Abbaye De Floreffe Double - Brasserie Lefèbvre SA

DoubleJ

California

3.41/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle served at Amsterdam's Belgisch Bierlokaal, poured into its branded goblet. On to the beer:

This is a dark brown beer with a sturdy head on the pour before dropping to a lace. The aroma brings confusion, as it's not as well balanced as it should. It smells liek someone threw up licorice, plum, and burnt raisin in my glass. The good news is tastes better. Balanced a little better, starting with some black licorice. Roasted plum says hello, and throughout there's vague dark fruit. The alcohol holds itself in, and it medium-full bodied with a smooth feel.

Parts of the beer are disjointed, but it is competent enough to keep on drinking.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 18:04:09 | More by DoubleJ

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served from a 330ml bottle to a tulip glass

A: Deep red/brown color. The best thing I can equate it to is prune juice. 2 finger head with rather attractive lacing and decent retention.

S: Sweet malts and mild fuityness. A little bit grape like in aroma but pretty subtle.

T: Fairly sweet and relies a lot on the malts, perhaps too much, and does not really have to much fruity esters or clove like phenolics that I like in a Dubbel. Its really not that complex and is pretty straight forward. It also has a brown sugar like flavor. Alcohol is slightly noticeable even though its not that much.

M: Finishes crisp and pretty dry as well.

O: Pretty bland in my opinion. While i'd happily drink another it was pretty boring overall. Nothing stunned me or made me go "WOW". It was very mild in character overall and when I'm drinking something of this style I want it to really pop and be a rich experience.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 20:30:50 | More by Haydn-Juby

karait95

Mexico

3.95/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: amber dark looking, bold body with a big very light brown head that dissipates not too fast leaving some rocky traces behind, carbonation is rich and forms a permanent layer over the beer.

S: not doubts that dark fruits are inside, something like prunes with a malty backbone.

T: also nice, well elaborated with concordance to the standard for the style, dark fruits flavors with low but present hops and barley.

M: not to sweet, some extra sweetness would be accepted, even started balanced changing at the end and showing some bitterness on the back of the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 03:39:08 | More by karait95

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into a goblet by freshness date.

A:
Deep mahogany brown to almost shade of black with some ruddy tinge, thick frothy tan head forms up with moderate retention. It collapses to foamy film on top along with some lacing patches. Carbonation seems to be high.

S:
Caramel, phenolic spice, trait of herbal and hop along with dark fruits remind me of grape and raisin.

T:
Rich malty flavor ranging between a note of caramelized and roasted, sweetness is upright by the use of canesugar as well as from tangy dark fruits. Spiciness is derived from phenol while hop tries to cut in with a moderate pinch of bitterness.

M:
The body is medium to rather bold with lively crisp from good and well suit amount of carbonation to provide silky smooth and a bit sticky mouthfeel, dry finish.

O:
This is a mild alcoholic Dubbel but is still so tasty and so drinkable, definitely worth a pick.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 18:10:46 | More by Everydayoff

Hoppsbabo

United Kingdom (England)

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: Cola brown with off white head, massive and foamy.

SMELL: Difficult to describe. A creamy sort of mix of wine, allspice, liqorice, yeast, hint of vinegar. Not as interesting as it sounds though.

TASTE: Liquorice, dandelion and burdock. Nice bitterness. I can taste the cane sugar towards the bottom, masks the metallic maltiness well. Aftertaste bread, rum and dandelion and burdock - pleasant.

OVERALL: Liquorice and dandelion and burdock are the prominent flavours. Gets better further down. A touch sticky. Excellent head to start with. Very smooth. A quality beer, no doubt, but not my cup of tea. I'd prefer an arsenal of dark fruits.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 15:00:39 | More by Hoppsbabo

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - This beer looks really nice! A very pretty deep ruby red-coloured body, topped off by a nice creamy caramel head. Very good head retention and okay lacing.

S - Smells alright but not quite like a true dubbel. I'm mostly getting yeast, a bit of red grapes and some caramel and/or toffee.

T - Again, I'm getting the red grapes, which gives this beer have a certain wine-like quality. Some toasted malts; just a little bit of roastiness. Not as fruity as I'm usually looking for in dubbels (except for red grapes and a little bit of cherries). I wouldn't call it a very sweet beer, despite some of that distinctive Belgian Candi sugar sweetness up front. There is a very subtle tartness, which is quite nice. The finish is a bit dry and bitter, with no specific lingering tasting notes (except for caramel, perhaps).

