Brasserie Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux

**Aroma:** “Sturdy banana esters, moderate toffee-like malt, slight clove, and no hops character. As it starts to warm up, a slight alcohol note becomes apparent. Light fruit esters—banana, cherry, and apple. A very subtle aroma overall.” **Flavor:** “A spot-on flavor profile for a dubbel with fruit esters (light raisins, banana, and clove) that dominate, but don’t overwhelm the satisfying deep malt body. Hops bitterness is moderate but sufficient to balance the beer. High carbonation. The flavor is much bigger than the aroma suggests.” **Overall:** “A wonderful, well-executed example of a classic dubbel. This could easily be the standard bearer for a Belgian brewery’s lineup. Neat spicy phenolic. Less fruity esters than some of the others and a very accomplished malt character.”

**Aroma:** “Light spicy phenolic notes blend with rich fruity esters that lean toward tropical (banana and pineapple), but with some cherry, plum, and grape. Some dark sweet malt in the background grows more assertive as the beer breathes. ¡Tequila! Notes of pure tequila añejo on the nose, but there’s also some yeast fruitiness and caramel. Not much in the way of hops.” **Flavor:** “Sweet malt (caramel, toffee, and raisins) up front. Very fruity with notes of cherry mixed with a moderate alcohol note. Slight spicy hops note lingers into the aftertaste. Moderate carbonation creates a slight carbonic bite. More tequila in the flavor as well, plus black pepper and Szechuan peppercorn.” **Overall:** “A very likable beer, even though it falls beyond classic dubbel territory (if such can be said to exist). Pepper and spice complement the yeast fruitiness and marry well with the dark (but not too dark) malt backbone. ¡Ole!”

**Aroma:** “Very fruity and smells delicious—lemon, apple, pear—with a touch of spice in the background. White pepper phenols and slightly herbal tea-like hops. Bready malt.” **Flavor:** “High hops fruitiness of lemon and pear with a slight evidence of apple. Well-balanced among malt, hops, and yeast profiles. Medium-high carbonation. Clean dry finish. Moderate spicy phenols up front with a moderate carbonic bite. Dry finish with grape- and wine-like notes belies the layered sophistication.” **Overall:** “A very well-balanced beer. Fruity, yet the peppery hops bitterness in the back provides an interesting contrast. Lots of white pepper phenols and lemon/tangerine esters trademark of French saison yeast. Slight tartness. Dry, quick finish cleans the palate for another sip. Big carbonation and tart finish make this very refreshing and incredibly drinkable.”