De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)

Bottle (from Bitter Virtue). Slightly cloudy golden with massive creamy head and yeasty foam attempting and largely succeeding to escape the bottle. Gentle fruity yeast, smooth malts, spicy almost citrus aromas with lots of alcohol. Upon closer examination there is a nice gingernut aroma. Quite highly carbonated in a pleasant way which helps to cut through the full malt sweetness. A light bitterness in the finish with just a hint of not unpleasant yeast bite. I enjoyed this (and the pleasant mellow feeling it left behind after it was finished) but I think it could have done with slightly less alcohol and a dryer body.

Bottle. It’s been a while since I had to stop pouring a brew because the head was so large it threatened to overflow. The head is so huge and so slow in disipating that I’m not sure when I’m going to actually be able to drink it. Very similar in aroma to the De Dolle Dulle Teve Special Reserva. From the description on the latter, I am deducing that the reason the Teve 10 is a little lighter in color is perhaps due to the fact it was not aged in the Calvados casks. But hold that, now that I am able to pour the rest of the bottle in, the sediment/yeast at the bottom of the bottle makes the body darker and very similar to the orange of the Special Reserva. Head is beautiful, cumulus cloud-like, enduringly lasting. This brew is supposed to be more lively in its carbonation, but I’m not getting that. I really should have done a side-by-side, because my frame of comparison is spread over 24 hours. It’s hard for me thus to tell much difference between the two brews. Sweet, Belgian candi-sugar. I’m not as enamored with this brew as the Special Reserva, but it’s still darn good and very similar.

I am no expert in advertising, but naming your beer "Mad Bitch" doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. The recipe for this beer, however, need not change as it is an excellent example of the style and simply an excellent brew. The color reminds of Charentais melon, subtly clouded and topped of a superb creamy white head that recedes with equally dense lacing. Classic esters and grain form the cynosure of the nose, a wonderful combination of bubble gum, dried banana, raisins, mandarin, apple juice, cherries and peach yoghurt balanced by the rich sweetness of caramel, biscuits and honey. This enticing complexity is not as ebullient in the flavor as it relies more on a soft malt profile than the panache of fruits found in the aroma. Butterscotch and unctuous grains hide the relatively high alcohol content that is only reminded by the slightly burnt finish. I would love to try some older samples of this wonderful tripel.

Golden orange body, huge creamy white head, thick lacing; Good, not huge special nose: citrus, some dries nuts and eucalyptus; Huge a bit sharp carbonation, balanced fresh body; Into very long finish, incredibly present alcohol, very harsh orange peel, fresh nuts and again eucalyptus.

(Bottle at delirium cafe, Göteborg) Very hazy orange with a big white head. Pretty fast decreasing with big bubbles. The aroma is interesting. Belgian yeast and sweetness. Violet. Bubblegum-ish. Smells like a young beer. Marzipan. Strong flavour that leaves a peppery feeling in the mouth. The alcohol shines through. Tastes young and straggly. Champagne carbination. Little soapy. Good afterbitterness. Marzipan and some fruits. Yeast. Cool bottle.

33cl bottle, vintage unknown
Consumed at Bier Circus, Brussels, May 2006
Cloudy, deliciously glowing with a light amber murkiness. Has a firm, well-supported white head. Nose of gummy sour fruity, a sharp scent of alcohol, some pineapple and bubblegum. Well-carbonated, very light on the tongue but with a thick body. Full of a fight between sweet and sour fruits. One of the best tripels I’ve had.

Rating updated to 4.7 based on 4-5 year old bottles... the dry cobweb character of these aged bottles is nearly-perfect.

Bottle. White lasting head. Orange hazy body. Fruity yet spicy aroma. Sorry mates but I do not like your flavor of alcohol and hops.

Deep hazy golden beer with massive head that doesn’t quit. Aroma winey, with sauvignon blanc notes of gooseberry, pineapple and mango. Second whiffs revealed the almost raw barely underneath. Flavor is complex, layers of thick tropical fruit, sweet malt.