De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

Brewed by De Dolle Brouwers
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Diksmuide, Belgium

Vintage 2008. Pours a dark reddish brown with a very thin off-white head (gone in seconds). Aroma: raisin, subtle wood & earth notes, prune, alcohol, sour & sweet... slightly musty too. Taste: prune, wood, sour, slightly sweet... all with a wine like character. Very lively in the mouth... but smooth. After taste is tart with a alcohol warmth. Great body. 13% ABV is very well hidden... I could smell it but not taste it. Overall excellent: complex but very well balanced. I want a bottle for the cellar now. De Dolle Brouwers are the best!

Aged a few months in casks of lambic, apparently in Cantillon (stop me if I’m wrong). Wonderful taste ! Contains the woodness and the acidity of a Gueuze plus prune flavors. ,Very complex and rich beer. Unctuous, strong, delicious

Cherry and apple nose. Cloudy brown, thick beige head. Tart cherry and pecan flavor, with cider vinegar accents. Slight mustiness. Alcohol content magnified. I’ve heard people rave about this beer, but I’m not impressed. If I wanted a lot of alcohol in a kriek, I’d just add vodka to some Lindeman’s.

Nice amber/brown pour with tan head and lace. Aroma is nice dark brown sugar, and dates. A sour cherry like flavor with a tart after taste and a little warmth. A bit foamy but full bodied. Not really what I had hoped this would be.

Vintage 2008. Dark brown with a low head. Aroma of de dolle yeast, citrus, wood, earth, sugar, alcohol. Citric flavours almost sour with notes of caramel, lemon and wood. Quite special ...

Special Reserve 2006. Pours hazy copper color with thin off-white head. Clean malty nose with a hint of grapes and Bret. Sourness right up front, finishes clean then it drys your mouth a bit. Malt is a minor flavor component but provides enough support to balance sourness. No clue this was 13%, very well hidden. This was a great surprise as I was not aware this was a sour ale. Really well done, well balanced and just the right amount of sour bite. Wish I could have more of this.

Very interesting beer. Pours a chocolate brown color with a decent head. Nice lacing around the glass. Has an aroma of vinegar and hint of cherries and caramel. Very sour taste with a dry finish. A sour ale. I would say this beer is interesting, and definitely the best sour ale I have had. It is even better than Duchesee de Bourgogne. Really grows on you.

2008 Bottle. Very dark brown colour. A bit of a small head, but holds longer then expected. Sweet-sour smell with some cherish, but something weird inside also. A bit like "superglue" aroma inside, like it’s not natural. Tasting was like a shock in my mouth, very sour cherish/oak taste. Way to sour for my taste. And the sourness holds for a very long time. I really don’t understand the hype around this beer. Cause the taste is "special"? :)