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Drinking, again! Westmalle draught Dubbel: Vespers in a glass. (review)

A series of occasional reviews of beer (and wine and spirits).
No scores; only descriptions.

I took a sip of my draught and leaned back on my bar stool, taking it all in.

It may have been the expression on my face, because the young lady sitting to my right asked me, "Do you like it?"

I explained that, after more than ninety years, Trappist monks, at their Belgian monastery-brewery, Westmalle, had finally shipped their Dubbel ale to the U.S. in kegs (although they have been exporting the bottles for several decades.)

"I'm happy you could try it," she replied.

"Thank you," I responded. "It was worth the wait...for all of us."

Specifications

• Alcohol-by-volume (abv): 7%
• International Bittering Units (IBUs): 24
• Ingredients: Water, barley malt, candi sugar, hops, yeast.
• Pronunciation: vest-MUL-uh DOO-buhl

Brownish-red color; off-white head. Anise and rum-raisin aroma; same for flavor, but with apricot and circus peanuts. Semi-sweet finish with a slug of alcohol. (Please excuse the blurry camera-phone shot. It may have been the rapture.)

On draught, at My Parents' Basement, a comic book emporium and pub in Avondale Estates, Georgia, on 13 June 2019.

Westmalle Dubbel.
Vespers in a glass.
Amen.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Geranium among the licorice

Red! A closeup of geraniums blooming in a bed of silver licorice.

Using flash under the directly overhead midday sun. As seen in a garden, in Atlanta, Georgia, on 11 June 2019.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Mimosa stamens

Pink, perfumed...and invasive!

A mimosa tree blooms in June, as seen along the East Decatur Greenway, in Decatur, Georgia, on 1 June 2019.

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About the Mimosa

Albizia julibrissin is known by a wide variety of common names, such as Persian silk tree or pink siris. It is also called Lenkoran acacia or bastard tamarind, though it is not too closely related to either genus. The species is usually called 'silk tree' or 'mimosa' in the United States. The leaves of the tree slowly close during the night and during periods of rain, the leaflets bowing downward; thus its modern Persian name shabkhosb, means 'night sleeper.' In Japan, its common names are nemunoki, nemurinoki, and nenenoki which all mean 'sleeping tree.'
— Wikipedia.

Originally brought to the U.S. as an ornamental tree, the mimosa tree has escaped gardens and pushed its way into natural areas that should be preserved for native plants. With its ability to reproduce vigorously and with only one natural enemy to keep it in check (Fusarium wilt), it has spread unchecked across the South. It is considered a non-native invasive weed.
— Walter Reeves: Georgia Gardener.

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Pic(k) of the Week: Still leaf with rapids

"Hi! Why are you doing that?" a young girl enquired as I lay prone on a flat rock on the banks of the creek, focusing my camera.

"I'm trying to see what the fish see," I responded.

She seemed to think about that for a couple of seconds, said, "Oh," and walked off.

A 'fish-eye' view of tiny rapids in Shoal Creek, in Dearborn Park, Decatur, Georgia, on 11 May 2019.

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