De Dolle Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005

Formerly brewed at De Dolle Brouwers
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Diksmuide, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle @ Kerstbierfestival 2006 in Essen, BE. Hazy golden / yellow color with a fair white head. Aroma is fruity hoppy, spices (honey, vanilla, wood) Flavor is long and heavy sweet, acidic and bitter with a alcoholic finish. Very complex and well balance.

[At RBESG 2006] A hazy orange beer with a lazing white head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of alcohol and spice - the most dominant spices being cinnamon and cloves. The flavor is sweet combined with a slight acidity, and with lots of spices, cloves and peber, and De Dolle yeast and alcohol. The alcohol burns in the throat. A good beer - but my guess is that it will improve in years to come.

(Bottle 33 cl) Hazy amber golden with a small, white head. Lightly tart, citrusy nose with a whiff of yeast. Fairly full body with sweet, malty accents. A honeyish character and some indefinable spices. Exciting all right at the mo, but will probably develop a lot with aging. 260806

33 cL bottle. Pours orange with quickly disappearing crispy white head. Aroma is slight acidic, citric and sweet. By far not as pleasant as the flavour. Flavour is very sweet, raisins, dried fruit, malt and decent bitter hops.

Bottled. Hazy pale nutbrown colour, white small head. Aroma is yeast with strong citric and sour fruits. Flavour is sour fruits along with some spices, plum and mild honey. A bit alcohol is present also, but fits the whole well. Will do with aging.

Bottled. Hazy golden, brief head. Fantastic arousing aroma of muscat grapes and wood. Sweet with some caramel undeneath a layer of wood and grapes. Reminiscent of a much sweeter Cantillon Reed Gueuze Muscat, but withbigger bolder flavours. The same fantastic flavours as in the 2000, still too sweet - perhaps this one more so than the 2000, but yet one of the very best beers I know.

UPDATED: JUN 1, 2007 Bottle. Cloudy golden coloured with a white head. Peppery aroma of wood and fruits with notes of spices. Peppery flavour of wood, spices and fruits.

Bottle. Sweet, fruity, sour aroma. Orange colour, small white head. The flavour is sweet and nicely sour. Very peppery aftertaste. High carbonation. Very nice.

UPDATED: JAN 17, 2009
Name: Stille Nacht Reserva
Date: January 19, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Green’s, Atlanta
Vintage: 2005
Appearance: hazy golden with foamy white head, drippy lace
Aroma: light sweet fruity aroma with light floral hops and spicyness
Body: very carbonated body that settles into being thick and creamy
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor with grape skin character, nice balancing bitterness, good spicyness, light oaky character, hint of woody tartness, fruity character keeps getting richer but stays balanced by the spicyness and oak, complexity continues to blossom as it breathes

Name: Stille Nacht Reserva
Date: December 28, 2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar stock
Vintage: 2005
Appearance: clear copper, frothy white head, sudsy drippy lace
Aroma: sweet lemon and oak aroma, light spicyness
Body: creamy body
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, plenty of creamy oaky character, light citrus lemon adds a tartness, tartness balances the sweetness, nice spicyness
Overall: oak and tartness is growing as it ages

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Beautiful amber color with a huge head; fine and persistent perlage. Peculiar aroma spreading in the room, with sharp notes of Champagne; then it’s more traditional for a Belgian Strong Ale, malty, but still with notes of white wine and xeréz seco. Strong body structure; strong malt flavor, quite oily; and there is some sweetness, but it seems to be at it’s prime; some sweet wine, light wood character and very light sweet liquorice later; correct bitterness; and the De Dolle yeast makes its job perfectly. In the final there are some tannins (but hidden by the sweetness); and the alcohol is more evident (overall it’s not pungent, anyway).
Why is it excellent? Because it’s tremendously well brewed, it’s powerful, it’s extremely balanced and it has some complexity.
It costed 10€ to get this rare bottle out of Delirium Café, but it was worth. A pleasure to be taken slowly.