M - This is where this beer really performs well. It's exceptionally smooth and creamy! Medium-bodied. No alcohol in the taste. Again, some dry red wine qualities, with a tannin illusion on the palate. All in all, it feels great to drink.

O - In my opinion, as a dubble, this is a little unorthodox, so to say, but still very drinkable and quite enjoyable. You might want to let it warm up a little, in order to appreciate all of its flavours. The lower-than-average ABV could potentially make this a session beer (as long as you like Belgian beer).

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 00:04:53 | More by NightINgale

Filosoof

Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I think it its strange that the most recent reviews are not positive. Floreffe Double is a very good beer, with a lot nice aspects to smell and taste.

L: cola brown, almost black, good foamy top;
S: very inviting, touch of pineapple, banana, clove and tiny nutmeg, not too spicy like my non-favorite Rochefort.
T: quite sweet, but not irritating, round, creamy, clove;
M: lovely;
O: very complete beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 19:03:04 | More by Filosoof

Beeronious07

Macedonia

2.42/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

bought it at the local Beer shop in 0.33 liter bottle for somewhere around 2.2 euro, and served it at a temperature of 8 Celsius in a 330 milliliters CHIMAY goblet

A - creemee 2 finger tall head with good retention, but with not that much carbonation. very very dark red color that if not exposed on light it seems like black.

S - very discreet and its hard on me to point out what am i smelling so i will not even try on pointing fingers

T - just a little of it. not that strong bitter taste with just a pinch of sweetness hidden deep into it, and a strong bitterness as u swallow it.

M - not that much carbonation or anything else.

I'm heavily disappointed with this one. the only strong side of this beer is the color and thats pretty much the same for a lot of them.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 15:39:46 | More by Beeronious07

flipper2gv

Quebec (Canada)

2.93/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Deep brown color fully translucent with a good amount of foamy beige head. Retention is good and lacing is ok.

S: Big spicy bread character upfront. Quite a good amount of brown sugar, caramel and molasses. Strong smell of cloves, anise and light cinnamon. A bit lackluster.

T: Sharp metallic taste is the first thing I notice in this beer. Then, it is the same spiced bread than in the smell. Again, cloves, anise and cinnamon are the spices in question. And still sweet with brown sugar, caramel and molasses. A little vinous character. A bit herbal and earthy too but too strong to make the beer better. It's a messy beer which is weird for a Belgian.

M: Medium body but strangely sticky for only 6.3% ABV and not that much residual sugars. Carbonation is high.

D: The beer was relatively easy to drink even though this might be the worst Belgian beer I had so far.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 22:20:38 | More by flipper2gv

Swedes21

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a chilled glass

Appearance - dark auburn, no visibility due to darkness, nice size head, head is off-white, some good lacing

Smell - i can smell sweetness, spices, raisin or prunes.

Taste - smooth tasting beer, i can taste the sweetness, from a fruit base. Some slight bitterness near the end, not much carbonation feel.

Mouthfeel - decent amount of carbonation adds a bitterness to the end, very nice mouthfeel. Beer remains the same, some sweet upfront with spices and prunes near the end.

Drinkability - decent beer, does not offer a lot but overall it was a nice try.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 00:08:46 | More by Swedes21

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a dark brown colour with a massive size frothy beige coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation and there is some very nice lacing running down the sides of the glass. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - malts, dark fruits (dates?), all spice

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a lot of carbonation and it feels lively on the tongue. The taste consists of malts and dark fruits with notes of all spice. It also has a bit of a peppery and minty bite to it. It finishes with a malty dark fruit aftertaste.

Drink - An above average beer that is worth seeking out. It was even tastier as it got to room temperature.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 15:26:54 | More by spinrsx

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Looks decent, but doesn't have the depth of character that a really decent Belgian double has.

Pours walnut colour with a good sized head that works its way down to a heavy film. Lots of lace to be had.

Aroma is limited to dark vinous fruit - and not much at that. Taste is dark fruit, treacle, a hint of roastiness and alcohol. Mouthfeel is thin and brittle.

Okay, but I've had better. Nothing here to get overly excited about. Almost like a double-lite (which is a strange concept).

