When Saint Mars gets out of his desert you can be sure this brew will taste like home to him, assuming he's a Belgian monk who lives in an Abbey. In the desert. However unlikely that seems.
Belgian dubbel beers are stronger versions of the brown ale brewed by monks in Abbeys of old. In the same family as trappist beers, they're strong but smooth and are similar in flavour profiles to English bitters, but generally tend to be more refined.
It's malty and slightly sweet on the scent and pours a beautiful deep amber, releasing those malty flavours and leaving a thick, white head to drink it through.
The initial flavour is quite hoppy, but this quickly fades into a biscuity malt flavour that is carried all the way through to the aftertaste. Whilst there's a bitter element to it, it is by now means bitter in flavour and in fact there's a touch of sweetness in the aftertaste that balances it out.
At 7% the alcohol is definitely there, but the flavours are well judged and it makes the boozy flavour add another dimension to the taste rather than override the flavour entirely.
Lotta trees. White background with brown trees sounds quite boring on paper, but it's actually really attractive. In a dark brown oval on the front is the name of the brewery in their own floaty, handwriting-esque font along with where it's brewed (Attercliffe in Sheffield).
The middle of the oval is where the details of the beer are, along with the tree-like logo of the brewery. It's a very nice can and what I love about is is that it's not wrapped all the way around - just around half the silver can; which gives it an air of the artisanal.
You can pick up this brilliant Belgian from Craft Metropolis for £4.95 per can, or check out your local bottleshop. As with all our local beers, we got ours from Beer Central where Saint Mars of the Desert has quite a strong presence generally.