Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne

Brewed by Verhaeghe
Style: Sour Ale
Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

25 cL bottle. Pours clear and golden amber/brown with a lacing tan head. Berry, wineous and light sour aroma. Sweet caramel and brown sugar flavour. Light fruity note showing up and a light vanilla note swept around it. Sweet lingering fruit flavour. The sourness is nicely complimenting the fruit and not at any point dominant. Nice balance and smoothness.

Smaller bottle, 11.2 ozer. I was told this was a ’sour’ and I bought it because I’m trying to learn more about this style. While it is a very nice beer, with a ’hint’ of tartness, it is also a bit sweet. I taste brown sugar and dark cherry in this.

I’m really surprised I enjoyed this beer as much as I did. Had it in great company, served in a Duchesse De Bourgogne snifter from tap at Draught House in Austin. Poured a huge, frothy beautiful head that led to excellent lacing. Color was a clear, but deep dark ruby. Smells of roasted caramel and molasses. Medium body with a somewhat sticky texture. Taste was sour, but sweet and tastefully so - very well balanced. Delectible and insanely yummy. Even a hint of vinegar, which is usually a huge turn-off for me. I wanted another, but felt it my duty to move on to a St Bernardus ABT 12 before we split. I’m hunting this down again. Sarah’s take: "Lovely!"

Tap ay maduro. pours brown with red around the edges, thin off white head. Aroma is sour cherries with a red vinager backing. Flavor is string sour cherries but turns too sweet without as much sour as I was expecting from the aroma. Some raisin, fig, and plum round it out a bit Finished slightly sour with a cloying sweetness lying behind.

Marked as best before December 15, 2008. Smells sweet and acidic sour with strong doses of citrus and wood (oak?). Pours with a largish, fluffy, light brown head with great lacing and retention. The body that it covers is a deep brown that, when held up to a light, appears clear. Taste is pretty sweet like a Faro, but ends on a sour note (with citrus and clove). There is some noticable metal in the finish. Creamy body with lively bubbles. Good stuff.

2008-03-07. Ruby tinged brown body with a creamy beige head. Flavour of cherries with an odd funk to it, and an earthy sourness to the cherries. Malty base. (7+) Earthy aroma at first then mild cherry fruit that increases steadily as the glass warms up. Average palate. Expected this to be much more sour. Pleasant.
On tap at Poechenellekelder, Brussels

(750 ml bottle (exp. date 06/09) from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/portland/ target=blank>Downeast Beverage Co.) Like malted blackberry wine...Pours hazy brownish red with about 1/4" or so of tannish head. Aroma is rich and intriguing - like a malted wine with notes of yeast, brown sugar, sweet and sour cherry, wine and oak. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth, medium-full and a little sticky. Carbonation seems rather low. Flavor is sweet with undertones of cherry tartness. The tartness underneath keeps some of the sweetness in check. Malty and yeasty but quite sweet. More wood emerges as it warms - old wood like the inside of a well-aged wine barrel. Not really a truly great beer but very interesting and must be one of the sweetest sour ales out there.

I was a wee infant when I rated this beer the first time. Now that I am a graduating to the world of sours I find that I do enjoy the Duchess very much. Reminds me so much of sweet tarts. Fruity, tart, sweet, woody. Good stuff.