We kick off this week’s Saturday nigh sampling with Old Dominion Abbey Ale….and what a way to kick it off. First off, you can’t casually walk by the label on this new beer…and yes Old Dominion can even make a nun sexy. But what’s really sexy here is that this beer pays tribute the fact that the first person to record the powers of hops in brewing was a nun and that Convents actually brewed right along side the Monasteries with little or no recognition. 
Abbey Ale is a Belgian-style ale and tastes very much like a classic Dubbel. The aroma is bready & yeasty as you would expect and the flavor is slightly sweet with some subtle notes of dark fruit. There’s lots of candi sugar flavor in there balanced by the biscuit flavors in the malt. The mouthfeel is a little lighter than I expected, but the carbonation levels of a dubbel are there and of course the ABV as well (7.5%). Overall this is a very drinkable Belgian-style brew and I’d really like to see how it behaves (and tastes) after it ages for a few months.
As a bonus, Old Dominion also sent me a bottle of 2014 Cherry Blossom Lager. The aroma on this one is decidedly fruity to my nose and the cherry flavors remain very subtle. The balance is nice and at 5.2% ABV it’s a really easy drinking beer with a pleasant mouthfeel. The cherry flavors arrive very late in the tasting, but I’m a sucker for cherry beers so this one works well for me.
Try these out for yourself, and let me know what you think….and don’t stare too long at the legs on that nun!
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