If you were to choose just one beer for your Thanksgiving meal, a rich, complex ale such as Dubbel or Nothing from Monkless Belgian Ales could fit that bill.

The Great American Beer Festival went virtual this year but was still able to hold its much-vaunted competition, with 8,806 entries from 1,720 breweries vying for medals. The awards ceremony streamed online last month, announcing winners across 91 different categories. Oregon breweries earned 22 medals this year, with five in Central Oregon awarded six medals and two brewery of the year.

Monkless Belgian Ales was one of them, with a gold medal awarded in the Belgian-Style Abbey Ale category for its Dubbel or Nothing. The brewery also won Mid-Size Brewpub and Mid-Size Brewpub Brewer of the Year for its efforts. I asked owner and brewer Todd Clement how it felt to win the gold.

“Almost as good as it feels like the Dodgers winning their first World Series in 32 years! Honestly, the win is surreal and quite humbling,” he said via email. “We brew the beers we love to drink and our team works to improve every day, to deliver on consistent top-notch, quality beers. It’s always been our goal to make the best Belgian style ales outside of Belgium. Winning GABF gold is a bit of affirmation that we are on the right trajectory and to continue to follow the path.”

Among Belgian styles, what is a “dubbel”? It’s one associated with the Belgian Trappist brewing tradition, which originated in monasteries. Monks brewed beer for daily consumption as well as to support the community. During the fasting seasons of Advent and Lent, they brewed stronger beer as “liquid bread” for sustenance.

Several recognized styles developed from these practices, organized by relative strength. Among them, dubbel sits roughly in the middle between aptly named single and tripel styles. There is also quadrupel, often just referred to as a Belgian dark strong ale, at the top end of the scale.

Traditionally, dubbels are amber to brown ales that emphasize complex maltiness and fermentation character. Writer Jeff Alworth in The Beer Bible describes dubbel as “a homier style, with a comforting toasty or cocoa character wrapped in a warming blanket of malt.”

Monkless’ version is moderately strong at 7.2% and 23 IBUs, and like many Belgian styles, yeast character is a key element.

“One of the most challenging and dynamic aspects in brewing this beer (or any of our beers) is fermentation,” said Clement. “Belgian yeast has so much expression in relation to fermentation temperature and timing. Creating the right relationship between time and temperature is where we are really able to dial in a solid balance of approachable fruity esters and phenolic spice to make a well-rounded and enjoyable beer.”

Dubbel or Nothing is a deep amber-colored beer with copper highlights and a pillowy head of foam. The first thing you’ll note is the aroma, full of dark fruit character reminiscent of raisins, Italian plums and currants, with rich maltiness that has elements of dark bread crust, brown sugar and toasted cereal. The flavor is malt-forward with caramelized sugars and fruit notes that remind me of figs, apples, prunes, raisins and dates. There’s a spicy yeastiness that has hints of clove. There’s a light warming note of alcohol that is followed up by a dry finish and lively, spritzy carbonation.

GABF gold isn’t the first medal Dubbel or Nothing has earned; Monkless also has silver medals from both the Best of Craft Beer Awards and the Oregon Beer Awards awarded previously.

If you haven’t tried Dubbel or Nothing, now is a great time to pick up a bottle and experience a gold medal beer for yourself. It’s available on tap at the Monkless Brasserie near the Old Mill District, as well as in bottles wherever craft beer is sold.

Congratulations to all of the winning breweries! All of these beers, with the possible exception of Conelick’r, are currently available and well worth trying if you haven’t yet had them.

1. Old Normal Porter — Bend Brewing

2. Whoopty Whoop Wheat — Wild Ride Brewing

3. Rodenbach Classic — Rodenbach

4. Nature Calls Mountain IPA — 10 Barrel Brewing

5. Pumpkin Ale — Laurelwood Brewing

The full list of Central Oregon Great American Beer Festival winners:

10 Barrel Brewing Company, bronze in American-Style Wheat Beer for Precedential TWheat Wheat Ale; Bend Brewing Company, bronze in Brown Porter for Old Normal Porter; Monkless Belgian Ales, gold in Belgian-Style Abbey Ale for Dubbel or Nothing; Three Creeks Brewing Company, silver in Brown Porter for FivePine Porter and gold in Fresh Hop Beer for Conelick’r Fresh Hop IPA; and Wild Ride Brewing Company, gold in American-Style Wheat Beer for Whoopty Whoop Wheat.

In addition to Monkless Belgian Ales, Three Creeks won Brewery Group of the Year.