Corsendonk Pater / Abbey Brown Ale - Brouwerij Corsendonk

brewskifan55

Mississippi

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my Chimay goblet.

Appearance: Dark brown in color with a 1.5 finger head that settles in. Great lacing.

Smell: Plums, raisins, figs, yeast. Bring on the fruity goodness.

Taste: Follows nose with a dark chocolate finish. Let it warm a bit and the finish is more smokey. Even smoother as it warms.

Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy. Frothy. Great carbonation.

Overall: Excellent sipping beer. Fresh. Love those abbey ales. Recommended and affordable.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 17:45:59 | More by brewskifan55

gc4hokies

Virginia

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this into my Chimay chalice.
Color is a very dark with red highlights. Thick white head that lasts. Good lacing. Fairly high carbonation.

Taste is of raisins, plum and brown sugar. Slight alcohol warmth on the finish.

Overall this is a very good beer. Not one of my all time favorites, but definitely something I would drink again. Not sure if I would buy it though given all the alternatives.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 01:16:17 | More by gc4hokies

emmasdad

Colorado

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So Ratman brought this one over to Schmittymack's house for a tasting, a big 3L bottle, yet I have to write this review myself? Anyway, poured a hazy medium brown color with a decent bubbly head. Aromas of nuts, brown sugar, brown spice and yeast. On the palate, this one was light to medium bodied, with flavors of raisins, brown sugar, brown spice and yeast. I assume we liked it.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 22:30:28 | More by emmasdad

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown colored beer with a goodly head and lasting retention. Nicely malty aroma; flavor moderately malty with hints of dark stone fruits and alcohol. More details (caramel, clove, etc.) emerge as the beer warms in the glass.

This is a solid enough abbey double/brown style beer but not a top tier example. Decent enough but I might spend my dollars elsewhere - it's not cheap. Not enough to make it stand out against its competitors, not quite complex enough.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 17:51:10 | More by tobelerone

CFHMagnet

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cork labeled Lot: 10643.
Poured two fingers of actively fizzy tan head into an over size wine glass. Body is a deep dark brown with chestnut hues noted when held up to the light. Head retention is good, as I keep about a finger throughout consumption. Weak lacing.

Sweet malt and dark fruit make up the bulk of what I smell. Also get sugar and yeast. Smells very fresh.

Yeast and dark fruit open up the taste on this one. A smoke flavor comes out in the background, and a nice breadiness comes through on the back with cloves to compliment. I get a little banana in there as well. Ginger also pops in to say hello on the back end when it warms up. Compliments the clove well.

Fizzy. Medium bodied but doesn't coat the tongue much, just leaves a little film.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 03:17:09 | More by CFHMagnet

jhtipton

Spain

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wonderful murky brown ale with rich creamy head and nice pop! Smell is great. Like figs and raisins and malty. Thanks to sully for providing this gem. Tastes wonderful, warming, and a welcome treat after weeks of mediocre German fare.Mouth feel is medium bodied with lots of carbonation from the bottle aging process. Overall one of the better belgian dubbels i have had and with the 7.5% alcohol, something nice to warm the gulliver with.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 17:36:02 | More by jhtipton

Snamnoum

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - this like all dubbels I've ever seen is slightly lacking in the beauty department. Dark murky brown like old coffee with about 2 fingers of head and some moderate lacing.

Smell - cloves, tangy yeast and wheat, allspice, some sweet toasted caramel malt and like banana phenols.

Taste - some dark fruit, raisins plumbs etc. Bready yeast, sweet brown sugar and spicy cloves. This is one of the better tasting dubbels I've had.

Mouthfeel - creamy palette coat and medium bodied. Perfect amount of carbonation makes this luxzurious to sip on.

Overall - not particularly pretty but damn tasty and very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 01:55:05 | More by Snamnoum

skylab

Louisiana

4.45/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

From a 750ml corked bottle into a plain pint glass.

