beer_name: Abbey Belgian Style Ale
text: Poured from 12oz bottle into a tulip. Bottle says it is best by 4/24/2011, so freshness should not be an issue. Appearance: rich amber hue with an extremely clear body and two fingers of pillowy ivory foam. It's not bad, but I'd like to see a little haze here. I'm guessing based on the clarity that this beer is not bottle-conditioned. Smell: aroma is biscuity and clovey without much of the dark fruit type aromas I love so much in a dubbel. I'm saddened that this simply does not do it for me -- a trait shared by not a few New Belgium beers it seems. Taste: more of the same profile as in the aroma. It seems well-crafted, and isn't "bad", per se, but the direction the brewers decided to go here does not float my boat. Again, it is lacking in a lot of the complex and enjoyable fruity malt flavors that so many made-in-Belgium dubbels display. Mouthfeel: an appropriate level of cabonation combines with a medium body to create, actually, a very good creaminess. Mouthfeel is my favorite part of this beer, hands down. Drinkability: if you like the flavor, then this beer is entirely drinkable, especially considering its ABV. Feeling as I do about it, though, I have to just call it average.