Grayton "Dubbel Barrel" Belgian-Style Dubbel

How can of beer with two double barrel shotguns on the label still come across as something for a discerning individual? In this particular case, they do it by making their beer a Belgian-Style Dubbel, they aged in bourbon barrels, and then they put it in a bottle with a cork. If you ask me, that's a job done well.

The dark caramel brown beer has very little head (typical of barrel-aged beers) and the head that it has are big, lazy bubbles, so it's no wonder they don't have any staying power. The aroma is sweet, sweet booze above all else. There are probably things hidden under the bourbon, but I'm smelling almost nothing else.

First sip is almost wine-like smooth with a rough and tumble overtone of bourbon. The Belgian yeast is hidden too well to detect, but the caramel malt is definitely adding a bit of ease to the whole effect, and the result is a beer with a lot of personality that somehow manages to be pretty good for sipping.

Tip-in is all booze up front with the carbonation tingling the front of the mouth while mead and brown sugar mix with the haze of bourbon in the middle of the mouth. The middle of the swig is wood, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, and dark fruits. The finish is a lot to handle after the general smoothness of the rest of the beer. An anvil of bitter, dry, bourbon mixes with the wood to swell right up before the trail-off of bitter wormwood and grains.

Bottom Line: It's a bit uncultured and unrefined, but it is certainly memorable as a solid take on the style.

2.75/5