Dark Abbey - Harriet Brewing

brycelarson

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

01-10-2012 15:54:40 | More by brycelarson

SweJon

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

03-15-2013 01:19:41 | More by SweJon

sacrelicio

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

02-26-2013 07:33:25 | More by sacrelicio

WallE89

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

02-20-2013 17:09:46 | More by WallE89

garymuchow

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A $4 pint (or so) dubbel. That's pretty damn good. Served at the brewery tap-room.
Dark Abbey is a bit of a misnomer, as the drink itself is not that dark. In fact it is kinda' light colored, more of a darker gold with amber than amber. Poured with smallish head (which is fine), but even that showed a little lacing.
Light and spicy, or lightly spicy, aroma. More yeast than malt. Similar to the Bel. Strong Pale Ale, but holding a bit of a stronger malt background. This come through more in the flavor, where the dubbel character is more evident. Still this is a yeast forward drink overall, and probably a result of it being so damn fresh. Yeast holds a peppery quality at times, some tingly spiciness and some phenolics. There is a good amount of drying on the finish.
A moderate to slightly more body, but at times it impresses as heavier than it is. Real nice creamy smoothness, even with the prickly carbonation.
A nice solid drink enhanced by the spinning of Playing in the Band from Ace, which I hadn't heard in nearly 20 years, or more.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2013 22:12:14 | More by garymuchow

eawolff99

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

11-11-2012 20:34:54 | More by eawolff99

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -1.2%

10-14-2012 00:42:04 | More by t0rin0

NilocRellim

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

09-29-2012 05:15:14 | More by NilocRellim

RyanGustner

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -32.1%

04-09-2012 23:26:12 | More by RyanGustner

Localdrinklax

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

04-01-2012 05:36:32 | More by Localdrinklax

BarrelAgedBarry

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

03-17-2012 02:04:02 | More by BarrelAgedBarry

MplsMel

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

03-08-2012 23:01:26 | More by MplsMel

CWhite

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -13.6%

02-19-2012 21:40:28 | More by CWhite

PorterPig

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

02-07-2012 21:00:43 | More by PorterPig

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

02-06-2012 06:25:37 | More by HoistinBrews

gatornation

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap @ busters
A- pours a hazy dark golden color with a white head and minimal lacing

S- is belgian yeast and bread, with banana and clove,sweet fruits

T- banana and clove with sweet fruit and baked bread malts, a light hop precense

M- good carbonation crisp and sweet

O- drinks more like a golden ale but still tasty on tap and will drink it again when spotted on tap in Minneapolis

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 02:14:02 | More by gatornation

Draughtsman

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a nice, rich, dark amber, slightly hazy, with a 1 finger of white head, lasted a couple minutes, but faded.

Nice nose of dark fruits (albeit not as strong as I was hoping for), toffee, yeast, spices along with the classic banana and clove.

A nice rounded, sweet taste, as expected. Dark fruits: figs, raisins. Spices: clove, mace, allspice. Caramel. Bread.

Mouthfeel was a bit light, was hoping for a bit more body. A nice, dry finish was surprising for the sweetness of the beer. Nice, moderate carbonation. Not flat, not nose-tickling, just right.

Overall, a pleasurable brew. Keep up the good work, Harriet!

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2012 03:24:15 | More by Draughtsman

langfot99

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

12-29-2011 14:11:28 | More by langfot99

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Town Hall tap. This beer arrives a cloudy brown color. The head is a half inch of white foam that recedes into minimal lacing. The aroma is of raisins, dates, figs, yeast, and flowers. The taste is similar to the aroma with nice malt and yeast complexities. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with a velvety texture, and lively carbonation. Overall, this is a fine beer that I will certainly drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2011 02:02:31 | More by KarlHungus

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis.

Pours a deep slightly reddish amber color, mostly clear, with two fingers of cream-colored head. Good retention and nice lacing.

Smell is, to be honest, a lot like most of Harriet's beers. It seems that their yeast strain imparts similar fruit and spice aromas to many of their beers (hefeweizen, saison, and this one). They work okay in a dubbel, though they are a bit on the light and airy side, and more suited to hefes and lighter Belgian styles IMO. Banana, a bit of clove and nutmeg. Cocoa and fig come through more as it warms up. Not as much of the darker fruits that ought to be present.

Taste is more in line with the style - stronger, deeper malt flavors, though it does still have that lightness that seems like it doesn't belong. Some candi sugar comes through. The taste evaporates - I really think the sweetness should be more persistent.

Medium-bodied and pretty sugary, but with rather low carbonation. Much drier than I'm used to from dubbels, especially in the finish (which feels more like a tripel).

This is an interesting beer. It's tasty, but it's definitely not a straight-up dubbel. Has elements more suited to several other styles. They come together fairly well, but the sweetness and the body kinda clash.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2011 21:50:24 | More by zeledonia

mull0263

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

12-14-2011 17:54:30 | More by mull0263

allouez86

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +23.5%

12-11-2011 19:54:31 | More by allouez86

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up my first growler from Harriet Brewing tonight. Very fun place that I will review when I do the tour, hopefully over Christmas break. I'm on my second glass of this Belgian dubbel tonight, and the 7% ABV is apparent a bit in the nose and more in the feel. First glass has a huge bubbly head with massive bursts of gas that collapse in a haphazard way. The irregular head can be seen a bit in the picture. For the second glass, the off white head formed much more nicely with tight bubbles and a much prettier presentation.

The nose is my favorite part of this beer. Strong Belgian yeast combined with a superb dark fruit, cherry and fig on top of a heavy chocolate malt base. Very pretty and intoxicating to breathe in. Taste doesn't match up to the smell, for me anyway. However, I like the growler better than my first draft of the beer at the Blue Nile in October. I'm quite sure Al served it well, but I'm starting to think that I drank it a bit too fast the first time. Warmed up, the taste opens up significantly. More yeast notes, dark fruits rest on the tongue more, and there's a light spiciness that lingers pleasantly. On Harriet's website, they add the description of rum-raisin to what I've tasted, and the alcohol note is reminiscent of rum. I had planned to order a different beer when I walked in the brewery, but the person in front of me literally ordered the last one, so ordering the Dark Abbey with the West Side was the only option left for the day. As this has been a very pleasant night, thank god for happy accidents.

Serving type: growler

12-11-2011 02:28:31 | More by FightingEntropy

fuzzcherry

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

12-10-2011 19:57:45 | More by fuzzcherry

therobot

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%

11-28-2011 02:37:36 | More by therobot