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 17:48:23 | More by TerryW

cfrancis

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy brown with a beige head. Aroma is malt, floral and sweet honey. Taste is well balanced. Smooth mouthfeel with a little bitterness from alcohol. Flavours of honey, fruit, malt and hop. Nice little beer, enjoyed the triple more. purchased at the SAQ

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 16:53:35 | More by cfrancis

Reinheitsgebot71

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So once again I went to the only café on Danforth to sample so nice beers for a nice price. First of the two I had that night would be this beer in question, Floreffe Double.

Greeting me upon exit from the bottle was a fine dark liquid, a pleasing ruby red in colour. On top rested a thick light brown head much the colour of foamed cream as it amalgamates with coffee. The head in its robustness stick around for a good while never quite dissipating.

A nice array of smells I'd expect from a dark Belgian next cascaded forth to my nostrils, brown sugar off the bat with roast malts, molasses and chocolate mingling within. Notes of spice and sourness were hinted at but not too prevalent. The hope profile was pretty subdued overpowered by the malts.

Rich dark roasted malt flavours filled my mouth, brown sugar again, raisins and alcohol soaked fruit. Balancing hops were there but far off in the background. A mild sourness most likely from the yeast appeared in whispers but was not unpleasant. Coffee and chocolate tastes lingered towards the end giving the beer a nice finish.
The beer went down surprisingly smooth from one of such character though a mild bite form the alcohol was present.

Overall this was a very nice dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 23:11:15 | More by Reinheitsgebot71

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Found this at Bert's Bierhuis in Utrecht

Into a chalice

APPEARANCE: One of the better looking dubbels out there. Pours a huge 3+ finger medium-thick looking fluffy off-white / tan head with good retention. Color is a mice deep dark maroon or sangria red with lower end carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles. Looks bistre brown from a distance with reddish hues when held up to the light. Head slowly fades to a thick foam cap. A good cap remains until the end and leaves some nice lacing down the sides. Very pretty.

SMELL: Decent nose of caramel malt, dark fruits, raisins and dates, sweet candy sugar and lots of brown sugar. Some cool dark grape notes too. The brown sugar is more prevalent than the usual dark fruit notes. A little light on the spiciness.

TASTE: Some dark fruits, raisins, dates and dark grapes, which adds a wine-like quality. Lots of brown sugar makes it quite sweet when combined with the caramel malt. A good yeasty punch with some cool rye undertones and cherry notes make it kind of unique. A mild long lasting aftertaste is nice and the alcohol is almost undetectable.

PALATE: Medium-thicker body, medium carbonation, but only semi-creamy and smooth on the palate. Goes down fine and finishes slightly dry.

OVERALL: The first sip wasn't very promising, but I started to really enjoy it about a third of the way through. Drinkability picked up at that poing. A unique and interesting taste profile, and a thing of beauty to look at. One I'll probably pick up again at some point. Give it a try if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2009 08:04:58 | More by Jeffo

cyrenaica

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

330ml
6.3% ABV
I tried this beer on April 16, 2009 at "Smokeless Joe's" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer poured an opaque dark brown with a medium sized, bubbly light-brown head. The aroma was dark malt, yeast, caramel, and plums. The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied, with medium carbonation. The flavour was sweet malt, some caramel, and a nioce bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2009 18:02:09 | More by cyrenaica

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark chocolate with flashes of roast pecan when held up against the afternoon sunshine. This is a bit darker and substantially more opaque than most of this style. More typical is the abundance of creamy, dense head which is continuously caught with its guard down. In its true nature, however, it can be reinvigorated with the even the slightest agitation.

In the aroma too I'm sensing it much darker than is common for a dubbel. Not to say the style isn't characteristically dark, it most certainly is, but such notions usually arise from the suggestion of dark fruit. In this case, it's the presence of heavy toasted, nearly burnt, rye bread. This is exceptionally roasty and I'm finding that it's detracting from the esters.

Fortunately, our dark rum soaked fruits are not lost in the taste. Indeed, plenty of currants, plums, raisins and red apple come to the fore with each and every sip. Their makeup is sugary and over-ripe, akin to fortified wine. The breadiness is not gone either; wholesome, filling loafs of rye and multigrain bread, along with a pinch of nutmeg, round out the flavour.

The beer drinks with a similar character to a real dark chocolate. It shares the unbending dark and bitter persona that makes no concessions in delivering a mouthfeel full of texture and taste. Like chocolate, it's suggestive of a varying array of flavours. I wouldn't say the decadence or gratification is the exact same, but this is quite a treat nonetheless.

