Rockmill Dubbel

We're wrapping up the week with another of the beers procured in my trip to Columbus. The dubbel from Lancaster, Ohio's Rockmill Brewing. I don't know much about these guys other than this beer is certified organic. Also, I love a dubbel. So without further ado, to the beer!

After a mighty effort to remove that damn cork this beer poured absolutely magnificently. A deep purplish amber brew with ruby highlights sits below one of the most impressive heads that I have ever seen. Streams of carbonation feed into a thick, dense, creamy tan layer that rises above the rim of the goblet. And that head is resilient, it sank down to about a quarter inch of foam but persisted all the way down to the last sip and left some spidery lacing. Gorgeous stuff. by the time I got to the second pour it didn't look quite as pretty. The yeast had been stirred up making the color more of a cloudy, murky brown and the head wasn't nearly quite as impressive.

The aromas on this beer are very earthy, very rustic. A slight powdery tartness is there as well as fruity notes of cherry and date, and a slight touch of dark chocolate.

On the palate, Rockmill's dubbel is medium bodied with a silky creaminess. A robust, round carbonation leads the way into fruity flavors of date, plum, and raisin, and a very nice brown sugar sweetness. The fruitiness gives way to a bready, cake-like maltiness with a slight chocolatey flavor. The carbonation gives the finish a bit of a bite.

This one was pretty delightful. Rich, complex, malty, earthy, and quite drinkable given the 8% ABV. It's a bit pricey, but well worth the cash in my opinion. I checked out these guys online and it seems that they brew a witbier, saison, and a tripel as well. I'm going to have to track those down.

HD