Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse Achel Bruin
What the brewers say
“A dark amber, strong Trappist ale from one of Belgium’s six abbey breweries. Bruin is easy to drink despite the alcohol. It’s lightly filtered, but still hazy with yeast remaining and refermenting in the bottle.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “A pleasant, light aroma that doesn’t overpower in any one area. Yeast aromatics are a touch more saison-like (some nice pepper and spice notes) than classically dubbel. Light spicy hops aroma complements yeast phenolics. As it starts to warm more esters (cherry or peach) start to come out and less spice.”
Flavor: “A rounded malt foundation of toffee and raisins gives way to an unusual, but pleasantly different suit of fruit (bananas, cherries, plums) and spice (cloves). Some crisp hops bitterness to balance. Finishes dry.”
Overall: “Spicy with a low malt complexity and a good balance of sweetness. Very drinkable. This could easily fly under the radar in a sea of competitors, but this pleasant little dubbel-esque saison quenches one’s thirst as readily as it quenches the need for something from the abbey. Perhaps this is what the monks drink when they mow the lawn?”
