Val-Dieu Brune - Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu

jwc215

New Jersey

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

750 ml cork=caged bottle, poured into a glass chalice:

Pours dark brown with some dark rubyish hues. The thin tan head eventually becomes a wide patch. Some lacing sticks.

The smell is of spiced dark bread, some herbal notes and a bit of anise.

The taste is rooty, aniseedy with sweet caramelish/toffeeish maltiness, a touch of herbal spicing and a hint of sourish dark fruitiness. Becomes sweeter and maltier as it progresses. Nice maltiness.

It has a creamy, silky, medium-to-full body.

A nice, malty, but well-balanced, sipper with quite a bit of subtle complexities to it. A delicious dubbel with a great feel!

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2008 20:33:52 | More by jwc215

KeefD

Minnesota

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

Poured into a Val-Dieu chalice a dark amber/brown/crimson red color with a small amount of foam that fell into a nice cap and left behind plenty of thick lacing. Aroma of chocolate and dark bready, yeasty notes. Taste is similar to nose. Toasted bread, hints of baker's chocolate, a dry yeasty finish. Semi-sweet, delicious, and goes down quite easily. I'm not generally a big fan of dubbels, but this one was great!

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2008 05:25:25 | More by KeefD

giblet

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

this is a nice smooth brown beer. poured nice into me glass with about two inches of head. steady carbonation and rich smell. the aroma of fruits, roasted malt and yeast. the taste was the same and finished nice and smooth. very nice lacing down the whole way. i am glad i bought four of these and with two left to enjoy i will savor each sip.

good beer. suckem up and movem out.

giblet

p.s. i found that this had a best by date of 13 months ago. i am guessing that it was kept in a good place and is likely to be a style of beer that ages well.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2008 11:16:35 | More by giblet

everetends

Alabama

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this bottle at Four Winds as a Freebie, thanks Mike. Poured into a chalice.

A: Came out a good looking dark brown, almost black. Lets a touch of light through that comes out a beautiful ruby red. The head is a rocky off white, almost brown. Been almost an hour since I started this beer and the top cap is still with me. The lacing sticks and remains on the glass. This is truly a beautiful brew.

S: Smells of dark malt, caramel, roasted coffee, alcohol soaked fruit (figs, grapes, and prunes).

T: Tastes of rich dark and sweet malt. Caramel, toffee, nuts (almond and hazelnut) alnl come through real easily. Rum soaked raisin bread is on the back end and really cuts the sweetness of the malt. You have a touch of coffee bitterness that rounds out the flavor completely. Incredibly balanced.

M: Big, chewy full bodied beer. Light to medium carbonation. A touch of heat from the alcohol on the back of the throat. Finishes a bit dry and leaves incredible aftertastes to savor.

D: This beer is a sipper but quite good. I really enjoyed this beer and was shocked that is was free. I was actually expecting this to be crap, but it turned out to be great. Really enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2008 06:10:41 | More by everetends

windigo32

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I had this served in a Duval goblet.

A:: Poured a very dark brown, almost black, with a layer of head that turned to lacing on the top after a short time.

S: The smell was sweet. There was a light hint of cinnamon and anise. There was also a slight hint of coffee. It was difficult discerning a smell from the width of the goblet's mouth.

T: Taste was slightly malty. There was a hint of caramel and a very slight note of roasted nuts.

M: The carbonation was a bit on the heavy side. Despite this, the beer still had a light feel to it. It didnt feel like it should be as dark as it is.

D: I found it drinkable, but I didnt find a flavor profile that really begged for more.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2008 02:54:22 | More by windigo32

auxiliary

Rhode Island

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

appearance - Dark brown color, small head.

smell - Toasted malts smells here.

taste - Some roasted coffee taste here with some grains thoen in.

mouthfeel - Heavy-medium body.

drinkability - Easy drinking but at the same time you know that it is a strong beer,

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2008 03:53:54 | More by auxiliary

al885

New York

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

my first beer review:

Val-Dieu Brown in chimay chalice best before 8/28/08 on bottle.

Appearance: poured with a one-finger off-white head. real dark, looks like coca cola. Head retained well, leaving lacing yet minimal.

