Sudwerk Brewing - Duke of Dabblers

We’re excited to have another Sudwerk release as one of our two featured beers this month, and some of our longstanding club members might recall Fünke Hop Farm from 2015 and Microfauna around four years ago. These were both quite surprising beers that we’ve had in recent memory, made all the more interesting as these were from a period where Sudwerk stepped slightly away from focusing on German-style lagers. This month we’ll continue the trend; we’re excited to return to the work of Sudwerk with the brewery’s Duke of Dabblers: a Belgian Tripel-style golden ale.

This featured beer is a classic Belgian-inspired blonde-colored ale crafted to highlight floral notes, zesty yeast aromas, and stone fruit accents, resulting in an aromatic, fruity, and incredibly drinkable experience. Sudwerk Duke of Dabblers Tripel Ale is exclusively produced for the Rare Beer Club, with a very limited amount available in the Sudwerk Brewing Co.’s Davis, California tasting room.

Sudwerk Duke of Dabblers Tripel Ale pours a golden amber hue, topped with a dense, long-lasting white foam. The initial aroma reveals stone fruit, Golden Delicious apple, clove, white pepper, and honey-butter toast. With a gentle swirl, additional notes of caramel, floral and piney hops, and mandarin-orange citrus emerge, alongside subtle hints of cotton candy. The bouquet is rich and pronounced, readying our olfactory senses for the complex flavors to follow.

The taste of Sudwerk Duke of Dabblers Tripel Ale is characterized by ripe stone fruits like nectarine and apricot, with gooseberry and mandarin. As you sip, gentle spice notes of clove and white pepper come forward, followed by bready malt flavors with hints of caramel and honey. The Belgian yeast adds layers of spiced yellow apples, hints of cotton candy and bubblegum, and white grapes. The malt flavor is prominent throughout, delivering a subtle sweetness balanced by the yeast’s white pepper and delicate clove undertones, with just a touch of fennel. The robust malt character is well-balanced by the yeast, resulting in an unexpectedly dry, aromatic profile. The hop bitterness and palate grip contribute to the complexity of this superb Belgian-inspired Tripel.

Sudwerk Duke of Dabblers Tripel Ale features a medium-plus to full-bodied mouthfeel with a creamy yet effervescent mousse of tightly packed bubbles. The finish is long, smooth, and clean, with each flavor tapering off gracefully. This exceptional Tripel reveals more complexity as it warms, and is possibly best enjoyed at the upper end of the temperature range of 42° to 48° Fahrenheit. Sudwerk Duke of Dabblers exemplifies the exceptional quality and craftsmanship of its brewers, and we’re thrilled to showcase this outstanding beer in the Rare Beer Club.

Sudwerk’s Duke of Dabblers Tripel Ale can accept some additional cellar time, 2-3 years perhaps. We also recommend drinking now and enjoying a delicious freshly brewed Tripel. For pairing, we go to classic Belgian fare such as mussels in a leek and Pernod broth with pomme frites, or seared scallops with capers and lemon, piccata style. Grilled herb-rubbed chicken and pork will also do the trick. Cheers!

Sudwerk Brewing in Davis, California was established in 1989 by two German descendants with a mission to deliver the authentic taste of high-quality German lagers. For over 35 years, they’ve been pushing the limits of traditional lager brewing, helping to shape the craft beer industry along the way.

Their brewing approach marries traditional German techniques with contemporary West Coast craft practices. Embracing the meticulous and challenging nature of lager brewing, they find it to be an invigorating endeavor. Their beers feature clean, crisp yeast profiles, bold hop flavors, and robust malt characteristics—all within a lager framework. This isn’t the ordinary lager you might expect. That’s how we came to be familiar with, and fans of, what they were up to in Davis. Their People’s Pilsner is exceptional, having won a total of eight GABF medals, as are their numerous limited releases that tend to sell out as soon as they’re packaged. So many newer brewers don’t quite give these slower-fermenting beers the proper attention required for that clean, crisp lager character. We’ve got a lot of respect for those who do such beers properly.

The Master Brewers Program at the University of California, Davis is basically right next to Sudwerk, and the brewery maintains an interesting symbiotic relationship with the university. UC Davis’ program, one of the premier brewing schools in the country (of which there are, like, a very small handful), actually holds classes just above Sudwerk’s tasting room. And those attending the UC Davis program serve as mentors on the brewery’s pilot system. Best way to keep an operation focused? Have a ton of visiting brewers watching over them.

In 2021, Sudwerk Brewing Co. was honored as Brewer and Brewery of the Year in the 5,001 – 15,000 Barrels category at the Great American Beer Festival, a prestigious competition featuring over 2,000 breweries and nearly 10,000 beers. Over Sudwerk’s 30+ year history, they’ve become one of the most decorated breweries in the region, with recent accolades including back-to-back Gold medals for The People’s Pilsner in 2021 & 2022.

Throughout their history in Davis, CA, they’ve discovered that their community is one of the best things about enjoying a Sudwerk beer. From fundraisers and donations to local events, Sudwerk takes pride in contributing to the effort of bringing people together and supporting those who have stood by them over the years. You can find more info about the brewery, The Dock “playground,” and their restaurant at sudwerkbrew.com.