Here we are - The Day of the Dubbels, the second in what is sure to become an infinite number of monthly beer bloggy linkfests. I will be building up this post through out the day with updates from the global sessioning so check back in from time to time. You can catch up with the background of the Session through this post on last month's topic, stouts.

Please post your link in the comments or email me and I will add your post to the list of bullet points like those below.

Update, 8:47 pm: Well, The Day of the Dubbels has been moving along nicely. The decision to go with this style has led me to some questions and made me aware of some of the difficulties with putting my finger on what exactly a dubbel is. The posts described below go a long way to settling the question yet here I am with my own choice to make and I face the Pater, 8, Abbey, Brown issue. What is a dubbel? Just look at this picture - which is which? Is there any other style that counfounds in this way, that likes to use so many words to describe itself? In the end there were was one way to avoid all the problems around the edges by pulling the one beer I have which actually says "dubbel" on its slightly skewed hand applied label: Saint Vincent's Dubbel Belgian Style Abbey Ale 2006 from the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company of Pleasantville, New York, at the northern edge of the Big Apple. This beer pours a very attractive and bright deep red amber that does not quite achieve chestnut. A cream tan foam resolves to a nice neat tan rim with that continents and oceans sort of foam. The aroma is sherryish - oloroso. In the mouth heat, a touch buttery, brown sugar, nutmeg with a vineous caramel finish. No, there is more: cherry, figs, maybe something like dark maple syrup, maybe damson plum. There are hops but there just frame the beer, except at swallow when a bit of dandilion weediness pokes out. A good level of strength at 8%. My first from this brewery, you can find their notes on their brews here. All eleven reviewing BAers like it.

Now...on with the links:

• Rick Lyke in North Carolina of Lyke 2 Drink was the first off the mark at a little before one in the morning my time with his post about Maredsous 8, a beer I reviewed a couple of days ago during a training session for the Session.
• Snekse over at The Gastronomic Fight Club emailed me next with his review of one I have never had, Abbey Belgian Style Ale from New Belgium Brewing of Colorado, as well as that old chestnut of dubbels, Chimay Premiere (aka the one with the red label). We still suffering in Ontario and even the US north-east from a beer distribution system that places more obstacles than avenues between beer lovers and the brews they should have no problem getting their hands on so it may be some time before I try that New Belgian for myself, sad me. [Hint: please consider me when working out your North American Free Beer Treaty obligations.]
• Captain Hops over at Beer Haiku Daily has doubled his poetic output after doubling his beery input with two dubbels: Koningshoeven and Affligem. Had the latter but not the former. I may have to have our kind and barter-orious sponsor, Jeff at the Cracked Kettle, fix that gap in my understanding one day.
• Eric over at Trouble Brewing just gave me the heads up about his post - featuring Unibroue's Maudite. This Quebec made, Canadian invested and Japanese bought out brew is one of the best buys in beer here in the Great White North as it is sold by the six-pack in the regular stores for about two bucks a bottle.
• I just remembered reviewing the emails that Al at Hop Talk gave me a heads up about his post to come two days ago! Such thoughtful bloggers we have amongst us. Anyway, Al has a great post with some of the sort of background on the style that I really should add up top and he reviews Westmalle Dubbel, a beer I first reviewed in December 2005 and then enjoyed a bunch of last fall when it was sold for about seventeen days at the LCBO.

That seems to be the first wave of post notifications. I will update later in the day and also post my own choice, one that has yet to be covered by anyone else so far.

• One more. Stan, the man who started the entire Session idea, has posted about Demolition Dubbel, a dubbel from Chama River Brewing of New Mexico.
• The are coming in fast and furious now. Here is the link to Stephen Beaumont's post on dubbels. Stephen is one of those guys living the dream of making his living through beer writing, consulting and other matters fluid and a Canadian from here in Ontario to boot. He chose Westmalle Trappist Dubbel as his tipple of note for the Session. Update: Stephen posted again this time on That's the Spirit! and chose to add Brother Thelonious from North Coast Brewing of California. Great pick and one I had a the Syracuse's winter brewfest a few weeks ago. By the way, the whole "I don't know much about dubbels" was just for the dramatic tension. I know plenty. Sure I do.
• Jon of The Brew Site has posted his contribution covering both New Belgium Abbey as well as Bernardus Prior 8, the latter one of which I reviewed here last December:

  ...Very good and a nice warmly enveloped 8%. On the swirl, again, yeast like cooled scalded milk and a bit of chocolate rather than dry cocoa.

  I knew I had thought something was like scalded milk not too long ago.
• Stonch is on the job over in London England with his post about De Regenboog 't Smisje Dubbel. I posted about my great admiration for De Regenboog's take on the style here and I have to say I am pretty jealous of anyone who gets to head over to his brew shop and can pick it up on any given day.
• Jay over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin has posted another review of Westmalle Dubbel and used it as a great illustration of the difference between beer snobbery and beer appreciation.
• Tomme at The Lost Abbey Brewer's Log has posted a great contribution on the making of their dubbel, their Lost and Found Abbey Ale.

I think we are in the supper time lull and are now awaiting the evening crowd to move in soon - including my own dubbels post.

• Andrew has a cold but posts about his recollections of dubbels past.
• Tedo was first in the comments but I forgot to post his link here. He goes after one of my favorites, Ommegang's Ommegang. I have tried the whole range of their beers and have to say this is a fantastic brewer. I am hoping Maine's Allagash, the other great north-eastern US Belgian brewer, will pop up by the end of the Session, too.
• And there you are! Jesse wrote about the post now up at Twin Cities Beer Geek and the two reviews are for Westmalle and Allagash, the latter "smuggled up from Iowa." The things we beer nerds have to do.
• Lew makes another last minute entry but goes so with style and meaning, sampling Rochefort 8 and thinking about the meaning of this season. Here is my review of that beer from over two years ago. [I didn't know Lew was a cantor. If we ever meet I may have to share Operaman with him. I propose we start with the duet from the Pearl Fishers.]
• And a special thanks to Donavan who has posted about this edition of The Session at least four times - here, here, here and here.

Saturday am update: There you have it. I declare the second session to have been a huge success and I certainly know more than I did when the whole trying started off Friday morning, a little more than 24 hours ago. There are even four more links left overnight in the comments from Greg, Adam, Ben and Jim, the Bostonbeerman. Fabulous work everyone.

Sunday pm Update: two more stragglers reported in. First, I heard from Eric at Brewerman who reviewed Allagash Dubbel Reserve, Anderson Valley, Brother David’s Double as well as North Coast's Brother Thelonius Belgian Style Abbey Ale. We also had a message from John at sine qua non who discussed a homebrew called Six as well as St. Feuillien Easter Beer / Abbey Beer.