Serve in a goblet at 10-13 °C
What it tastes like
Dubbel is the brown ale of the Trappist and abbey tradition. Its modern form took shape at Westmalle in the mid-nineteenth century and spread to other monasteries and then to commercial abbey breweries. The colour and much of the flavour come from dark candi syrup, a caramelised beet sugar that gives raisin, plum and dark toffee notes, along with Munich and some Special B malt.
The Belgian yeast adds dried fruit and a soft spice, so the whole beer tastes something like a fruit cake that has been dried out. It should not be heavy or syrupy. The sugar ferments out, leaving a medium body and a surprisingly dry finish with a gentle warmth from the alcohol. Hops stay low, there only to keep things in balance. Roast is absent; if a dubbel tastes of coffee or burnt toast, it has wandered away from the style. Strength usually sits around six to seven and a half per cent.
Style profile
- Look
- Deep reddish brown to mahogany, fairly clear, with a thick, long-lasting tan head.
- Aroma and flavour
- Raisin, plum, dark toffee and caramel with a light clove or pepper spice from the yeast, little hop aroma and no roast.
- Mouthfeel
- Medium body, high carbonation, smooth texture and a dry, gently warming finish.
- Ingredients
- Pilsner and Munich malts, a little Special B or aromatic malt, dark candi syrup, low-alpha European hops, a Belgian abbey yeast.
In India
Dubbel feels made for Indian winter and festival food, with its dried fruit and jaggery-like sweetness. Jaggery makes a natural local swap for candi sugar if you brew one yourself. Mumbai and Bengaluru brewpubs pour it now and then as a seasonal. Serve it cool rather than ice cold, or the fruit and spice stay locked up. It is a slow sipper, better at a Diwali dinner or a Christmas table than at a summer barbecue.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Mutton rogan joshRaisin and toffee notes sit beside the Kashmiri chilli and fennel, and the carbonation lifts the fat.
- Kathal biryaniThe meaty jackfruit and whole spices meet the beer's dried fruit for a rich vegetarian main.
- Goan pork assadoDark sugar and spice in the beer work with the roasted, vinegar-touched pork.
- Plum cakeDried fruit meets dried fruit, and the beer's dry finish stops the pairing from getting heavy.
Brewed in India
- Belgian Dubbel, Gateway Brewing Co., Mumbai source
Want the long read? Belgian dubbel