Smell: smells roasty and nutty to me, very sweet scents.

Taste: Definite nutty taste, at 8% abv I hardly taste the alcohol in it.

Mouth: smooth and heavy

Drinkability: at 8% it is a slow drink. If i had more i would have a couple, but that would span throughout the night.

I enjoyed this beer

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2008 02:29:32 | More by al885

bluegrassbrew

Georgia

4.47/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle into a chalice.

Pours a chestnut brown with a nice creamy white head. Leaves some good icing like lace around my glass.

Smells very nice. One of those beers I actually said, "Wow! Nice nose." Dark fruits and molasses like sweetness.

Taste is just a good as the nose. Candi sugars, molasses, some apricot and just a hint of heat. Subtle yet flavorful.

Overall, this was one tasty beer. Very easy drinking. The bottle went by way to quickly. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2008 02:37:37 | More by bluegrassbrew

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a dark mahogany red with tons of huge chunky floaties lazily floating in the glass.

S: Very soft roasted malt and caramel is evident on the nose, very subtle.

T: It truly is the flavor of this beer that makes it one of the better browns I've ever tasted. There is a slight alcohol detection from the 8% but is very well balanced. The beer slides down the throat nicely from the extremely smooth palate with some rich brown sugar and sweet caramel bread notes highlighting the flavor on the way down. Silky smooth texture, rich caramel and a soft roasted nuttiness makes this a prime example per style

M: The palate is very smooth, silky, and slick on the tongue with a creamy caramel texture and soft roasted malting.

D: great drinkability factor. Very rich and highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2008 00:36:33 | More by beerthulhu

avalon07

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a dark brown, opaque appearance. Gave a quarter inch head.

Had a bready smell, with a predominant nuttiness. It gives a pretty strong, yet somewhat sweet aroma.

The nutty quality of this beer comes through the most. Also evident is the yeast and some mild dark fruits. Very tasty.

Had a decent mouthfeel. Not overly carbonated, but still had a nice bite to it.

If you like brown ales this is one of the better examples of this style. It's definitely a drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2008 16:39:50 | More by avalon07

danend

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma : Some spicy alcohol. Figs, bread, nutty and toasty notes. Some phenolic spiciness, but not extreme. A slight honey like sweetness. A little lacking in complexity for a brune.

Appearance : Brilliant mahogany. A nice tan head that lingers forever.

Flavor : Nutty, malty and alcoholic sweetness. A slight chocolate flavor with grapes and figs very faintly in the finish.

Mouthfeel : Warming on the swallow. Finishes a touch on the sweet side, nice carbonation.

Overall : A very drinkable brune. if they kicked up the aroma on this beer it would be all the better. A great all around beer, but not one I'll dream about on my deathbed.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2008 01:27:59 | More by danend

StoutPiper

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

It's black, and looks heartier than it is. If Great Lakes' Dortmuder Gold and a porter had a baby, this would be it.

Like all of this Abbey's brews, the smell on this one is extremely understated. but it looks beautiful in the snifter from the same gift box. the head was about an inch thick, with big bubbles; it took awhile to dissapear.

I opened it about five minutes ago, and the first thing i thought of upon smelling/tasting was Meijer's spiced rum. This, however, is not extremely accurate.

After ameliorating for several minutes the progression of sipping this beer went as follows: The smell is all roasted nuts, the taste is completely dark chocolate, which is extremely pleasant. Then i realize that (like every other beer brewed by this abbey ) it is way too strong on the tongue. Overcarbonation is a huge drawback of this brewery, and if they could get past that, i think they would really be able to contend for one of the best classic belgian abbey-brewers.

