De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: DEC 28, 2010 9 5 8 4 17 [2006 Vintage] 11.2 oz bottle Enjoyed 2.19.08. Pours dark amber/orange with fine bubbles and a small fine frothy white head. Aroma of wild yeast , brown sugar and ripe fruit. Whoa! That is not what I was expecting. Tart, sour cherries, acidic, sweet and blue-cheese like bitterness. Tons of wood. Really interesting stuff. Crisp, light, fine tingly bubbles, not sticky. Alcohol starts to come out a little bit at times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [brewed in 07 bottled in 08, 13%] Enjoyed 10.7.08. Pours a murky orange muddy brown with a very smooth silky beige head. Sweet and sour aroma, tart balsamic vinegar, sweet cherries, some blue-cheese, light brown sugar and barrel. Soooo tasty, seems a bit more tart than I remember, sour cherries with an edgy aged-cheese bitter barrel finish. Excellent, glad I decide to open this now freshly bottled, and I appreciate it so much more than when I first started to rate beer. 9 5 10 4 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [07 bottle] Enjoyed 7.10.09. yup this is just about my favorite beer... candied stinky funky cheesy sour tart deliciousness. So close to perfect. This is absolutely as close as beer comes to the very finest of red wines. 10.5.10.5.20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [08 bottle enjoyed 11.17.09] Pours a dark glowing red with an orange tint and a huge tall foamy pillowy head that just sticks around like a fluffy cloud. Aroma is fantastic, I do think I like it a bit fresher because it’s still got a lot of the sweetness hanging around, bright sweet funky varnish, cherry, acidic, oooo so fantastic, very woody this year with less cheese, actually a bit of creamy vanilla like Still Nacht. O... o o o man... that is good.... way more acidic this year around, still quite sweet and relatively young, vanish, woody, cheese, vanilla, alcohol, much more aggressive than previous vintages, uncharacteristically assertive... again... always best at exactly room temp (not cellar) =p... why do I always figure this out when there are only a few sips left . . 10.5.9.5.18 . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [07 bottle rated 1.14.10] absolute perfect, I’ve been drinking some of the most amazing beers this week from the best brewers... and this beer is basically perfection, perhaps the best of all the bottles I’ve opened. With each bottle I open it makes go out and purchase 6 more to replace it. Wow, simply wow, this is the fullest of the bottles I’ve opened, sour and round, an oud bruin, gorgeous absolutely gorgeous looking, simply perfect, I can’t spend the time here describing it because I need to drink it. Please serve this at cellar temp and no colder.... 10.5.10.5.20... perfection . . . . . . . . . . . .[07 bottle, drinking it while it seems to be peaking, 3.31.10] The aroma is absolutely perfect, super sour cherries. It’s really amazing the amount this is starting to taste like cherries, perfect oak barrel flavor, very sour, just a touch of the medicinal cherry but mostly tart cherry. Amazing. . . . . . . . [had another 07 bottle that was just nasty metallic iron bloody brett, didn’t age at all like the other bottles.]. . . . . . . . . [07 bottle rated 10.14.10] Aroma is quite the same, maybe a little more oxidation showing on the malts, rounding them out a tad with a touch of red apple, seemingly a little more acetic and acidic, still that lovely blue cheese like woodiness mixed with the tart cherries. Yea, I think it might be confirmed, maybe these 07’s have peaked earlier this year, the malt oxidation is showing too much now, also just a bit of iron taste coming through. Carbonation and body are still perfect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[2009 bottle, bottled feb 2010 opened 12.28.10] Pours different than I remember...? clear ruby red with a tall white sudsy sticky airy foamy head... big soda bubbles... slightly confused on this vintage. Aroma smells right though, fantastic wood, cheese, sour, Bordeaux, candied sweetness, fantastic mix of acetic and brett, o so near perfect. Flavor is certainly young, reminds me a bit of when I tried these too fresh, although, who knows if this will end up living up to the 07 and 08 bottles which became super sour, bit tannic at this point, sour cherries but not super sour, certainly on the sweet side for a reserva, love the cheesy cherry barrel taste, just a little rough right now but the right elements are there... let’s see where it goes from here 9.4.9.4.17. O... I forgot what was also so special about this beer... it’s 13% hahaha no other sour even comes close... but it wouldn’t matter if it were 5%, this is still an amazing beer.

Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle into a tulip. This is an aggressively carbonated beer. A large, off-white sea foam froth forms over a caramel amber beer. The nose is tart, with nice cherry notes. There is some oak, vanilla, and vinegar in the back. The flavor mostly follows the nose. It is simple, but nice. Tart cherries, The mouthfeel is really fizzy and bubbly. Even without a full body, it held the 13% ABV really nicely. It was tart and slightly acetic, but not incredibly sour. This is a nice Flemish sour.

Birra miracolosa, vero e proprio elisir. Praticamente perfetta. 5 è anche poco.

Vintage 08. Brown with a tan head. Aroma is caramel, redwine, balsamic vinegar and dried red berries. Flavour is caramel, balsamic vinegar, alcohol and dried red berries.

Vintage ’08. Pours a clear and ruby beer with a weak offwhite head. The aroma is malt, sweetness, fruit, dried fruit, balsamic and alcohol. The flavor follows the nose. The palate is dry with sweetness and alcoholwarmth. Overall a really good beer.

Medium body and intense aroma. Intensely sour finish but not altogether unpleasant. Might taste a bit of sour cherries in this. I’m not typically a fan of sour beers, but this one is undeniably well done.

Bottle brought to Qbrick by KyotoLefty. Thanks! Very sharp sherry or port wine aromas with lots of dark fruit. Sourish flavors of overipe cherries, prunes, raisins. Good carbonation (for its age). Thin body. Long sour aftertaste, gentle and sustained. Just the tiniest touch of oxidation, which actually adds to the flavor experience. Exceptional stuff!

2005 bottle. Nose of big dried fruits, wine or port, a bit of soy sauce. Very fruity flavor, grapes and cherries, some nice sour tang but in control, oak. Very low oxidation and still well carbonated—in fact, in simply wonderful condition. Great body. A fabulous beer that lived up to high expectations.

2007 bottle. Pours tawny brown with a trace of off-white head which quickly dissipates. Aroma is caramel and cookie malt, sour fruit, grassy hops, and oak barrels. Flavor is balanced malt, hops, and sour fruit esters; dry finish. Medium body, carbonation, and warmth.

This is one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. It’s been awhile but I had quite a few 2006 vintages. Around 13% alcohol and very hard to detect even the slightest warmth. Beautiful sour notes and complex flavors make this big beer hard to sip.

Bottle, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 vintages. Murky brown pour. Fruity, dark and dried (cherry, plum, raisin), vanilla, wood. Active body, sweet and sour.