De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)

Brewed by De Dolle Brouwers
Style: Abbey Tripel
Diksmuide, Belgium

31-JUL-2009, Bottle @home. Very light orange colour with high almost white head. Yeast, oranges and flowers. Honey element in the taste. Strong, high alcohol can be felt, it is nicely warming. Morten brought it and calls it a party beer. Nice tripel.

PFFFT! It opens. What an aroma, almost a geueze like candy-lemon acid intensity! Pours a thick Dark gold with hints of red, active noisy white head vanishes, leaving a viscous menacing liquid. I smell lemon candy. But I said that already. It tastes very full and... lemon candy, spice, cherries and caramel and granny smith apple.. whoah what BODY... the carbonation is absolutely invisible but creamy on the tasting, VERY unique texture. It’s insanely oily and sticky because I have not cooled the bottle... but there is some nice honey presence as well. Late hops presence is a bit dry-wood and herbal and grass. Weltklasse!

Tart aroma...a little in flavor with a candied balance with hints of caramel... a fun beer

Bottle. Moderate malt notes of cookie and caramel, flowers and lemon for the hops, light yeast note of barnyard, and hints of over ripe pineapple and toffee. Head is large, fizzy, slightly off-white with fair slippery lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is muddy tan with a small amount particles. Flavor starts lightly sweet and heavily acidic, then the long finish is lightly sweet, acidic and bitter. Palate is medium, oily, with a fizzy carbonation and a lightly alcoholic finish. Excellent balance and the flavor’s finish in this Abbey Tripel is one of the best I’ve had in any beer. What’s with the friggin label?

Bottle - Num num num. Only my second bottle from De Dolle, but both have been extraordinary. The freakish woman (troll?) on the label made me think this beer would be unappetizing, but man, was I wrong! It’s a nice pour, hazy amber with a huge white head and all-caps FLOATIES! Nose is honey, and sour and funky like a lambic-lite--it’s just toned down a bit. There’s some sweet malt in there, too. Taste is sweet and bready, and finishes with an herbal presence. It’s smooth, medium-bodied, and made me want to search some more out for my cellar. At nearly $6 a bottle, I probably only afford one every three years anyways. Superb.

Watch the head...it can go wild. Murky yellow. Aroma is fruity and sweet. Tastes to me like cherries and apples with tempering spices. Alcohol presence to me was hidden well enough to hurt you with 2 or 3.

Bottle purchased at Mo’s while in the area for the night. Pours a hazy tan with bubbly looking body. Nose is a delicate grain and apple funk, wet biscuit, yeast, and candied sugars. Taste is dominated by notes of biscuit and sugars. The carbonation is rich and lifts up notes of caramel, spice, and yeast. I could not detect any alchol, however that was likely because I was sipping on gold label moments before. All in all, an outstanding trip..

Wow, this is some wild stuff. Like many De Dolle beers this one stinks of what I would consider a flaw in other beers, yet I conceed. Huge nose of dark apple cider, the unflitered sort. Honestly, this beer has apricots, some light red fruit, fresh buttered toast, and nice creaminess. Hauntingly as familiar as Blanc de Noir Champagne, really. Behind that is another world of fresh stone fruit and layers of exotic spice as the rambunctious CO2 expands over the palate and lets these flavors seep into every nook and cranny. As the beer finishes a coating of spiced pears rests on the tongue with a touch of cream and a grating of fresh nutmeg. Yes, it is complex. Expect wild shit from De Dolle and pay the man! 95