Overall, out of the three beers in the gift set (blonde,tripel, and brown) this is the best, and most complex. Worth a taste, I'm sure you will enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 06:43:49 | More by StoutPiper

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear dark ruby with minimal off white head. If you pour the whole bottle in (sediment and all), you get a cloudy ruby (and the nose is noticeably more yeasty). Nose is a cross of old grape skins and cherries with a syrup edge. Flavor is pretty interesting. Starts off tangy and almost bitter in a way. Constant sweet tone with a doughy edge to it towards the tail end. With all the sediment in there, the subtle changes are less noticeable and it tends to stay an even, slightly caramel brew. Feel has a great level of carbonation on it. Pretty drinkable, though that 8% will get to ya quick.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 08:48:58 | More by RblWthACoz

faernt

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've been drinking this beer for years. I opened this one to find it to be a fresh batch brewed in 10.07. It's 12.07 now...the delights of the global economy abound. There seems to be a lot going on in this freshie. The sourness and sweetness are competing for my attention. The head is tight bubbled and persistent: maintaining a creamy lace down the side of the glass and a solid skim of pillowy head across the surface of this deeply brown beer.

I've spent too much time deliberating over the age of a beer. l'm overgeeked! "Is it at its best now?" Geez! what a pain! This is fresh stuff and it's really good. It's great to have something out of the kettle and great to taste. I feel liberated from the annoying deliberation of appropriateness. Drink it now. This is good (really good) fresh. No waiting is required.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2007 07:39:57 | More by faernt

Halcyondays

California

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On-tap at Naja's Place in Redondo, just a few miles west of the 405,

A: Pours a mild, cloudy brown, with a thick, off-white head, leaving nice lacing in the tulip-shaped Sam Adams Black Lager glass it was served in.

S: Nice smell of malt and sugar, molasses.

T: Very tasty, tastes of rum and brandy, the rum more so, with a thick malt current, backed with dark fruit and prunes. Raisins also play a heavy part. The beer is very yeasty and quite estery, with a slight hint of clove and banana. Figuring out the flavours is hard in this beer, it's got a lot going on.

M: Smooth and thick, rich, creamy, full-bodied, slighty medicinal and phenolic as well, got a light feel of band-aids on a couple sips, but overall, very good.

D: This is a really good beer, very tasty on-tap, surprised me a little bit of how good it was, I'll definitely order this again, a great brown beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2007 01:07:58 | More by Halcyondays

bigdeuce

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark brown that you cannot penetrate. Leaves nice lacing and pours pillowy head which follows your sips down the tulip. Smells of peaches, apricots, and pears. Taste is very fruity. Twingy pears and apricots pleasure the taste buds. Very warming..nice fall-winter brew. Pretty drinkable, although high in alcohol. Does have a slight alcohol taste that can be perceived as unpleasant. Is very sour as well. A decent overall dubbel.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 20:40:19 | More by bigdeuce

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep brown that is nearly opaque. White head has micro sized bubbles that leave a sexy lace.

Nose is alive! Plenty of fresh baked goods, yeasty/estery notes, and vanilla icing.

Palate is sweet roasted malts, brownie, brown sugar, cola, and candy sugar. Very mellow, sweet, and hard to find a flaw.

Finish is medium long and rather sweet. More cola on the finish. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2007 03:44:54 | More by yemenmocha

sleazo

New York

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Dark chocolate brown with a nice beige head. Good retention, decent lacing.

S-light aroma, slightly roasted malt quality here.

T-Slightly bitter with a powdered cocoa quality. The cocoa is pronounced, but this does not have the typical sweetness I associate with dubbels. As it warms, hints on rum soaked raisins and cola peek through.

M-Medium bodied with a mild yet pleasant carbonation.

D-This was not what i was expecting. This is dangerously good. not really sweet, it was more bitter with high quality cocoa beingn the dominant flavour. Very nicely done.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2007 16:08:30 | More by sleazo

drseamus

New York

3.63/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Good red/brown bodied beer. There was a bit of head as I was pouring but it disappeared quickly leaving no trace of its presence. Nice malty aroma. There is a bit of spice in there and some breadiness. The flavor is sweet and malty with that same bit of spice, but it is a bit think and lacks the intensity that I'd like. The spice seems to take over as the beer warms up. The body is also not quite where it should be. It is fairly light for a dubbel. A decent beer all around, but not among my favorite dubbels.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2007 04:14:07 | More by drseamus

