Sampled: March 27, 2011
The grand experiment comes to Nashville. Instead of simply brewing an abbey style series, Sierra Nevada threw in a unique twist.
The brews are in partnership with the Abbey of New Clairvaux and will benefit the brothers. Tycoon William Randolph Hearst had the centuries-old Spanish abbey chapter house moved brick-by-brick to California. The Ovila beers will help pay for the restoration
The partnership begins with a Dubbel for spring. The nose sparkles slightly, with cream and a diverse nuttiness. The body is ruby-brown, the effervescence livens up the brew.
A finger or two of banana clove leads off; the banana fades as the cloves keeps running. There are laid-back tones of molasses and A subtle cocoa powder arises near the dry finish that lingers with a little sassafras. The alcohol content (7.5 percent) hits the right mark for the style. Corked bottles make all the difference, and help Ovila break away from the pack of Americanized Dubbels.
Sierra Nevada entered the corked market with its uneven 30th anniversary series. I always have a hard time knocking this brewery, because they take chances and often wait for the opportunity to do things right. Not all those 30th anniversary beers hit the mark (Imperial Helles Bock needs an encore), but they were essentially homebrews sent to the masses. Sierra Nevada waited ages to produce an India pale ale, but when they introduced Torpedo, it became an immediate favorite because Sierra Nevada found a way to differentiate and soothe the taste buds.
The Ovila partnership will add a Saison for summer and a Quad for the fall. The Dubbel is a good, if unspectacular start.
Ovila Dubbel doesn’t have the regal bearing of St. Bernardus or Westmalle. A second bottle down the road will ultimately determine my feelings. For now, it’s the initial step for a worthy experiment. With my favorite beer style next in Ovila’s rotation, I cannot wait to watch this partnership grow.
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