De Dolle Oeral

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

UPDATED: DEC 30, 2009 In short: A light fluffy and very hoppy Belgian ale focussing on drinkability. Very very good
How: Bottle 330ml, about 6 months old
The look: A medium white head over a cloudy golden yellow body with some particles
In long: Semi-wild yeast and flowers mash on the nose. Taste is more mellow that the nose lead me to believe. Body is light and fluffy, plain crackers, dried oranges, mint, some residual sugar, lots of spicy hops. Refreshing light acidic/tartness. Excellence in simplicity. I had myself a “best-of” light Belgian ales night where I drank Taras Boulba, Zinnebier and Oeral one after the other. The Oeral finished last but this is nothing to be ashamed of. And anyway what does a beer do when it is ashamed and depressed? It starts to drink? Itself?

Bottled. Hazy, orange colored with a large head. Aroma is cellar, citric, sweet and fruity. Sweet, fruity and bitter flavor. Quite fizzy, long finish. (051104)

Damn. This one impressed the hell out of me. Had a bottle at ’t Hemelrijk in Hasselt. Someone below asked if it was an Orval clone... More like an Orval homage I think. Definitely not identical. Color is a deep, nearly opaque golden-orange, contrasting with a big, creamy lasting head you’d expect from a stout. Grapefruit and other citrus in the nose. Bouncy, bubbly mouthfeel that melts into velvety dry hoppiness--here’s where Orval says howdy. Noticeable lemon in flavor, hoppy finish. Just outstanding.

I have an other gift from the brewers...An Oeral, best before 2005... I was forced to drink it by myself and my curiosity...So the beer has a cloudy orange body with a huge foamy head, and some freaky sediment....And the aroma: it was citrus and sour orange, strong perfume. The flavour contains sour orange, pepper, apple and some fizzy body, characteristic hop, a little tannin. Nice, sourish, hopful aftertaste. Stronge one, good one after this years in the bottle...

33cl bottle with the Belgian "funky shoe" label. Pours a cloudy light yellow-orange colour with small sediment. Big white head that disolves into a film with lacing. Big sweet aroma of oranges, honey and a little spice. Great fruity flavour with a spicy side. Very lively mouthfeel from carbonation with a hint of acid tang. Really great Belgian ale.

Bouteille: Je dois tout de suite annoncer qu’il y a un monde de différence entre le moment où nous avons reçu et goûté cette bière pour la première fois, en 2008 et aujourd’hui, en 2010. Étonnamment, la bière a pris une tournure pour le moins agréable. Alors qu’au départ, l’accent était mis sur la buvabilité, la tranquille amertume et la simplicité du produit, deux ans plus tard, la levure traditionnelle de De Dolle (allié au brettanomyce ?) a poussé le breuvage a développer une acidité rafraîchissante en plus d’une complexité assez remarquable (nez de foin mouillé, cuir et grange rustique, etc), qui n’est pas sans rappeler la Orval. Alors qu’elle avait selon mes souvenirs une belle robe jaune claire et mince, aujourd’hui, disons que la robe commençait à s’approcher, modérément tout de même dois-je le préciser, d’un jus de pommes pressé maison, plus brunâtre et plus huileux.

Je le répète. Cette bière n’a plus rien à voir avec celle que j’avais bu en 2008 et je regrette un peu de n’en avoir pas plus profité à cette époque-là (les prix assez élevés des importations privées ont le défaut de vouloir vous faire boire vos commandes avec retenue et modération, quitte à les étaler dans le temps) mais n’en demeure pas moins être un exercice fascinant à savourer.

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2004 Head is initially large, frothy, rocky, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, toasted grain), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), moderately hoppy (lemon, flowers), with notes of clove and pineapple. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation.

UPDATED: FEB 18, 2008 Any first impressions?
-A towering foam skyline inspires the muddy beige to become more enticing than it usually is.
-Pine trees, citrus fruit, and funky hoppiness fly about within the nostrils, easily reaching the desire-sparked brain.
-A touch of wild funk energizes the minty, herbal hoppiness and the wooden dryness.
-Huge yet soft bubbles enliven the crisp dryness.

What if you dig deeper?
-Herbal hops offer delicate dryness and thoughtful bitterness.
-The funky minty character recalls some Bam Biere or Vervifontaine Blonde moments.
-Citrusy fruitiness fits perfectly with the surrounding creativity, helping drinkability.
-This, like their marvelous Arabier, resides in an inspiring world where the greatest complexity doesn’t have to come from the biggest beers, but rather from the most drinkable, refreshing offerings.

Bottles, labeled as Museum Bier and Oeral.

Typical ’Dolle’ aroma. bit like a triple. I don’t know how a ’Bitter’ tastes but I consider this beer a Belgian ale. Cloudy golden appearance, lasting ’duvel-like’ head. Starts sweet, bit fruity and develops more bitter, bit our perhaps. Palate is bitter. Definately another good Dolle brew.

33 cl bottle. Pale golden, slightly cloudy with a large white head. Great spicy aroma, soft fruit and bubble gum, with melon, pineapple, apples, and some other tropical fruits coming out in the nose. Very bright mintiness on the back of the palate that really sets off the fruitiness. Excellent flavour as well, with a soft perfumey spiciness over crisp Belgian pale malts. As the beer warms the mint really keeps coming forward. Prickly mouthfeel. Fruity finish. Awesome brew.