Pours a dark stoutish hue that surprised me. Was expecting a lighter color.

Very pale caramel head that leaves a nice remnant lacing on the glass as it goes down.

Smell is a bit citrus fruity and kind of mildly cane syrupy in depth.

First sip is surprisingly light and lively for such a dark beer. Totally unexpected taste is slightly sweetly smoky with a chocolate oily hint in the middle with a clean and light finish.

Drinks very easily with - to me - a continuously light feel and crisp finish yet nicely full and well rounded middle. I really like the almost hidden chocolate resin middle. A fun chase, if you will.

This is good stuff. I am currently trying to figure out how to sneak out of the house at 11:30 PM without the wife noticing so I can get another bottle. Or three.

Next day. I managed to find a need for a grocery run and bought 2 more bottles for tonight. Still just as good, fresh, and surprising as last night. Big bottles too which makes the price easier to handle. Try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 03:00:24 | More by skylab

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 mL bottle into a Chimay chalice.

A: It pours dark brown with a finger of light khaki head that dies quickly and doesn't lace well.

S: Brown sugar, Belgian yeast, caramel, and chocolate.

T: Mild dark fruitiness, chocolate, and dark roasted malts.

M: It has average thickness with some light foam on top and a creamy finish.

O: It is very different from the typical fig and date Dubbels.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 23:31:46 | More by bucklemyshoe

July2Nov

Hawaii

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Dark brown with ruby-like hues around the edges. Two-finger dirty beige head that slowly moves down to a 1/2 inch of head.

Smell: Slightly "off" scent of sweet raisins and dark fruits and bready malts.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Sweet buttered raisin flavor at first. Some tangy cherry like flavors. Settles down to a smooth malty, slight sour, but oh so enjoyable end. Some carbonation but the mouthfeel has a smooth mouth capturing feel. Medium in body.

Overall: Excellent and a thing of beauty in every regard! Must try!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 05:15:31 | More by July2Nov

impending

California

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

33cl into a tulip. Pours a deep cola, towering dense light tan head subsides slowly, nice lacing.

Aroma is spicy and upbeat. Yeasty candied ginger, clean, refreshing.

Taste not overly complex with slightly tart cherries, raisin, minor spices and a lot of yeast. Finishes begins with minor bitter and ends dry. Fairly long lived aftertaste. Medium bodied prickly mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 19:20:36 | More by impending

sweemzander

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle poured into a tulip. Best before 10/03/11.

(A)- Produced a rather dark, near black plum color. Produced a giant fluffy tan colored head with tons of retention behind it. Tons of lacing too.

(S)- Some nice dark fruits: prune, raisin, plum, and possibly cassis. Bits of a yeasty clay in the background. Some earth.

(T)- Pretty much exactly like the smell was. Plenty of dark fruits, but the yeasty clay does become more prevalent. Fairly earthy too.

(M)- A nice carbonation level and balance. Good fruit with tons of earthy clay. Not overly sweet or bitter either.

(D)- A solid Dubbel. A nice blend of everything it offer without being over the top in any way. A great buy for the price too.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 03:24:19 | More by sweemzander

JJBlanche

California

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Corsendonk. Was reaching for a bottle of Chimay when I saw this next to it. Got a chuckle from the name, but a closer look revealed a spot-on presentation, with dark bottle and classy white silkscreen. I’ve been in a Belgian/French mood of late, so figured what the hey.

A: Dark, dark brown. Have to hold it up to the light, but it’s quite pretty. Like darkened tea, if that makes sense. A fairly gentle pour yields a three finger head that settles to about a quarter finger and sticks around. Decent lacing.

S: Right after corking I get some malty/bready notes, fading into caramel, then spicy Belgian phenolics (clove, etc). Good for sure, but not life changing.

T: Getting the phenolics in the nose, some roastiness in the background, cidery, but overall this one isn’t terribly complex. Alcohol masked well, you could probably session this if you wanted to, but ultimately not enough going on to make me choose Corsendonk over any of its competitors.

