The longer that I let this blog go without a post, the longer I feel that it will go without one.  So I’ll start with something good:  beer.

For those who don’t know me, I’m a bit of a foodie.  Lately, I’ve been a bit infatuated with the fact that so many different flavors can be produced from four ingredients:  water, barley, hops, yeast.  Before I discovered Belgian beers, I never would have considered myself to be a “beer guy”.  In fact, I had a very small selection of what I would even consider tolerable beer.  That changed with my first taste of Duchesse de Bourgogne, a beverage unlike any other that I had ever tasted.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have any of that in my fridge to share a photo with you, so I chose something that was new to me:  Westmalle Dubbel.

Westmalle is a class of beers known as Trappist Ales, named not surprisingly after the fact that they are brewed by Trappist monks.  Dubbel refers to the style, and it’s one of my favorites.  For those unfamiliar with the style, you could think of it as a high-alcohol porter that substitutes flavors of plum and dried cherry for the chocolate and coffee familiar to porter fans.  Many dubbels do stray from the basic four ingredients by adding spices and actual fruit to the brew, but many are able to achieve these flavors using special roasted barley and Belgian yeasts, many of which infuse the beer with fruity characteristics reminiscent or banana and bubblegum (which gets its flavor from banana, cherry, and citrus).

I don’t know if the Westmalle monks add any fruit or spices to their dubbel, although I suspect that the characteristics of this beer are a bit too fruity to be attributed purely to yeast and specialty grains.  It pours (into a traditional tulip-shaped glass intended to highlight the foam and aroma of the beer) a wonderful burgundy color with a thick head, with a fruity aroma that suggests of cherry, plum, and a hint of spicy hops.  The flavor matches, but adds just a hint of tartness that is strong enough to make me believe it was helped by fruit rather than just the small amount of carbonic acid produced from carbonation.

This is actually one of the best beers of this style that I have ever tasted (and it’s one of my favorite styles).  I could probably find critiques here and there if I wanted to try, but when I find a beer with flavors as balanced in every aspect (yeast, malt, fruit, hops, alcohol), I tend to just want to sit back and enjoy it.  Which I did.

So I’ll end this with the two ratings I care about:

• Would I buy this beer again?  Yes.
• Would I pay restaurant prices for this beer?  Yes.

I say with certainty that I will buy this beer again.  I fact, with its flavors fresh in my memory I want to buy several bottles so I can have some on hand to share with visiting friends.  Not that I mind paying a 50% or so restaurant/bar markup for hard-to-find beverages, but Westmalle is far from rare in good Seattle area grocery stores.  Regardless, for lack any truly rare choices on a menu, this one is worth the price.