Abbey Belgian Style Ale - New Belgium Brewing

phishsihq

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The first beer brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company, though not too many folks know it...(also the company's most award winning brew!)

Abbey by New Belgium is a Dubbel that rolls in at a smooth 7% ABV. The brew pours a dark, amber color with touches of red near the edges, while a half-inch of off-white colored head tops off the pour and leaves spotty lacing. Caramel malt aromas give way to hints of banana, dark fruits, and some spice. Malt flavors erupt on the pallet first, mostly caramel and bready flavors, before giving way to brown sugar, plum, raisins, and candi sugars. Creamy in the finish, Abbey features a medium-full body and a medium-light level of carbonation. One of our favorites from NBB, and we are always excited to stumble across the Grand Cru version!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 01:51:32 | More by phishsihq

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a beer mug.

A: Pours a deep chestnut-copper color with excellent clarity only broken up by the slightest of yeast haze. The carbonation is vigorous, almost intense, as it rises upward to its frothy two finger light mocha color head leaving thick clumps of lacing on the glass as it slowly recedes. Little bits of yeast settle at the bottom of the mug. Generally beautiful.

S: Quite fruity, as expected - raisins, figs, dried pear, banana, and apples all come together in the aroma. Buried beneath is a subtle scent of chocolate.

T: Not bad, but a downgrade from the scent. The first sip is loaded with chocolate, which smooths out into a slightly tart bouquet of fruit. Lighter fruits near the initial swig turn into darker fruits at the finish. A layer of caramel is interspersed evenly throughout the flavor progression. Make no mistake - this doesn't challenge the taste buds like some of the Belgian dubbels do, rather it chooses to be mellow and easy to drink with only a modicum of complexity. As such, it's not as interesting.

M: A little on the heavy side in terms of body, with the yeast providing prickly astringency and a coarser tone. Well carbonated, but not overly so.

O: Whereas something like Rochefort 8 invites sips purely so one can pick out its subtleties and story-like progression of flavors, this invites sips simply because it's likable and easy to drink. Not incredible, but a decent no-frills dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 20:31:11 | More by ThisWangsChung

Bockrules

New Mexico

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

poured from the bottle into my make-shift goblet (wine glass)

A - Pours a deep amber-to-caramel with perfect clarity. A steady stream of bubbles rises to the dense, two-finger, off-white head. Head is reduced to a patchwork of tiny bubbles about a third down the glass. Leaves a glob of bubbles at the bottom of the glass.

S - Immediately upon opening the bottle, the nose is greeted with a nice combination of light fruit from belgian yeast and some sweet malty notes. In the glass, more sour apple notes come through.

T - Plenty of alcohol upfront. The body contains a fair amount of alcohol mixed in with somewhat intense red apple and caramel notes. Slightly bitter caramel-dipped red apple finish.

M - Medium bodied with plenty of subtle carbonation to give the beer a delicate and slightly creamy feel.

After my less than thrilling experience with my last New Belgian beer, I wasn't expecting much from this. I was pleased to find a strong and inviting nose, but initially disappointed with a somewhat harsh taste and finish. By the second fill of my wine glass, the taste seemed to have mellowed out more, and I found myself enjoying the red caramel apple notes. All and all, I pretty damn good example of an American brewed belgain that due to its availability and low cost will most likely become my staple of the style in my beer fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 11:16:21 | More by Bockrules

MattyG85

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a New Belgium Globe glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark brown with some ruby red. Lots of bubbles and about two fingers of off white head that quickly fades into a thin patchy layer. Decent amount of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Aroma of dark malts with Belgian yeast and dark fruits. Subtle hints of clove and banana. Good hints of raisins, plums, and dark grapes. Also a little bit of apple, orange, and brown sugar. Light hints of alcohol and grassy hops lingering around.

Taste: Sweet and bready up front with caramel malts that are followed by some Belgian yeast. Lots of dark fruit with notes of plums, raisins, and grapes. Also some banana, cloves, apple, and a little orange. Hints of brown sugar and grassy hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Crisp and very smooth. Starts sweet and finishes dry.

Overall: A pretty good tasting take on a Dubbel. A little too much carbonation for the style but the fruit presence is very good.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 05:35:58 | More by MattyG85

dorianmarley

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is red ruby with a good head and great lacing.

Nose is a wonderful blend of banana, yeast, malt, and fresh grapes.

Taste is more like a mellow Belgian Strong Dark than a Dubbel. The malt is rich and the yeast has some spice. There are notes of cherry and red wine. There is plenty of sweetness, and some citrus, with a nice biscuit finish.

Mouthfeel has plenty of carbonation with some oil slickness. There is plenty of drinkability, and just a bit of alcohol for balance.

