New Belgium Abbey 6Pk

New Belgium Abbey 6-Pack is a Belgian-style dubbel ale brewed at 7.0% ABV, available in a six-pack of 12 oz bottles. A multiple award winner with four World Beer Cup medals and eight Great American Beer Festival medals, Abbey stands as one of the most decorated American-brewed Belgian-style ales on the market and remains a cornerstone of New Belgium's lineup.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7.0%  |  IBU: 20  |  Origin: Fort Collins, Colorado  |  Style: Belgian-Style Dubbel  |  Brewery: New Belgium Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

New Belgium Brewing Company, founded in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colorado, built its identity around Belgian-inspired ales, and Abbey has been part of that vision from the very beginning. The recipe calls for eight different malts — including pale, chocolate, caramel, Munich, Carapils, C-80, Caramunich, and Special W — along with oats added specifically for mouthfeel. Fermented with an authentic Belgian yeast strain and bottle-conditioned, this expanded malt bill gives Abbey a complexity that sets it apart from many traditional Belgian dubbels, which typically rely on a simpler grain base.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Lightly burnt caramel and black cherry rise first, followed by ripe damson plum and a sweetish alcohol warmth. Subtle clove and banana esters from the Belgian yeast weave through the malt-forward nose.

Taste: The entry is sweet and lusciously malty, with rum-like richness, dark chocolate, and deep caramel coating the palate. The mid-palate shifts toward bready, fruity territory — dried cherries, figs, and dark berries emerge alongside spicy hints of clove, black pepper, and cinnamon. A thread of light smoke and tobacco adds an earthy undercurrent beneath the fruit.

Finish: Medium-long and slightly dry, with residual warmth from the 7.0% ABV carrying burnt sugar and dark fruit into a clean close. The oat-enhanced body leaves a smooth, rounded mouthfeel that lingers without heaviness.

How to Drink Abbey

Abbey drinks best at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, poured into a tulip glass or Belgian goblet to concentrate the complex aromatics. Warming it slightly in the hand as you sip reveals additional layers of fruit and spice. For cocktail-curious drinkers: try it in a Beer Old Fashioned, reducing Abbey into a syrup to replace simple syrup for a malty, dark-fruit backbone; in a Dubbel Shandy with fresh-squeezed blood orange for a bittersweet citrus contrast to the caramel malt; or in a Belgian Flip, shaken with an egg yolk and a dash of allspice for a rich, dessert-like serve that amplifies the beer's inherent fig and chocolate character.

Best For

• Fall and winter dinner pairings alongside roasted meats and hearty stews
• Introducing craft beer drinkers to Belgian-style ales with an approachable ABV
• Gifting to a homebrewer or Belgian beer enthusiast
• After-dinner sipping as a dessert beer alongside chocolate or dried fruit

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Abbey taste like? Abbey delivers a rich, malty sweetness upfront with dark chocolate, caramel, and dried cherry, followed by spicy clove and pepper notes from the Belgian yeast, finishing slightly dry with burnt sugar and dark fruit.

How does Abbey compare to Ommegang Abbey Ale? Both are American-brewed Belgian-style dubbels, but New Belgium Abbey uses a notably complex eight-malt bill with oats for added body, while Ommegang Abbey Ale tends to present a slightly drier, more yeast-forward profile. Abbey's twelve combined World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival medals also make it one of the more decorated options in the style.

Is Abbey good for sipping neat? Abbey is an excellent sipper served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass, where its layered malt complexity and Belgian yeast character have room to develop as the beer warms slightly in the glass.

Where is Abbey made? Abbey is brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company at their facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, a brewery founded in 1991 that has become one of the largest craft breweries in the United States.

What foods pair well with Abbey? Braised short ribs or beef stew, where the beer's dark caramel and fruit complement the richness of the meat; aged Gouda or Gruyère, which echo its nutty, sweet malt character; dark chocolate truffles, which mirror the chocolate malt notes; roasted root vegetables with a brown butter glaze; and fig-and-prosciutto flatbread, playing into the beer's dried fruit and subtle smokiness.

What sizes does Abbey come in? Abbey is commonly available in six-packs of 12 oz bottles, which is the standard retail format for this beer.

Is Abbey worth the price? Abbey positions as a mid-range craft six-pack that delivers complexity well beyond its price tier — the eight-malt bill, bottle conditioning, and multiple major competition medals place it among the best values in American-brewed Belgian-style ales.

Why Abbey?

With four World Beer Cup medals and eight Great American Beer Festival medals, New Belgium Abbey is one of the most consistently awarded Belgian-style dubbels brewed in the United States. Its eight-malt grain bill — including the uncommon additions of Caramunich, Special W, and oats — creates a depth of flavor and body that most dubbels in this price range simply do not achieve. Bottle conditioning adds natural carbonation and a living yeast character that allows the beer to evolve subtly over time. For drinkers seeking a richly layered, competition-proven dubbel without the import markup, Abbey remains a benchmark.