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Styles · Belgian Dubbel

Beer style · BJCP 2021 26B

Belgian Dubbel

Monastic Ale

Published ranges These are the ranges the BJCP 2021 guidelines publish for this style.

Original gravity
1.062–1.075
Final gravity
1.008–1.018
Bitterness
15–25 IBU
Color
10–17 SRM (20–33 EBC)
Alcohol
6.0–7.6 % ABV

What it is

Deep amber to brown, with raisin, plum and caramel from dark candi sugar rather than roasted grain. Yeast adds a spicy, faintly banana-like lift, and despite the rich flavor the finish stays dry with a soft alcohol warmth.

Flavor

What a Belgian Dubbel should taste like, on the three wheels the studio scores every recipe against. The shaded ring is the style’s range on each axis, from 0 at the center to 5 at the edge.

Hops

Hops stay in the background: none of their character belongs.

Malt

Grainy, dark fruit, caramel and sweet/honey, with room for bready/biscuit or toasty.

Fermentation

Fruity esters, with room for clean, pepper/spice, banana or clove.

Hops that suit it

The traditional choice

What Belgian Dubbel has classically been brewed with.

Nothing else on character: the hops here are there for bitterness and balance, and any variety whose aroma you would notice is out of place.

Yeasts that suit it

Strains the lab made for beers like this one, whose fermentation character sits inside the style’s wheel. A strain sold by several labs is listed once; its page names the others.

And 23 more yeasts whose character fits. These are the 24 that fit best.

Style numbers, names and vital statistics are from the BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, where you will find the official descriptions. The descriptions and flavor wheels here are Beerwright’s own. Beerwright is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BJCP.