Petrus Dubbel - Brouwerij Bavik

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.9/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Cherry caramel with lemon peel and orange peel trim. I like the beer, especially when backlit, and I like the large crown at least as much. It's golden brown sugar in color, frothily creamy in texture and is gracing the glass with plenty of sticky lace. This one is impressive right out of the chute...

... and stumbles on the first turn. The nose is strangely underpowered. I get faint whiffs of sweet, dark fruit and mild clove spice. The flavor needs to be much more forthcoming for me to be even slightly impressed with Brouwerij Bavik's version of a Belgian dubbel, or 'Dubbel Bruin' as the label reads.

The beer tastes artificially flavored to me and is way too sweet. It tastes like the brewers used caramel extract and a few too many scoops of dark candy sugar. Dark corn syrup perhaps? The best way that I can think of to describe the flavor in a general sense is that it tastes like a child's cartoon drawing rather than a beautiful watercolor. It's all garish and messy and dumbed down.

As for specifics: dates swimming in caramel and light molasses pretty much covers it. Let's throw in a little ground clove that identifies it as a Belgian beer rather than a standard brown ale. Actually, Dubbel Bruin tastes like an unsuccessful attempt by an American brewer to expand into the classically Belgian styles.

The mouthfeel is too full, too syrupy. I'm sure all the added sugar is partly responsible, as is a curious lack of carbonation. After the impressive head creation on the initial pour, the bubbles have decided to knock off for the day. Subsequent pours continue to generate several fingers of foam, but it sure doesn't feel like they're doing much in the mouth.

Other than Aged Pale Ale, which I think is their finest creation, I've never really been wowed by beer from this brewery. Dubbel Bruin is decent and is easy to drink, but compared to the world's finest versions, its amateurish at best.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2007 14:56:33 | More by BuckeyeNation

brentk56

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy cola brown color with a frothy tan head that retains well and leaves splashy lacing all over the chalice

Smell: Caramel, candi sugar, raisins and vanilla

Taste: Starts with a rich burnt raisin and caramel flavor that is moderated by some tart green apples; after the swallow, the rich sweet flavors detected up front dominate the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slightly sticky with light carbonation

Drinkability: Decent, but cetainly not stellar; would benefit from a more balanced profile

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2006 18:51:48 | More by brentk56

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A deep brown color is accompanied by a rusty, murky hue. Again for Petrus, this beer has a timid carbonation that produces a head that has a hard time covering the crown of the glass. Slight lacing and legging.

A ton of sugar is used here to make a very sweet Dubbel. Malt breadiness is burried in there but has a hard time competing with the sugary beer base. Peppery and spicy to combat the sweetness but to little avail. Fruity with raisons, dates, figs, plumbs, prunes and other dark and dehydrated fruits.

The sweetness keeps the beer from finishing as dry as I prefer. The weight of the sugars are felt in dramatic fashion. I hope you like your Dubbels sweet.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 02:28:26 | More by BEERchitect

zeff80

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a dark brown color with a tan, bubbly, one-finger head of foam. It left minimal lace.

S - It smelled of dried fruit, malt, cherries and molasses.

T - It tasted of cherries, caramel and other fruity flavors. Really strong on the fruit flavors.

M - It was soft and crisp. A medium bodied brew.

D - This is a nice dubbel. A little more fruit flavor than most dubbels.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2009 00:56:39 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is relatively dark in color and poured with a thin layer of bubbles on the surface.
S: There is a moderately sweet aroma of caramel malts in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell, but much sweeter. There are some hints of sourness and spices, particularly in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied, smooth and a bit thin on the palate. There's isn't a lot of carbonation.
D: The beer is very easy to consume.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 11:10:58 | More by metter98

russpowell

Oklahoma

2.63/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours an effervescent walnut with 2+ fingers of mocha colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit (cherry & jammy notes especially),

T: Faint figgyness, some cheeey & a touch of strawberry mixes with brown bread. A touch of raisin as this warms along with dryness, Finishes watery with some raisin notes & a touch of dark candi sugar; yawn

MF: Light/medium bodied with slight carbonation, thins out as it warms

Very underwhelming dubbel. This mixed gift pack is all over the map, some good, some not...

