St. Bernardus Prior 8
St. Bernardus is a name that’s pretty comfortable in my household. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve had the St. Bernardus Tripel and Abt 12 in recent years. They just seem to be those beers that I am able to find on a regular basis. The brewery’s Prior 8, however, is one that I rarely, if ever, see on shelves.
I’m not entirely sure when I picked up this smaller 33cl bottle of the brewery’s 8% ABV Dubbel, but I do know that it wasn’t waiting long for me to pluck it from the cellar. I’ve had a few bottles of this style, most recently a Maredsous 8 at an Ommegang/Duvel tasting last week, and it’s quickly becoming more of a favorite than the higher potency Tripels I love so much. With a fuller body and deeper, more rich palate this particular Dubbel trumped the its bigger brother, making me wish I had a larger bottle on hand.
Appearance
Prior 8 pours a chestnut brown in color with a one finger off-white head.
Aroma
I could smell this beer all day long. Bready malts with a load of dark fruit waft into the nose with each sniff. The immediate impression I got from the aroma on this beer is that of a freshly opened box of Raisin Bran cereal. The touch of candied sugar and a hint of spice add to the dark fruit/raisin component to create a wonderfully smelling brew.
Taste
Wow, this is a deep beer. Lots of dark fruit and bready malt fill the mouth as the sweetness and subtle yeastiness come in shortly after the initial flavors subside. The brew transitions from the sweetness to a slightly bitter hop finish that lingers nicely. I was surprised by the mouthfeel that seemed to move from crisp to relatively smooth with each sip.
Overall
Again, the Dubbel is slowly beating up on the Tripel in my home. Perhaps it’s that Summer is quickly disappearing and I’m looking forward to the cooler months ahead, but the more full bodied, rich style has been treating me just right lately. I think next time I’ll need to do a side-by-side tasting of the Prior 8 and it’s bigger brothers to see how it truly stacks up.
Rating: 4/5