Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel promises “low in bitterness and high in maltiness. Abbey Dubbel reveals more character with every sip, including notes of dried fruit and spiciness.” This is definitely one unique beer.
This beer definitely comes through on the low bitterness and high malt flavor. I looked for the notes of dried fruit and spiciness but the more I drank the more I felt like I was drinking a more bodied brown ale.
On first pour you notice it doesn’t have much head at all. What head there is fades very quickly. There is a nice aroma with notes of heavy caramel. The first sip, however, does not carry that caramel flavor. Don’t get me wrong, it is far from bad. In fact, this beer is very nice, especially if you like a dark, malty beer with higher ABV rates.
I will say this beer isn’t for everyone. You need to have a taste for dark, malty beers. If you like those then you will appreciate this beer. It is a little lighter than some beers with the Abbey Dubbel label but it is still a nice, malty beer that would be great to sip.
As the beer drinks, it definitely loses carbonation but not to the point where it interferes with the flavor or experience. The higher alcohol content (7.2% ABV) does not come through in the taste. There were many sips where this beer came across more as a mellow brown ale than something heavier.
This beer is definitely flavorful and full of character. If you like darker, more full-bodied beers then this beer might be up your alley. If you like lighter, less filling beers then you might not enjoy this but even then you might enjoy this as a beer to end the night.
Flying Fish did a good job here. They offered a malty, heavy beer worthy of being pair with dessert or meat and cheeses. It is easy to see this beer paired with a good steak or even sausages and cheese. It is also easy to see this beer to cap the night.
Overall, this beer is a very nice sipping beer. If you are looking to grab a beer that you can take your time with then you will want to give this a try. This was very enjoyable and would pair well with fish and chips, a steak, vanilla ice cream, or even a shrimp cocktail.
This is a delightful brew worthy of a try. If you like dark, malty beers then you will definitely enjoy this. I did.