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 13:33:02 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served at cellar temperature, around 50º-55º.

Looks good pouring into a wide chalice, fluffy tan foam with some bigger bubbles rising to the surface. Body looks nearly opaque, a dark chestnut brown.

Smell has a slight raisiny cocoa touch, with some mustiness and grain.

Taste is moderately sweet, raisin, toasted dark malt, aftertaste like cheerios. Smooth mouthfeel, some prickly carbonation. At room temp. there's a maple syrup taste. Odd metallic note lowers the good taste impression a little. Dry tobacco in the aftertaste, strangely enough.

This was much better than the Allagash Dubbel I recently had, maybe a little sweet for some tastes.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2007 00:11:10 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark brown with a thin head that becomes patchy.

The smell is of chocolate, earthy with fruity notes.

The taste is of chocolate with dark maltiness. Earthy, fruity notes are in the background. Sweetness balanced by subtle spiciness is the main characteristic.

Moderately, evenly carbonated, this has a smooth, medium body.

Alcohol is well-covered. It is tasty and smooth. A nice malty brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2008 19:46:32 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle.

This beer pours a dark ruddy amber, with two fingers of foamy pale beige head, which leaves a broken wall of drooping lace around the glass as it steadily settles. It smells of sweet sugary caramel malt, a bit of thin breadiness, and some dark tart fruit. The taste is sweet malt, bolstered by a fruitiness redolent of plum, cherry, and red grapes, with an edgy, somewhat tart character. The carbonation is on the low side, the body full, smooth, and just a wee bit creamy. It finishes off-dry, the lingering malt hard to overlook, and the fruity dryness still playing second fiddle.

While there's nothing off-putting nor underwhelming about this offering, nothing stands out by the same measure. The increasing dryness is a plus, happily making the initially overbearing various malt essences but a befuddled memory.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 06:14:19 | More by biboergosum

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark cloudy brown with a tan head that doesn’t stay around long. Molasses nose. Flavor has a strong hint of molasses and a slight bit of caramel as well with a steady and even flavor. Slight touch of malt. Feel is slightly higher than average on the carbonation, and it feels very good with the combo of flavoring against it. Very drinkable. Another from this 6-pack I could down many of in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 08:13:58 | More by RblWthACoz

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer has as a dark opaque shoe polish brown body with a super thick head that has a yellowish-tan color to it. The head pushes up above the rim of the glass holding its form for most of the beer. There is a lot of strands of micro bubbles sliding up the side of the glass which reminds me of the matrix. The beer matrix.

S- This beer has a slight tart note to some slightly sweet brown malt with hints of wood and sherry in the background. The smell is smooth but has some complexity to it.

T- this beer has taste of tart notes followed by some slight sweetness which is probably from brown malt and a bit of brown sugar. There are notes of black roast malt in the background and a hint of dark cherries. The finish is a soft bitterness from malt and a nice spicy alcohol taste that hangs on after the finish. As this beer warms there is notes of wet wood and caramel malt that come through.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a creamy texture and a tight fizz in the finish. The last few sips are without head and the texture turns a bit watery with a slight alcohol heat in the finish.

D- This beer is subtle but still complex. This is a good session beer if you like wild ales but can't drink a monster tart beer. I could have several of these and the subtle notes make we want to taste more of them.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2007 20:35:40 | More by rhoadsrage

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Ludwig's Garten...
Appears a dark, mahogany brown with a small, fluffy tan head that fades out into a mild cap. Scattered bits of lacing are left around the goblet.
Smell is of caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, sugar cookies, light spice, gentle hints of cocoa powder in the background.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a smooth, cookie-like, sweetness that doesn't overpower...like a touch of blackstrap molasses added to a sugar cookie with some raisins.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, mildly sweet, and satisfying.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2007 15:19:18 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

2.08/5  rDev -42.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A clear reddish brown colored beer with a small tan colored head.