Overall, this is an excellent example of an Americanized Belgian: traditional flavors with excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 02:52:39 | More by dorianmarley

stewart124

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a chalice.

Deep brown with a decent lacing that lingers.

Nose has plenty of dark candied fruits with some slight tobacco and phenols.

Very smooth and creamy with some sharp phenols that remind you this is 7%. Drinks very easily and finishes bone dry. Nice medium caramel maltiness with a good dose of prunes, raisins, pepper, anise and banana esters. More of a mild "Belgian touch" than I was expecting...whatever that means. Nothing overpowering and very approachable.

Delicious and I could drink a number of these.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 00:46:24 | More by stewart124

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from whole foods las vegas for 1.99$

Appearance - Clear copper/brown colour with a small size fizzy beige coloured head. There is an above average amount of carbonation and there iss some faint lacing. The head was gone in a few minutes.

Smell - Malts, raisins, banana, spices

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, dates/plums/raisins, yeast and a mix of spices. There is also a bit of a burnt/smokey taste and just a touch of chocolate and bananas. It ends with a dark fruit aftertaste with a bit of lingering smokiness.

Overall - Good not great. The taste is nice, it just seems to be lacking a little needed sweetness. It's just a tad too bland/thin for me. Still a good beer that I'd have no issues drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 00:03:20 | More by spinrsx

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer was part of a mix-pack of New Belgium joy put together by my good buddy Scott; as the last brew of that pack, I'm sad to see this one go.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a goblet. Pours a rich ruddy hue, with hints of auburn and ruby. A bibbly off-white head reduces to a thin ring of wospy foam around the rim.

Smells fruity, with grapes, peaches, bananas, and apples conbining with a honey-malt smell to give this an almost cloyingly-sweet aroma. The banana smell gets stronger as it sits, with the other fruit smells fading.

The taste picks up right where the smell left off. Sweet, mildly malty, and fruity, there is a hint of pepper spice that hits mid-way through the sip and finished with the mildest of suggestions of hops. The taste is actually much more complex than the aroma.

Medium-bodied, there's a bit of sharpness to ale as it is sipped. The aftertaste is slightly sticky and dry on the tongue.

A decent ale, though admittedly I am not the biggest fan of the dubbel style. The sweet fruitiness is cut by the spice of the hops to make it interesting; in the end, however, it is simply too sweet for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 00:48:38 | More by TheHoppiest

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

deep amber 2 fingers off white head. Aromas of sweet caramel, roasted grains, vanilla, rum. Very subtle caramel taste with a hint of orange zest. The boozy rum aroma isn't as up front on the taste. medium bodied with fizzy carbonation, slight creaminess. not a bad abbey ale at all. Nothing spectacular but it's nice to taste so many subtle flavors that blend well together.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 12:36:59 | More by facundoCNB

argock

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a clear glass goblet. Freshness date on side of label. Single purchased at Ingles (Boone, NC) for $1.49.

A: Chestnut brown with short 1/2-finger of off-white head than shrinks to a short rim of bubbles with some wisps of lace.

S: The aroma is varied and complex with phenol, bubble gum, bubble gum, and brown sugar.

T: The flavor is not as interesting as the aroma with mostly malty brown sugar and herbal hops with too much phenol and not enough sweetness to support it.

M: The feel falls a little flat but is not bad with medium body and low carbonation which leaves a reasonably creamy feel.

O: A little fleeting for an abbey ale with more phenol than it should have.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 02:32:53 | More by argock

HalfFull

California

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

Finally found a 12 oz. bottle/sixer of this after reading some solid reviews over time. Yet after many tastes of New Belgium brews I assume the lack of, or perhaps subdued bottle conditioning, will keep things in check here to some degree.

Poured into a large wine glass from a 12 oz. bottle, the Abbey pours a medium brown and with deep orange coppere hightlights and offers an inch of pourous foam. Nice retention and some sticky lacing follow.

Aroma is pretty solid, with brown sugar melded with cocoa and chocolate malt and a nice yeast backdrop. Touch of spice and alcohol permeate at times. Warms to offer faint notes of dark cherry and a creamy hop profile.

Flavor offers a bit of chocolate and spice. A bit dry and chalky in a sense, the flavor is good but a bit limited in complexity and offering a limited finish as fruit notes are light. Good nonetheless.

Feel is good and in line with the product though I think a more robust bottle conditioning would improve things from many a perspective. Like their Trippel, this is solid and lacking only in the nuances of things. Good product and a great value.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 05:46:42 | More by HalfFull

whendeathsleeps

Indiana

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- New penny copper/amber, three finger off white head with a nice lingering lace.

S- The sweetness hits first, a little peppery.