basica

Singapore

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought this brune dubbel from Brussel Sprouts the day before yesterday, to go. I like the label; it is this nice lake and a city on the backdrop. I served this dubbel in my Hoegaarden Forbidden
Fruit chalice. This beer pours out dark ruby brown with a thick creamy and durable head quite a looker; it smells grassy yeasty with some floral notes; quite different from many brune beers I have tried. The taste was kind of like the belgian blonds more than a typical brune; it was yeasty
but the yeast taste was not as strong and stinggy like many belgian blonds. Dark malts and very subtle sweetness in addition to a slight breadiness was detected as it moves into a grassy yeasty taste on the finish which is reminiscent of the initial smell; the finish was also very slightly bitter. I did not think I detected much of fruits in the taste but in the after taste I believe I pick up plums and grapes with some breadiness; a little fruity aroma on the nose as well. Beer was of a moderage body with a sufficiently high carbonation level; it was smooth but instead of creamy smooth which was what it looked to be; it was more of the watery smooth. It was a relatively refreshing compared to many of the belgian brunes as well. On the whole, I find that this beer was more like a blond than a brune though every inch of it looks like a brune. Quite interesting though I would have preferred it more like a brune.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2007 17:10:25 | More by basica

Sconnie

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at the Brasserie V in Madison, WI, a new restaurant and tap room. Really a great place, a constant rotation of 15 beers on tap, most of them Belgian imports. Served in it's own goblet, this beer was a lighter brown color, and smelt of coffee and roasted malt overtones. A solid Belgian yeast taste with a bit more of a roasty character than other Dubbel's I've had. A very solid beer, but at 8% it's not a session beer. Very tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2007 19:28:48 | More by Sconnie

lordofthewiens

Maine

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

Wonderful beer. 750ml bottle served in a goblet. Dark red/brown in color with a thick head that retains very well. Dark fruit, chocolate, and caramel in the aroma. Very yeasty and malty taste, with the fruits and a little coffee also. A real mouthful, but a great beer to savor. Alcohol not noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2007 21:25:33 | More by lordofthewiens

Phatz

Pennsylvania

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

An absolutely terrific experience and a true surprise. I wasn't really looking for a great dubbel, just an interesting beer I hadn't had yet and this beer fell into my lap and to my surprise it is spectacular.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful dark opaque ruddy brown color with an ivory head that retains a frothy cap on the beer that lasts the duration. The massive lacing lined the walls of my goblet. Gorgeous.

Smell: Dark fruits, toasted bread, plum chocolate, dark malts and hint of whipped banana.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Yeasty and fruity, and totally crammed with heavy rich dark malts and a old ripe fruit and chocolate attribute that blends some apricot and hint of tobacco smokiness and raisin with a pleasant warmth, but still masks the alcohol bite with its smooth and creamy body. It is big. More than medium but not much more and malty with a long lingering malty fruit aftertaste.

Drinkability: As drinkable as any double. I would drink a few and go to bed. Very nice.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2007 23:40:04 | More by Phatz

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I picked this up on a whim from Gary's Liquor in the OC (Oak Creek, WI). I didn't know exactly what to expect, although I was anticipating an abbey dubbel that would be spiced with coriander and clove. Instead, I got a beer that redder in color than I anticipated (it is called a brown on the label), more earthy and cherry-ish in flavor than I thought, and to be honest I really enjoyed this beer a good bit more than I thought I would.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2007 20:04:17 | More by BeerBelcher

khiasmus

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark brown with four fingers of frothy, beautiful head when poured into my Allagash glass. Laces down the sides in cloud fashion. There's a very faint haze when held up to the light, but it's remarkably clear for the amount of yeast that I just poured.

S- malty, with lots of phenolics: clove, pepper, the yeast is evident... Some nuttiness, a hint of barley, wheat bread, maybe even a faint hint of metal. Balance in the nose is some faint citrus from the hops.

T- Initially honey- sweet, followed quickly by a metallic flavor, and that of a light cereal. An aftertaste of honey and metal, but it's not bad... It's actually quite good.

M- A bit watery for a dubbel. Low carbonation... overall a boring mouthfeel with a long, smooth finish.

D- It's good. I could have a couple... but not for the four bucks I paid for this twelver. There are much better dubbels out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2007 01:55:00 | More by khiasmus