Given the dreaded thought of ever having to choose only one style of beer to drink for the rest of my life, the dubbel would deserve some serious consideration. As this example shows, it can vary in interpretation which offers a little diversity. It pairs wonderfully with so many dishes (meat, in particular!) Moreover, it's flavorful, refined and often evolves with age ...maybe being stuck with one style wouldn't be *so* bad after all?

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2009 19:19:31 | More by biegaman

rodenbach99

Quebec (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

330 ml. brown bottle bought at the SAQ

A: dark brown with a beige head, some head retention.
S: strong anise (licorice) smell, some spices,
T: taste like black licorice, some caramel. very tasty
M: light body but perfect this way.
D: very drinkable, good beer

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 00:20:32 | More by rodenbach99

thierrynantes

France

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer bottle (33cl.), tasted in 2007.

Appearance : dark brown color, with tan foamy head.
Smell : good malted aromas.
Taste anf mouthfeel : malty, with just enough bitterness and bitterness well balanced.
Drinkability : a good beer in the style Belgian Dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2008 10:00:36 | More by thierrynantes

nekronos

Mexico

4.6/5  rDev +26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

More than great. I thought it was going to be a goledn alike one. But it had all the superb features of a great Belgian beer. The head, the taste the body. The botle is quite nice although simple. I would like to drink a whole box on my wedding for example.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2008 18:46:10 | More by nekronos

bloberglawp

Quebec (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

In a tulip glass, 5-6 degres celcius and warming it up as I type.

Pours a rather dark brown... almost blackish brown, amazing fluffy freakish mountain head that disipates down to a nice bulge of foam. Insane lacing, all over the glass, marking rings as the ale is being consumed, Wow, a real nice looking ale!

Aroma of belgian yast, sugar candi, figs, mango and small dark fruits. Flavor of belgian yeast, cristal malt and phenolic fruity yeast byproducts.

Yummy! I love this dubbel!

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 00:59:48 | More by bloberglawp

janubio

Spain

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chocolate colour with red hints when held to the light. A good reddish creamy head that fades soon, leaving some lace.Aroma is cherries, vanilla, dark fruits. Do I detect some tobacco? Sour flavor, taste of cherries, flowers, vanilla 3essence, dry and sour.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2007 11:25:42 | More by janubio

mwagner1018

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served at slightly below room temperature about 65deg F, into a Grimbergen goblet, poured a beatiful dark coffee color with great release of carbonation building to a creamy substantial 3/4 inch caramel colored lasting head.

Slightly dissapointed by the very quickly diminishing smells associated with this beer, initially sensed a sweet alcoholic strawberry and orange.

Expected a nice creamy texture from the first drink with that magnificent head, but was dissapointed that it was more airy and light, my tastes picked up some slight malts, a bitter yeastiness, and substantial watered undertones. I did enjoy the drinkability and the taste seemed to intensify with a good bite toward the bottom of the glass.

Mouthfeel was alright, the creaminess of the head left something to be desired but, overall a very drinkable, light tasting abbaye style beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2006 15:58:30 | More by mwagner1018

Conrad

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The label says the ingredients include (above the usual malt, hops, yeast, water) canesugar.
Poured into a Trappistes Rochefort goblet. Looking good.
A: Deep old mahogany brown. The head is light cloudy, tawny colour, half inch thick that settled to quarter inch, and remained in the glass throughout the drink. Large and small bubbles in the head give it an uneven spread, and a mottled appearance. Nice thick lacing.
S: Sweet, candy. The alcohol hits the back of the nose. Some malt.
T: It's fun getting the moustache through the thick head for that first sip. A gentle rich flavour, not big overpowering. I could detect more tastes after the first sip: cola, molasses, spices.
M: Good effervescence. Coats the tongue nicely, and continues to sparkle in the mouth until the next sip. A medium creamy body.
D: Quite refreshing. An easy drinking brew. Watch out for that 6.3% ABV. At a price of $2.65 (Cdn) this is a good value.
Yum.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2006 15:03:09 | More by Conrad

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle (at room temp): Poured a cloudy deep brown color ale with a super huge head with perfect retention. Aroma of caramel malt with distinctive Belgian yeast. Taste is a well balance mix between sweetness, strong malt with a nice touch of caramel and some subtle sourness with light funky yeast. Body is a bit thin for the style but overall this is a very nice dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2005 13:57:38 | More by Phyl21ca