De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

bottle from grape and gourmet. pours a dark cherry/mahogony wood color with a light beige head a good visible carbonation. aroma is delicious. red wines, mostly pinot noir dominate, with sour cherries, dried apricots, and hints of cinnamon. flavor is truly special. sour red wine dominates again, but tart cherries and plums come through as well. finish is slightly sour with a dry, fruity aftertaste. highly carbonated with a medium body and lively mouthfeel. 13% is nicely hidden, with zero alcohol burn. an outstanding beer, and a great example of the style.

2007 bottle. Mahogany color with a tight tan head that lingers. Sour fruit, funky aroma is red wine with musty wet wood and cherry. Soft carbonation with a medium to heavy body. Mildly sour fruit flavors of red wine cherry with musty wood cask. Finishes with some sweet dark raison caramel flavors to balance. Nice

2007 vintage from Essen Christmas Festival. Bottle, pours light mohogany with no head. Tons of red wine aromas, red grape, sour cherry. Flavors make this beer very memorable. Again, sour red wine flavors, some sour peach. Moderate to heavy carbonation with a lingering finish. Awesome stuff.

2005 vintage. A deep reddish brown ale with a thick unctuous moka head. Full aroma of cherries, lactic acids, veering on Flemish sour, some tannins,light vinous notes. Very nice. In mouth, a sourish beer, like Duchesse de Bourgogne, with notes of ground cherries, some Brett, and a good red wine. Rich bodied. Goes well with an old cheddar, extracting the cherry juice.

Almost no head. It has cranberry lambic taste qualities. Coca Cola coloring. It dances on the palate with a dull cherry nose with a musty element mixed in. Bite or sharpness is at the back of the palate and has a dry finish at the end. Quite complex and a quite a departure from your standard Oerbier. Excellent and worth the $10.00

cherry nose and funk in the flavor and nose....candied cherry finish.....very interesting notes from the wine casks....

@ Kerstbierfestival Essen (B). An almost black colored beer, with dark beige head. The aroma is complex of malts, wood, dark fruits and some chocolate. The taste is a little sour, with wood and dark dried fruits. Notes of alcoholand spices. The aftertaste is burny and bitter.

A slight hazy deep red copperish colored beer with a beautiful off white foam on top. Nose is rich, slight sour, soft spicy and has hints of wood and Cuban tobacco. The taste is very well in balans and the tart fruityness is working well with the rich malty caracter of this great De Dolle beer. Alcohol is well hidden and the finish is refreshing and complex. 13% ?, What 13% ?