I can’t remember the last time a beer from the legendary Sierra Nevada Brewing Company failed to impress me. Sierra Nevada and I are, of course, old friends, going back together to the beginning days of the American craft beer renaissance. Sierra Nevada began brewing beer in 1981, just about the same time I started to drink it. I can still remember to this day walking into good old Mac’s Liquors in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and buying Sierra Nevada for the first time.
That was almost thirty years ago, and since then sales have skyrocketed for this Chico, California brewer, to the point they’re looking to build a second facility somewhere on the east coast. Then too, they also brew an ever-wider selection of diverse styles. The latest: the Ovila line of abbey-style ales, one of which we have under consideration today: Sierra Nevada Ovila Dubbel.
This is the first in Sierra Nevada’s “Ovila” series of beers, brewed in collaboration with the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, located just a stone’s throw from Chico. Some of the proceeds from the Ovila beer line will go to reconstruct the Santa Maria de Ovila building that dates back to the twelfth century. It was disassembled and brought to America from Spain in the nineteen thirties, but has fallen into disrepair. Will beer be brewed by the monk’s in the European tradition? Only time will tell.
Sierra Nevada Ovila Dubbel pours to a very dark chestnut brown color with a thick creamy head of tightly packed bubbles and a surprisingly tangy, fruity nose. The beer is very creamy up front, smooth and drinkable with medium body and a very powerful suggestion (for me) of chocolate milk. Some fruit pokes through, with very subtle hints of raisin and pear. A hint of yeasty clove can be detected if you really look for it. Other than that, however, the beer is not as complex as I would like, and is missing the Belgian-inspired yeastiness I want in a Dubbel.
Ovila has an alcohol content of about 7.5%, though it doesn’t seem so strong on the palate. The finish is balanced and not all that hoppy, slightly sweet even. I had high hopes for Ovila, especially since it’s rare that I’ve been disappointed by a Sierra Nevada beer. This one left me less than overwhelmed, however, especially given the $10 a bottle price tag. For that money (likely less), I can pick up a good Belgian example of the style. Judged on its own merits, Ovila Dubbel is tasty enough, but probably not so much that I would buy it again given the price.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler