I had high anticipation for this three year old Pere Jacques Belgian Dubbel by Goose Island Beer (8% alc, from a 75 cL re-fermented bottle and poured at home) and it delivered.
Aroma & Appearance – Lots of dark fruit, caramels and a bit of spice, pours fairly flat with minimal carbonation.
Flavour – I didn’t takes notes on this bottle, however I can still recall the taste 2 days later because it was so good. Lots of complex caramels in here, again with the dark fruity malt and just a lot of character from the aging that balances all the flavours out so well it makes it kind of hard to describe other than saying it was outstanding.
Overall Impression: Best beer I have had in at least a year, no question. The complexity of the flavours all melding together in this perfectly aged Belguim Dubbel made it something I will treasure. I split this with my Dad and we both agreed on how great it was, to the point that neither of us wanted to try another beer that night so that we could savour it. I eventually caved and did much later that night.
Rating: I would rate about 10/10 for a craft beer as in outstanding. It’s pretty hard for anything that is new to compete with a perfectly aged beer, but this is a buy on site and age if you ever see it.
Food Pairing: Pair it with salty meat like prosciutto or rich cheese like blue stilton.
Great blog. You have my mouth watering to try this beer.
Thanks, it’s a pretty amazing beer.
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