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Two good things about this new beer from Portland’s Ground Breaker:
1. It’s a Dubbel and not some trend chasing beer.
2. It honors one of the current home brewing celebs around today, Denny Conn
Now we need someone in Los Angeles to brew a Drew Beechum beer that goes onto shelves and isn’t just a small draft offering (though that is cool, just not as cool).
Today’s Christmas offering is a Dubbel. Not a style you see in the wild often, let alone as a winter beer.
Single Digit is from Smuttynose Brewing and is described as “a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Stylistically reminiscent of a Belgian Abbey Double, it features fruity aromas and flavor, balanced by spicy Sterling hops. Warming, mellow & pleasantly complex…”
“Upslope has transformed their popular Christmas Ale into a wild version of the holiday classic. Aged for 10 months in Leopold Bros. Maryland-Style Rye Whiskey barrels and their house sour culture, the Belgian-style spiced dubbel Wild Christmas Ale is a complex yet balanced blend of holiday spices, dark cherry caramel and whiskey-spiced oak. Mildly tart due to the Brettanomyces, this ale also boasts a slight chocolate finish and notes of candied orange. At. 9.2% abv, Upslope’s Wild Christmas Ale is sure to bring you warmth and cheer this holiday season.”
This bottled in early February (2/04 to be exact) abbey Dubbel from Double Mountain has the yeast from Scourmount abbey. Combine those expectations and I was hoping for something great.
And I got it. Sacre Bleu pours a cola brown with a thin head on top. That yeast is in serious effect and it smells wonderful. Big banana and spice notes. Toast quality to it as well. Right in the sweet spot between carbonated and viscous. Really coats the tongue. For some odd reason I think of pancakes with this like it’s a brunch beer. Really enjoyable.
The second gluten-free beer comes from Green’s, it is called Endeavor. Take a look….