The smell is sweetish and malty with a faint vinegar aroma. Little bit of brown sugar in this and a little bit of flowers. This beer style is not supposed to have any vinegar aroma.

The taste starts out sweet and sour like the other sour beers from this brewer that seems to be mainly a Flanders Red brewer. This tastes like a Flanders Red.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Not real drinkable in my opinion. If you want a Dubbel there are about 1000 better ones out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 03:11:10 | More by Zorro

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Serving type: bottle.

Pours a dark chestnut brown color with a thin beige head. Aroma is very strong consisting of tart/ sour oakiness and dark fruit. A bit more sour than I had expected. Oak flavor overides the dark fruit and smooth malty flavors. Very dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 08:08:23 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's the other day.

The beer pours a a solid brown color with a slight, somewhat reddish hue. The beer has good head retention and lacing as well. The nose is intriguing, with a moderately sweet aroma of chocolate, carob bean and cola. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, but this beer really tastes even better then it smells. There is also a brown sugar and coffee component, and while it starts off moderately sweet, the finish is fairly dry with some slight tartness. The beer has a medium bodied mouthfeel to it and is quite smooth and long. This beer is surprisingly drinkable, as there is a touch of sour that seems to buoy the sweetness somewhat.

An impressive dubbel from Petrus. I would happily drink this on a regular basis were it more available.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2008 15:50:55 | More by johnmichaelsen

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Brown 33cl bottle, one of the last in my Petrus collection to be reviewed. Best before 06 Aug 09, drank 29 Oct 09, so slightly overdue.

Poured into my Westmalle chalice; Depp ruby red, slight haze to the body. Good creamy head, tan coloured, lacing held as the glass emptied.

The smell and taste married each other very well, fruity, I found raspberries, strawberries and hints of cherry in both the aroma and flavours. A little on the sweet side, as many dubbels are.

In the aftertaste I detected a bitter dark chocolate feel in my mouth, wasn't there at the begining.

Not bad at all, the Petrus brand covers a host of beer styles, all seem to fit in the 'just above average' category. This one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 11:35:37 | More by BlackHaddock

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cheers to @LaitueGonflable for this one.

Pours a pretty dark and heavy deep, deep red colour. When held directly to the light, the light causes a refraction of the red to form a bright sparkling, like a cut ruby. Head is fine, but bubbly in places, forming a film after a while. Some patchy speckled lacing. The colour is divine, and overall, it's a very good-looking beer.

Nose is extremely interesting and rather complex. Spicy rye aromas, with a touch of acidity, and sweetly piquant characters like a fresh, hot cinnamon bun. A touch of citrus lingering across the back as well, which is hidden by the deep sweet-savoury body. Lovely.

Taste also bridges that sweet/savoury/spicy divide, but it's a little more banal in its implementation. Here, the characters present themselves all at once, and the palate doesn't develop from front to back. Instead, we get a single note, albeit a layered one, giving characters of dark bread, subtle sweetness and a touch of dark acidity.

Feel is light, but pleasant enough.

This started out really well, and had the signs this was going to be a phenomenal beer. It's still a very good one, but it ends up feeling a little disappointing just because it promised so much.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 08:10:59 | More by lacqueredmouse

Gusler

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer disembarks the 330ml brown bottle a clear deep brown with a perpetual frothy tan head that lingers on, but after its depletion to nothingness, the residual lace forms a tight skirt upon the glass. Nose is musky, hints of caramel with a nice malt sweetness; a fine sniffer to be sure, start is somewhat sweet with a pleasing grain presence, top is fair to middling in its feel. Finish is benignly acidic, the hops present and pleasing, the aftertaste dry and a fine beer to end the evening with.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 23:50:22 | More by Gusler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a really dark mahogany color with a reddish tan head.