T- Malty, Brown sugar, banana, cloves, raisins, spice and alcohol warmth in the finish.

M- Crisp, good carbonation, dry finish.

O- A good beer, not something I'd drink all the time, but good for a change. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 23:42:20 | More by whendeathsleeps

glivengood

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Nice Golden / Caramel translucent hue

S: Slight brown sugar and banana, not a strong smell which isn't good nor bad

T: A more complex than average taste. Strong hints of brown sugar and banana but not too sweet

M: Too bubly for my taste. i would prefer more of a smooth feel but I did drink it chilled so should try at room temp

O: A little better than average. The carbonation is a turn off compared to other belgium style ales but definitely a better than average beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 01:43:18 | More by glivengood

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Best before September 2, 2012

A: Not much head or lacing.

S: Brown sugar, cloves and spiciness and, as it warms, banana.

T: Sweet, bready malt with pronounced spiciness and banana. Alcohol comes through a bit too.

M: Fizzy and a bit thin.

O: This is a fairly solid dubbel, and the spiciness is nice, but the banana and sweetness begin to overwhelm.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 02:46:43 | More by greybeardloon

GossageBrewery

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this Dubbel from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Poured a dark brown color, produced a off white head, nice retention and decent lacing left on the glass. The aroma of Dubbel reminds me of ripe banana and peppercorn. Medium in body, this brew featured malted grain, fresh brown bread, ripe banana with a kick of dry alcohol. Finishes semi-dry. Overall, great session beer, and by far my favorite Dubbel that I have had to date. Awesome beer! Prost!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 01:46:33 | More by GossageBrewery

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into tulip.
Golden amber/brown; thick foamy head.
Aroma of belian style yeasts..yes, but very dominant banana. Smell is really nice and inviting.
Taste is absolutely amazing. Obvious belgian yeast and blah blah..but its the banana flavor that really shines here. I even taste a bunch of dark chocolate. Its almost like a Dunkel meets belgian. It makes sense in a geographical sense, and very much so in this bottle. This is so good...I really wish it was sold in NY!!!!
Overall, a fantastic brew. I have had this on my "out of state" radar for some time now. I am so glad I finally found this while on business in Arizona (Total Wine).
Superb dubbel..superb brew.
New Belgium is such a great brewery...yes they have some brews that dont quite satisfy the palate; but for me, most do; and this blows itself out of the water. If you like the style you will love this brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 04:54:43 | More by DrinkSlurm

tbern007

Colorado

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear, amber and old copper penny. Huge, thick, bubbly head that remains and the lacing is superb!
Scent: yeast, clove, banana- very nice.
Taste: sweet initially, tangy later. Yeasty, a bit of malt, cloves and spice, banana.
Finishes well, medium bodied, perfect carbonation.
Very well done. Excellent dubbel. I really do like this one. Completely a class in itself compared to the Trippel by NB, which is ok but nothing of this standard.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 05:09:32 | More by tbern007

tdm168

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a dark amber with a thin layer of brownish, dense head that has decent retention. The nose has notes of spicy, Belgian yeast. The flavor is caramelly, toasty, spicy, yeasty, peppery, and faintly hoppy. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, and lightly carbonated.

This is an alright beer. For the style the yeast is a bit spicy reminding me more of a tripel. The malt character is a bit a toasty and burnt for my liking. I will probably aim for something a bit more malty and less yeasty in the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 03:21:06 | More by tdm168

Labeerfinder

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Burgundy color with a decent head and lace. Nose full of fruity esters, bubblegum, sweet malt, some yeast characer. Medium bodied, bubbly, fruity, sweet but not overly so, hints of caramel, banana, spices, slight yeasty dryness in finish along with a hint of sourness. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 02:56:43 | More by Labeerfinder

Etan

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Spiegelau tulip.

A: Pours a slightly murky light reddish-brown with a decent off-white head. Some lacing, with ok retention.

S: Assertive, smooth banana, sweet cream, cinnamon, purple grapes, raisins, overripe strawberry, subtle yeast, banana bread from the malt. A tiny metallic note (to be expected) from the yeast. Very complex.

T: Huge quaff of creamy fruit. Banana, cinnamon, some roasted malt, soft prune, bready yeast, nutmeg, whipped cream, slight vinegar. A little bit of alcohol comes out as it warms.

M: A little bit too thin, with a somewhat watery finish.

O: My favorite beer from New Belgium's regular line-up. Very tasty and complex, and true to style. The mouthfeel could be a little thicker, but besides that, great beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 02:40:16 | More by Etan

JEdmund

Kansas

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A nice looking beer with it’s deep auburn color and khaki cream cap. Doesn’t leave a lot of lacing, and the head retention isn’t great either.

