Bristol's Belgian-style Ale Dubbel, Bristol Brewing Company, Colorado Springs

Style: Belgian-style Dubbel Ale

ABV: 7.6 percent

Serving Type: 750-mL bottle

Malty? Hoppy? Malty, of course.

Reviewed: September 2012

At 5280, we wait months—if not longer—before we'll review a new restaurant, which gives an eatery some time to work out the kinks. That's not the case with our beer reviews. I'm too impatient (read: excited) when a new commercially distributed brew hits the market to wait long before pouring a taste. So when I happened to be visiting Bristol Brewing Company on the very day that it released two bottles (the Dubbel and Tripel) in their Belgian Series, I immediately set about "working."

The Bristol series boasts that these brews are a tribute to Belgium's age-old brewing tradition. And on the first smell, the Dubbel seems like the perfect homage with a spicy-fruity-sour aroma. Despite it's dark coloring (almost amber-like), it is effervescent and quite refined. 

The brew will bounce around your mouth, like any good Belgian-style should, to give you a different flavor sensation with every sip. To that end, though, it is a bit of a full-contact sport for your taste buds, as this brew seems like a Belgian that's earned U.S. citizenship in a country where big beers reign. The result? This brew is bombastic—in an enjoy-occasionally way. 

Would we buy it again? Sure...if I hadn't tried Bristol's Belgian-style Ale Tripel.  

Follow senior editor Natasha Gardner on Twitter at @natashajgardner or on Pinterest.