There is always a sense of expectation with the Inselbrau beers. Wrapped more beautifully than most of the presents I gifted for Christmas, I think I missed a trick by not including this beer in the December pack last month!
If you are new to the beers of the Insel-Brauerie, they are a small German brewery on an island in the Baltic Sea. Hence many of their beers are call ‘Baltic ……’. That is their naming convention, though there is always something interesting about the beers; something that sets them apart from those of a similar brew style.
Our beer this month is the Baltic Dubbel, and straight away the thing that stands out as different is the ABV for a Belgian style dubbel. The German’s like them big!
It pours quite a thick viscous black liquid and settles to be quite still. The aroma is full of caramel malts and lots of dried dark fruits with maybe a little earthy, nutty hint.
With a malt base of barley, wheat and rye, as well as dextrose, the beer has a very full body, with lots of caramel malt, chocolate, roasted malt, and also very fruity giving raisins, figs and prunes. Good carbonation and some herbal spicing lift the mouthfeel toward a tasty, slightly prickly finish.
A classic Belgian dubbel brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Dubbel style beer brewed with 6 different malts and Saaz hops for a unique bitterness.
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
A classic Belgian dubbel style ale, ticking all the boxes as a perfect example of the style.
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
Emelisse's take on the classic Belgian Dubbel style
A typical Belgian dubbel style beer, from a label with an interesting history
La Debauche presents their interpretation of the classic Belgian Dubbel style
A typically taste Belgian Dubbel or Brune/Bruin with a sweet fruity and malty body, balanced by an earthy, spicy and slightly citrus hop bite
by Mokke Bier
A Belgian Dubbel with a rich malty body and a few subtle hints of something a little different
A deliciously malty Begian Dubbel made using 6 different specialty malts
A tasty Belgian Dubbel from an old abbey label, now owned by the might of Heineken
The baby of the Rochefort range; an amber brown dubbed style ale with all the elegance of a classic Trappist ale
The Pater 6 from St Bernardus is in the Belgian dubbel style
by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)
From the Palm Brewery portfolio comes the Steenbrugge Bruin
A traditional style Belgian dubbel from a little brewery in the village of Damme, just outside Bruges
A traditional German goes with sea salt, ground coriander seeds
A self-styled Baltic Tripel from this crafty German brewery
A DIPA with 100% German Magnum hops, open fermented over pinecones and pine branches
