De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)

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

Huge white head on top of a hazy dull lemon yellow body. Aroma of banana, marshmallows and spice. Citrus, wheat, some pears in the taste, good carbonation, some taste of pepper (due to the alcohol?), dry and a touch sour.

My first dance with this wicked woman, a dame so loco that she grits a rose between her teeth, thorns and all...a tango with the Mad Bitch... Off comes the cork, and out wafts instant sweetness and spice, up into my nose, urging me to release her from this cage, and out she pours into the most appropriate Duvel glass. The incredible, fizzy, yet creamy as a cloud head fills up 3/4 of the vessel, the body is a hazy pale orange, riddled with floating yeasties. She puts on a pretty impressive show, though she contains mysteries within, which we are about to partake of ... Aroma, fresh and spicy, while still driven by delicate fruit, pear, apricot, pineapple, banana...a lovely, inticing thing, directing my lips to drink, already...Somehow, the brew slips out from under all that foam, and...Incredible! The shock of new, once again, sends a shudder through me, a paraxysm of delight...I’m left uttering epithets and interjections...what kind of incredible concoction is this, that leads with hot peppers on the tongue, followed by lush fruitiness, backed up by serious malt! A devilish delivery of hops, followed quick by that spicy kick, almost harsh, but not quite, for it’s so adequately complimented by further flavors. It may seem like a messy marriage, this union of hops, spice and fruit, with the more powerful flavors fully in charge of the palate, but it instead stands out as an immaculate integration, a wanton wedding that provides release as well as relief. Taboos are uncovered, old rituals discarded, and something completely un-thought-of starts to seem commonplace...this is a moment where what’s in the glass wends it’s way into your soul, by tasting the brew it becomes you, and now, you’re that damnable dame! It seriously clings to you, never wants to leave the palate, doesn’t take no for an answer, your brain says "no more", but your newly freed secret-self yens to stretch out some..."what’s the harm?" {Shudder} {Shudder} "What did I do last night?" "You messed with the Mad Bitch!"

Deep hazy gold, absolutely masive head that doesn’t quit. Pretty stuff. Aroma immediately 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, and that edge of Belgian funk. This is just an awesome beer.

Aroma is nice--yeastly, peppery, and doughy. Not extremely potent, but not too light either. Pours a haZy copper with a huge frothy white head. Has a very nice mouthfeel. Start is peppery and sweet and fruity tasting. Cannot pin it down, though. It’s very yummy. Sweetness in the middle dancing with an ethanol burn and some mild bitterness to entice you back at the end. A very yummy beer.

10.03.04 330ml bottle. Hazed and bespeckled yellow gold hides beneath a mammoth, rocky, mountainous, persistent head. Aromas, besides being characteristically DeDolle (yippee!) in their yeastiness, are a medly of orange and spice, plus some clover, vanilla, and peach. I’m in love before I taste the stuff. Hell, I was in love before I even opened the bottle. Body is cool and perfectly carbonated, only slightly coating, happily yielding to the aggressive hop finish. The flavors are a floral hoppy boquet, tons of orange and lemon, maybe some pineapple. Sweet toffee notes surprise my buds just as a warming alcohol presence sweeps over the whole show. Hoppy and fresh, fruity and sweet, lively yet warming...I’ve nailed the timing with this bottle as I can’t imagine this brew being any better. I think I’ll have another. Wow.

Bottle. Sweet aroma, yeast with lemon and orange peel, bready and full. Angular coriander. Pepper and apple and a touch of alcohol. Very heavily sedimented orange-golden pour with a big soapy, fizzy off-white head. Big, bold taste, boozy sweetness behind yeast, crème brûlée, vanilla, lemon and orange, coriander, ginger. Loaded with fruity esters and floral spices, wildly robust and assertive. Sweet and tart. Full body begins crisply but smooths out, warms by the end as the rush of alcohol makes its presence known. Er, I mean burns the throat. Aftertaste is yeasty, bready, and somewhat dry. Tons going on here, yet a lovely, flavorful blend seems as natural and simple as can be. A tripel to recommend!

Resembles a volcano with its pendulous white peak, shallow caldera, and substantial seismic activity in an underlying honey-colored core. Has fine suspended particles and cottony lacing. Nose is of wheat bread, lightly sweet malt, yeast, and only faint citrus and esters. Flavor is less citrusy than other tripels but quite tasty. Grainy malts lead here followed by some medium acidity in the finish and very late bitterness. Some orange flavor does come through after a few ounces. Nice stuff. More thanks to loweredsixth.

From my fall 2006 notebook. Sweet hoppy nose on this hazy dark yellow beer. Bread like malt body with a little bit of hops.