S: Caramel and raisins on nose with a nice fruity aroma.

T: Some fresh bread, figs, dried fruit (raisins, prunes) for flavor. Nice toffee and roasted malt notes as well a candi sugar sweetness upfront that compliments the malt and with a warming alcohol finish.

M: smooth, soft and sweet.

D: A touch sweet even for a dubbel but satisfying none the less.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2008 23:01:58 | More by beerthulhu

ccrida

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Server on draft in Petrus chalice, the Dubbel was dark brown with a very small white head which quickly dissipated and left no lace. The was no noticeable aroma. The taste is rather pleasant however, one of my favorite Dubbel's. It was sweet, malty and vinous, with notes of toffee and brown sugar and a slight bite, not from the alcohol I think but the minerals. The mouthfeel was rich and a bit syrupy from all the malt, but the complexity from the water and yeast made it relatively drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2006 23:54:12 | More by ccrida

largadeer

California

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Served in the tall, stemmed Petrus glass. Color is brown and mostly opaque, slight clarity where the glass thins. Pours with an inch of frothy foam, which takes about 10 minutes to fall into a ring.

Smell - Sweet and lightly toasted. Figs and brown sugar mixed with subtle alcohol.

Taste/mouthfeel - Very soft and sweet flavors; notes of caramelized fruit, nuts and brown sugar. This is sweeter than most dubbels, but it's quite good. Finishes clean with virtually no bitterness in the aftertaste. Medium in body and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2007 22:59:21 | More by largadeer

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy orange-ish/ deep amber, with a tan head. In the aroma, a sweet, fruity, maltiness. In the taste, a sweet malt and quite fruity, like apples and white grapes. A medium bodied mouthfeel with a small bite, and a semi-dry fruitiness in the aftertaste. Nice, decent, however nothing really that great about it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2008 03:36:56 | More by OWSLEY069

avalon07

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a brownish color and a thick consistency. There was a fairly large amount of head and some solid lacing.

S: A malty, fruity smell, with some traces of mild hops.

T: Tasted of cherries, malt and some Belgian yeast. A solidly made taste.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

D: On the whole, this is a well made example of dubbel. Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 15:20:57 | More by avalon07

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: On-tap into a Petrus glass. A rich mahogony/wood tone with a soapy off white head and bubbly lace making this fine looking beer a true specimen.

Smell: Tart cherries, sour apple cider vinegar, malt.

Taste: Chocolatey yet there is an acidity too. Sour notes cut through caramel malt. Mineral water/metallic edge. Slightly roasted? Oak and vanilla notes there as well. Funky dubbel.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and very smooth with a puckering, drying finish.

Drinkability: Another characterful beer in the Petrus range. Good authentic stuff from the Bavik brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2010 18:54:47 | More by Stinkypuss

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.58/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on Day 1 at the Lucky Baldwin’s 7th Annual Belgium Beer Festival.

Beer Listed at #43 of 60: Petrus Dubbel Bruin


Yet another in the varied range of Baviks ‘Petrus’ brews. Petrus Dubbel had a dark brown body with a pale biscuit colored head that had a good initial presentation but soon died with some nice lacing. Earthy malts with a splash of caramel and Devon toffee in the nose. Body has a nice thick feel to it, bold with a good supporting role from the conditioning. Tastes are attractive and inviting, solid malt backbone, lightly toasted malts with some caramel and toffee tones in the middle. Finish has a soft warmth and a lingering biscuit malt ending but an annoying sweetness takes over on the palate. Delicate fruity tones too as it warmed a little. Nice enough.

Nothing outstanding here but this was a very solid brew. Funny how I have picked up a lot of Petrus bottles to date yet I never seem to see this one. Draft version was good and well worth trying, if a little too sweet at times.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2006 05:08:04 | More by TheLongBeachBum