounded with yeasty complexity as well as balance with a palate that is frothy and creamy and coats well. Flavor is a tad sour with some tartness and some brown and candied sugar with some dark fruity esters with an aftertaste that is sweet as well as creamy with a finish that bold and very Belgian in origin given the Danish brewer. Overall, a very fine dubbel ale here and recommended for the Belgian ale lovers for sure... "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $8.26 Unit Cost: $5.21 per Pint
[4] Review by Jonpol from Beer Cooler, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/5/2007 4:01:51 PM)
"Pours a dark dingey copper color like an old penny from the 60’s. A tall foamy head persists and sticks like a stubborn muledeer. After some coaxing the head comes down and rests as a thick, downy canopy. Faint dusty candy aromas speak in a Belgian tongue. Medium full nectar w/ ample mellow residual effers. The texture is soft and semi creamy. A full malty body and only mildly sweet w/ flavors of plumby stonefruit, grapes, melon, brown sugar, and gummy bears. Theres a slightly acidic spicey essence that charges through and balances it all out. The finish is bittered well leaving a spicey tingling on my tongue. A solid representation of the style and highly recommended."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
10/10
Mouthfeel:
10/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $11 Unit Cost: $6.94 per Pint
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