De Dolle Stille Nacht

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

Bottle. One of my favorite Belgians. Totally awesome flavors of fruit, caramel, yeast and bread. Alcohol is very subtle. Nice aromas as well. Just the right amount of carbonation which gives it a lively palate. Worth seeking out and it pais very well with good cheeses.

Bottle I’d had aging. Lots of sediment in this one. Smells very apple-y, which comes through in the flavor as well. Finishes very thick, & the burn of the alcohol is just at the end as the liquid evaporates from the back of your throat.

Pours a dirty burnt orange with a huge white head, no matter how slowly I pour. Aroma of apple juice, green sour apple candy. Under that, there’s some caramel, white wine and a slight hint of cookie dough. Very strange. Some pepper as it warms. Initially, this tastes very sweet, with lots of caramel, sugar, white chocolate, and a whole bunch of sour apple and other such fruit flavors. Some yeast pungentness gets through. Plenty of hop flavor in the finish (toast, earth, nuts, etc.) which is a welcome touch. Good flavor, but overall a very strange beer. Thick and overly carbonated, yet still a bit too slick and too hot. Points mainly at aging potential, cause it’s just odd now.

Don’t always shout out but I loved this one so thanks Eugene. 1996 bottle. Even though I got a pour towards the end of the bottle this is still amazing. Nice belgain flavors and rich and delicous. Aroma very sweet with some alcoholic strength. A little rich but love that body. Smooth malt with some fruit. Not much hop as desribed but this bottle has aged a bit.

1996 bottle into a tulip. It feels like im opening a very special brew. Aroma of alcohol, sweet candy, some light malt. No head whatsoever, just some bubbles around the edge. Medium brown translucent, not too much carnonation it appears. Wow, taste is so sweet and smooth. Not very clingy, wslightly syrupy, absolutely enjoyable. Slight alcohol warming in the finish. Very clean taste, with candied fruits very prevalent. Great beer. Could have used a bit more carbonation in the palate, but great beer. Have one more bottle, but I’m going to pick up a few more tomorrow, too good not to have again.

1996 bottle Shared at both the Jimmack Invitational’07 and CaptainCougar Comes to NY @ JoeMcphee’s. Pours clear amber with a small head. Strong aroma of strong sweetness (Belgian candi, as well as sugary sweet candy), light sourness, and some oxidation (cardboard). Taste has stronger sour notes and lower on the sugary sweetness. Pretty alcoholic in nature. A lighter side of medium body, making it quaffable but a slightly syrupy mouthfeel. Some roast in the aftertaste. Still I would not guess it was 11 years old.

This was a 1996 bottling. Pours a medium-dark reddish orange, with a thin and bubbly head that stayed almost the whole time. The aroma has some great fruit notes, with that unique Belgian yeast quality there as well. The flavor was complex and refreshing. The same fruit notes from the aroma were there in the flavor, just stronger. The sourness mixed with the sweetness of the fruits really made it work. A great truly great beer that I’ll be drinking again and again.

Pours a slightly cloudy amber brown with some head. Nose is like rotten apple skins, but not in a rancid way. Flavor is extremely sweet with almost a brown sugar flavor to it. Strong and pungent. Definitely a winter beer. I just want to light a log and throw it on the fire and sip this thing for the next hour....or two. Mouthfeel is a little thinner off less carbonation than I like, and also syrupy due to it’s style, but the drinkability is very high even though it is a "sipper". I could go for these all night...especially on Christmas Eve as I stare at presents under the tree with someone very attractive next to my side. Hey, baby. What’s shakin’.