De Dolle Arabier

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Golden and leaning to bronze. A great head here of light whipped cream foam. Not hazy but it has a distorting quality. Loads of yeasty banana aromas with sweet alcohol. All very Belgian. Very bitter in a way with brandy aftertones. Sweet above very rich and sour bellow. This really makes my mouth tense up. Almost unpleasant. Washing-up liquid. Too funky. Very foamy. Mildly disappointing.

A clear light orange pour with a big white head. Aromas of citrus fruit, dried hops and green apples. Taste is bitter-hoppy, spicy-peppery, a bit of warming alcohol, a bit of bread and a definitive Belgian funkyness (although not as prounced as in the Oeral) from the unique signature De Dolle yeast. Not sweet in the slightest, this is a wonderfully different dry BSPA. Extremely high drinkability. It’s at its best and hoppiest on draft directly at the brewery bar. On the other hand the bottle-fermented version is funkier. A world-class beer.

Date: 12/1/09 Beer info: Bottled in brown 330ml bottle 8.0% abv BB N/A Sampling Notes: Served chilled in chalice. Gush upon opening pouring a HUGE pillowy foam. Body is a murky peach colour full of fastidiously active fine beads. Perfumey aroma upfront, floral sort of hops seem apparent, bit of citrus peel acidity and peppery spice, some yoghurty funk in the background with a faint grainy wheat maltiness. A bit odd. Drying palate, carbonation is high, body is somewhat lean for strength. Alcohol makes an appearance towards the finish. Spice-driven body, plenty of pepper and clove, lemon-peel fruitiness. Hopiness is more defined with the grassy, bitterness. Tiny bit of wheatiness on a drying finish. Bit of an odd Belgian, hop and yeast spiciness seems to fuse together to give alot of flavour, but the beer doesn’t really have to body to hold up such an assualt.

This one made a fucking mess when it gushed all over the place. I’m trying to remember if I had similar problems with other DDB beers. I really want to take points off just for the mess and for the lost beer, but actually this seems to be my favorite DDB beer so far. Quite dry herbaceous flavor, which I assume is from the dry hopping, as opposed to their other over the top sugar bombs. Big dense head, hazy orange body. Aroma - hops, yeast, and is there a whiff of candi sugar in there as well. I really dig this dry flowery flavor, although I’m still not a fan of their house yeast if I can call it that.

11.2-oz. Pours a murky dark gold with a thick, fluffy, towering platinum blonde that settles to a rocky moonscape with tons of webby lace around it. Fresh, fruity, floral nose, a little bit of watermelon in there perhaps. Creamy medium body with tight fizz. Floral, grassy, slightly vinous. Maybe a little bit of citric brightness there. The whole hop thing seems very understated, and I would go so far as to say this beer is all about the yeast. It’s tasty, but a lot of sweet and a lot of booze to be drinking very much of.

Light orange-yellow with a thick three fingers of white puffy head. Aroma is dry musty, spicy. Taste is sweet citrus, then dry musty malt, and spices.

Hazy orange colour with an impressive head. BItter hops, citrus and spices in the aroma, and even more interesting nuances in the flavor.

11.2 oz. bottle courtesy of lamas. Poured very lively orange with bubbly white head. Splotches of lace. Some dark sediment at the bottom of the glass. Starts biscuity and finishes with some bittering citrus hops. Spicy. Dry finish. Extremely drinkable. Lovely Belgian strong ale.