De Dolle Arabier

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

nose of intense yeast, and intermingled hops and wild fruits with a strong pear note. the bottle sounded like a gun when i cracked it and not only gushed but sprayed a couple inches into the air from the neck. once the pillow of cotton candy receded, the beer beneath revealed a dry palate bursting with more pears, and a tart note to balance. more yeast and hops as well. this is the best de dolle i have sampled so far and the first i will soon return to.

Bottle. Pours a pale, hazy dirty amber, with a thick, pillowy, sticky white head with gorgeous lacing. Nose is tons of fruit, tropical fruit, bananas, citrus, pears, apples. Bubblegum, hops, belgian yeast. Palate is surprisngly dry and assertive, thanks to an apparently quite aggressive hop schedule. Palate starts quite sweet and bubblegummy, then gets steamrolled over by hoppy bitterness. the bitterness slowly fades to allow the fruit, primarily candied applepears and bananas, to show through again. Very neat, very tasty, quite surprising.

33cl over two years old. Dirty orange topped by creamy froth. Musty, citrus aroma. Lemon, brown sugar, cinnamon, black pepper. Sweet, hoppy, and gentle. Bold taste in a smooth, weightless mouthfeel.

Bottle. Golden pour with lots of head, probably due to a cold mug. Aroma and flavors of mostly malt driven scents/flavors, hops are over powered almost unrecognizable. Another great beer.

Bottled 33cl from crackedkettle.com. It pours a murky copper beer with a huge head. Wonderful hop profile. Citrus fruits, cloves, yeast, vanilla, coriander and a lot of hops in both aroma and taste. Peppery. Good bitterness. Very pleasant palate. Dry hoppy finish. Excellent.

Deep golden color with an enormous, wacky head and tons of floaties. Aroa dominated by green apples: fruity, dry, sour, and refreshing, with honey, some caramel, and darker fruit as it opened up. Fruity, clean, golden malt flavor with tons of green apples, strong hop bitterness, and a slight biscuity richness. As it warmed, some caramel, honey, chocolate, and dark fruits. Excellent, refreshing beer with a good balance between sour, sweet, and bitter. A truly fabulous summer concoction!

Pours a hazy, dark, brazen-golden color with an absolutely massive, overflowing head of off-white froth. The foam lasts for ages, and leaves sticky clumps of lacing all over the glass. The nose is quite interesting and complex. Notes of smoked golden apple hit up front, with lots of blonde candy sugar, golden raisin, and lightly soured fig coming through. Vanilla, cinnamon, and peppery spice lend depth, while aged floral and grassy hops offer rounding bitterness. Bready yeast finishes out the aroma. The flavor follows suit, with a surprisingly potent, smoky, charred oak component. The various fermented fruits lend a slightly sour twang, while the candy and the spicy hops battle one another for position. Orchard fruit and pepper linger on the finish, along with that delicious smoke. Smooth and substantial on the tongue, there’s an innate dryness that works well to disburse the complex brew throughout the mouth. It’s a damn fine brew, and a further testament to the De Dolle house flair. To drink this with some stellar cheese would be pure heaven.

33cl Bottle. Hazy orange with a HUGE white and very lasting head. Dry and easy drinking. Citric and malty with niche bitterness.