M: Carbonation up front, with a nice, pleasant silkiness following. A little thin in my opinion, but still nice.

O: I’m giving this a fair to good rating here, because for the price and in this segment there’re better options. Again, not a bad beer by any stretch, but it’s not really incredible either.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 04:46:12 | More by JJBlanche

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured out as a muddy looking brown color with a fizzy white head on top. The head doesn't do much in way of lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer had some fruity aromas coming off of it as well as some Belgian Yeast aromas. The taste had little bit of an apple flavor to it. I wasn't expecting that at all from this brew. The mouthfeel was pretty good, had a softness to it kind of like a Dunkelweiss. This brew wasn't too bad. I would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 20:31:59 | More by Knapp85

farlieonfootie

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on draft in a Corsendonk tulip glass. Corsendonk pours dark brown, with a thick, three fingered head that leaves behind lacing as thick as shaving cream -- just look at that head! The beer smells slightly sweet and malty, with some belgian candy sweetness also apparent.

Corsendonk tastes mellow and refreshing, and lightly maltish with some slight hints of chocolate and unidentifiable spices. It's not overly complex, but it's very easy to drink. In fact, you could drink this one all night long, but it might come back to haunt you the next morning!

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2011 14:11:18 | More by farlieonfootie

mpyle

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

App - rich amber color, quite clear. Pours a moussy off white head with good retention. Nice lacing on the glass.

Aroma - Quite spicy with an earthy peppery aroma. Any malt aroma is hidden beneath the spice.

Taste - A papery malt flavor up front, then turns somewhat yeast spicy with a tinge of sour. Finishes quite dry and slightly bitter, with a gentle hint of spice lingering into the finish. Really lacks the malt of most examples of the style, but this example may be somewhat old and oxidized.

MF - medium body and extremely high carbonation. Carbonation gives a distinct bite on the tongue. Minimal alcohol warming.

Overall - the carbonation is somewhat of a distraction from the complex flavors. Somewhat different from other dubbels that I've tried, but may not be the freshest example.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 01:32:24 | More by mpyle

Rassputtin

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Astmo

A- pours a brownish red, almost completely opaque. A half inch head fizzles up andand back down leaving a thin layer on top.

S- tarnish, seems like hints of chocolate, maybe even a hint of black licorice, raisins. It smells dark.

T- minor carbonation greets the tongue and quickly disappears. Tastes good. SmOky yeAsty fruit.

M- feels rich and smooth slightly creamy at first. Very nice feel.

O- pretty good. Not my favorite style but this beer is worth trying, I'm glad I did.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 01:37:47 | More by Rassputtin

atomicbeer

New Mexico

3.73/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a chocolate brown with a taupe foamy blanket that disappears. The aroma is clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg - nice. Fizzy entry followed by tastes of clove, slightly sour cherry, and a woodsy oak or mesquite. A slight metallic tang in there as well. Wish there was more, worth another try to see if the score improves.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 23:33:16 | More by atomicbeer

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Ruby brown body, slightly hazy. Off-white foamy head that fades to a thin layer once settled. Several spots where the carbonation strings emerge and create little bubble mounds.

S - A little hops and sweet fruits. Crisp apple and other domestic fruit present.

T - Some mild spices and faint hop sweetness. A little apple and apple skin there and some mild yeast. Light alcohol spice present.

M - Light bodied and well carbonated. The carbonation increases once in the mouth, fizzing up when sitting there. Pretty mild and smooth beer.