Smell offers a lot: banana first and foremost, followed by brown sugar and a bit of spice.

Taste delivers well balanced, yet most certainly malty, beer. Was afraid the banana notes would really take over the flavor, but they are mainly at the forefront and then meld into the rest of the flavors. Carbonation is fairly high and the texture is really nice. I’ve never been a big fan of dubbels or quads, but I do enjoy this beer. Six malts apparently comprise this beer, as well as a particular Belgian yeast strain. Willamette, Target, and Liberty hops provide the bitters. The finish manages to dry out enough to keep this drinkable.

New Belgium continues to deliver in their explorer line of beers. This is a fairly hearty beer and could work well with the right dish and certainly some desserts (milk chocolate and caramel come to mind).

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 01:03:30 | More by JEdmund

WithinTheGlass

Kansas

5/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Everything about this beer is perfect... Okay, so an opening statement like that doesn't exactly seem to promise a balanced review... but I couldn't help myself. In truth, New Belgium's "Abbey Ale" (a rich and perfectly balanced dubbel) is simply, honestly, great.

A- Typical of the style. For fans of good-looking bottles, you can't go wrong with a New Belgium brew (no I'm not working for the brewery.) The libation itself pours an iridescent blonde with a warm amber hue. A two finger head is indicative of the feisty carbonation and satisfying lacing that follows. A visual delight.

S- Another winner! This beer exudes wonderful scents such as whole wheat bread, coriander and perhaps a hint of brown sugar. Oddly, the smell reminds me of a little bit of a really good Wit.

T- Starts mild and malty and finishes bolder with notes of spice and hops. None of these flavors ever dominate to the point of being annoying, and yet they all maintain their places perfectly within the breadth of the brew. A classic example of a dubbel well done!

M- Medium bodied with lots of refreshing carbonation. Leaves a nice coating in your mouth (but not too much.)

O- A nearly perfect beer at an incredible value! Here in Wichita, I buy 6 packs of this for $7.99... Basically unheard of when the product is this wonderful! I highly recommend picking some up and sampling it for yourself. You won't regret it!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 18:51:46 | More by WithinTheGlass

Gladius270

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A- Very deep brown, comparable to the color of a Pepsi-Cola. Cream white head that things to a persistent film. Laces the glass very nicely. The head is very creamy in consistency and appearance.

S- Brown sugar, molasses, acorn, multiple fruits, grain, faint alcohol

T- I find the taste of this brew to be VERY delicate. It is sweet up front. A taste that I perceive as banana-like comes through in the middle, ending in a bit of a smoky cured-pork kind of flavor.

M- Lots of carbonation. Light and creamy feel. Luxurious.

O- This is my first beer of this style, so these may just be the traits of the style. I find this beer to be too delicate for my tastes. The tastes are good, but I like them to be more pronounced, so I had to grade it at average on the taste. However, this beer appeals to the other senses very well.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 01:27:42 | More by Gladius270

blakelive784

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 fl oz bottle served in a snifter, reviewed live:

A - Pours a nearly transparent amber color with a a thin, off white, 1.5 finger head. Retention is below average, though the head leaves a bit of lacing.

S - Plum, caramel, candy, a bit of ethanol, and sweet, sweet malt. A moderate strength aroma, but incredibly inviting.

T- Cream, fruity esters, candied sugar and caramel over a toasted malt foundation, which shows near the finish. It's not extraordinarily complex, but whats there is extremely good. Not too sweet, which I halfway expected. Very impressed.

M - Medium bodied, coarse and a bit dry on the finish. Not the norm for the style, but it works.

D - I'd definitely have this again. It's high quality and given its availability and price point it'd be hard to beat. One of NB's best beers I've had.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 02:04:05 | More by blakelive784

sommersb

Tennessee

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

Tasted On: 02-09-2012
Freshness: Best by 04-29-2012
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle
Glassware: New Belgium globe
Purchased: 6-pack from Grace's, Nashville

I've enjoyed this beer many times before and just got to writing a review...

Pours a dark and clear amber color, with a big tan head. Very good amount of lace on the glass. Head retention is good as well.

Very rich aromas, malty sweet, with hints of molasses and brown sugar, with some ripened fruits. I really like smelling this beer!

Unfortunately the taste doesn't quite live up to the expectations from the aromas. Sweet, caramels malts with some spiciness from the hops, but not as flavorful as I hoped.

The feel is highly carbonated with a medium amount of body. Finish is semi-dry, with a lingering spiciness. Nice little amount of warming from the alcohol too.

Overall this is a very good Dubbel and a good value for the money, but could use some more flavor in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 05:19:02 | More by sommersb