Beer Review: St. Vincent’s Dubbel – Captain Lawrence Brewery, NY

So, look.  We already drink beer a few times a week and we love discovering new local beers and breweries, so we had a beerpiphany:  why not share a local beer we liked every once in a while?  We’re going to keep it short, simple, and to the point.  We’ll hit up the vital stats (as long as we can find them), the tasting notes, where we bought the bottle, and anything else we find along the way.  Enjoy and let us know if there’s a beer you’d like for us to drink and cover.

 

Beer: St. Vincent’s Dubbel

Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewery in Elmsford, NY

Style: Belgian Style Abbey Ale.  Simply put, this means that the beer is similar in style to beer produced by monks.  Trappist beers are certified, while Abbey Ales don’t necessarily need to come from a monastery as is the case here.  As for the dubbel, that refers to beer made at abbeys that were malty, rich, and were light on hops that ended up being twice as strong…hence, dubbel.

Color and appearance:  the beer settles down to a nice dark caramel brown.  A foamy head forms, but quickly settles down to about fingernail length.

Smell: caramel, dark chocolate, and malts

Taste: rich and malty with a caramely undernote.  You even get hints of raisin.  The aftertaste is excellent because of the malted barleys.  The hops really take a backseat in this brew, only slightly “there” at the end.

IBUs: ?

ABV: Beer Advocate puts it at 8% which seems about right

Background:  owner and brewer Scott Vaccaro wanted to find a way to thank his parents for all their help along the way, so he created this beer.  The beer itself is actually named after his dad, Vince.  Scott brews it once a year and releases it on Father’s Day.  He notes on the Captain Lawrence site that it ages nicely, so hold onto it for a year or two.  Ours was aged just about a year.  Scott also notes that it’s made with US and Belgian malted barley and a unique yeast strain.

Pairing: this is a great BBQ beer and will go nicely with about anything you can grill up.  It’s important to note that it’s richness could overpower lighter foods, but if you don’t mind, then drink it.  Who cares?  There’s no set rules here.  It’s not like you’re wearing white before Labor Day.

Thoughts:  St. Vincent’s Dubbel might be rich and dark in color, but it’s not too rich or overpowering.  It’s a great brew if you want something darker, but don’t want to get the feeling that you’re just drinking gasoline from high ABV.  A very well controlled and balanced brew.  

Found at: Harry’s in Fairfield, CT