O - Not a bad beer but pretty mild and not a lot going on here. Low key flavors, light body, mild spice notes. An easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 00:47:11 | More by BeerForMuscle

chicagoabbot

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml into pint glasses, shared with my brewing partner...it's so hard not to just click 5s across the board and try to find some fault with this magical brew. Pours a dark brown with a massive head. Carbonation all through the beer. Awesome look. The nose is light, almost not there until I take a bigger draw...and there it is, the superlative aged hops. Wild method at its best in Belgium--why not add 6 times the hops but age them until the bitterness is mostly gone? Well, it works quite well in this case. Incredibly smooth on the tongue, with many layers of malt that emerge as it is consumed. An amazing beer, one of the finest dubbels I've ever had, certainly. My new favorite dubbel, a classic of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 04:53:20 | More by chicagoabbot

StJamesGate

New York

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours ruby brown with a root beer head that fades to film but doesn't lace. Wax, carob, and sarsaparilla nose. Apple skin, bark, and baker's chocolate up front, some clove yeast, and spice hops with some surprising orange skin underneath. Sherbet-y finish and dry linger. Light to medium, fizzy, and round.

Depth of flavor and good feel, but too much carbonation to get stuck into. Maybe that's just me - I can't quite reconcile the light feel and dark flavors of a dubbel. I have come back to this one, though, so that says something. Earthy and easy to quaff.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 16:50:16 | More by StJamesGate

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: Brown color beer. Dark brown with some reddish notes. Carbonation is present.
Smell: Roasted malts and some caramel notes too. Medium intensity aroma.
Taste: Complex taste. Caramel notes mainly but something else. Spices? Probably. Hazelnuts. Nice.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is present in the mouth. Well balanced beer.
Drinkability: So easy to drink it is crazy!

An excellent beer from this brewery. One of the best Dubble that I've tasted so far.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 02:07:30 | More by ZorPrime

GeezLynn

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bought this bottle 4 or 5 years ago. Stored at ideal conditions, label says best by 25/05/09.

A: Murky dark brown with a fluffy, well-retained white head.

S: Surprisingly vibrant dark fruit. Raisins, figs, prune, apricot, and underneath it all, a little chocolate malt.

T: A little fruity, but not nearly like the aroma. Light prune, followed by bready malt and a touch of chocolate. Ends with some smoke and a rather clean dry finish.

M: Light bodied, but heavy on the carbonation. A bit frothy for my liking.

Forgot about this bottle and let it sit a bit too long, but it's held up quite well. The fruit flavors attenuated slightly, showing a bit more of the toasty malt. As a whole, very nice especially for a beer so easily obtainable.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 06:13:08 | More by GeezLynn

jsprain1

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a dark chocolate brown, though there are strong red highlights as well. Initially massive head fades down to almost nothing leaving little lacing.
S- Strong yeasty smell, slightly metallic, a bit of sour fruit in there, toasty malt.
T- There is an intial metallic note that is really the only thing holding this beer back. Once that passes there is a good mix of Belgian yeastyness, toasted malt, spice (allspice and something similar to nutmeg that I can't place),
and just a slight bit of apple and sourness, particularly noticable in the finish.
M- It feels light but I believe that is just the splendidly smooth carbonation.
D- I dug this beer. There were a couple things (lackluster appearance and the metallic twinge) that kept it from being a tremendous beer. Worth a try, but at it's price, I may not purchase this all that regularly.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 03:57:25 | More by jsprain1

claspada

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The aroma is extremely Belgian in nature with fresh malt initially; then quickly transitions to the traditional Belgian Yeast clove and banana phenols supported by a fruity tartness.

The tastes begin with caramel coated dark fruits, mainly raisin and fig with notes of caramel apple as well. Sweetness is held nicely in check by the yeasty clove finish. The sweetness knows its place in the flavor profile. The doughy yeast and figs/raisins come to the forefront. Some molasses and spicy/earthy hops in the finish. A complex beer for sure, but everything fits extremely well together.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with very soft but persistent carbonation. The finish is simple and smooth yet slightly tart, with hop bitterness sliding in about half way through and then fading off in dryness. Not really much in the way of alcohol noticeable.
Overall this is a nice, pleasant dubbel and a great example of the style for anyone not familiar. Nothing that will blow your mind but just really tasty and enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 02:37:41 | More by claspada