Anderson Valley Brewing Company Brother David’s Double Abbey-Style Ale
What the brewers say
“A dark brown body and aromas of cocoa, banana, cloves, a toasted nutty character, and flavors of chocolate- covered cherries and candied fruits. Subdued hops profile. Spicy, herbal notes complement the warm, slightly sweet finish.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Classic Belgian ester profile with banana and some apple, plum, and raisin notes. Slight peppery notes. Rich dark malt with some hints at melanoidins. Mild alcohol and some hops there, too.”
Flavor: “Toasty malt sweetness, but also a fair amount of balancing hops, both bittering and flavor hops. Banana, some cherry, raisin, prune, and dark fruit notes with plenty of spicy phenols. Some alcohol warmth. Long, smooth, off-dry finish.”
Overall: “The malt and ester balance is artful, but they don’t integrate as well with the hops. There is a lot going on in this beer that took a while to fully comprehend—at first sip the subdued nose undersold it, but the character came out deeper into the glass. The flavors are very well blended; nothing sticks out at all.”
