Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne

Brewed by Verhaeghe
Style: Sour Red/Brown
Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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A well balanced top fermented Belgian ale. The blending of 8 and 18 mouth aged ale shows in the sweet flowery aroma . The taste of this beauty is equally refined. Sweets Fruits and spices seam to great the taste buds before wine like characteristics take over. The ale finishes well, and has a pleasant aftertaste of fresh spices. As a wine lover, I feel this is ale is the perfect gateway into the world of beers /ales for the uninitiated. Possibly my favorite Belgian

Deep, mahogany color. Fruity aroma. Huge flavor. A bit of maltiness. Strong tartness on the back of my tongue. Wonderful blend of flavors. Slight oakiness. Possibly a touch of barnyard but it tastes like lactic/pedio dominates the funk. Excellent beer!

Red-dark colour. A good Flanders red, however I found it a little too sweet and a little less tart than I prefer. This is a great looking brew though, with an excellent rocky head and nice lacing. The favorite of my father.

Dark pour with a small short lived head. Vert sweet and complex, with nut flavors as well as some oak, but a nice sour finish. Great, def worth haveing again and again. One of my favs

Had this on tap a few times at the Stumbling Monk in Capitol Hill, Seattle. Just an incredible beer. Very fruity. Sour without being overpowering. The color is gorgeous on it too.

UPDATED: SEP 18, 2007 Pours a wine-dark red with a thin head. Aroma is amazing- sour steak sauce with a hint of dark malts. The flavor is more of the same, but with a great Belgian acid sourness that really goes great with the burnt steak sauce flavor. Finishes with a nice sweetness on the tongue. One of my favorite beers... a work of art. I usually drink the 350ml bottles, but just drank a 750ml bottle last night... a bit too much sweetness for that much beer. I would suggest sharing if you get one of these.

UPDATED: APR 24, 2008 RERATE: After trying this for a second time, I have confirmed that my first attempt was in fact a skunky bottle. That said, this is my first flemish sour, quite an experience! Nose is loads of sweet cherry, sweet apple and almonds. Moderate carbonation, lots of intriguing sweet malt and sour mash, almost strikes me as a very concentrated cider. Ever so slightly syrup character leaves a lingering nutty finish much like a good sherry, where the sour really shines. The finish really is the best part, it lasts for minutes and invites the next sip. An excellent beer.

The color is absolutely beautiful, the sour smell wonderful, the taste suprisingly soft and the finnish nicely tart. Up there with rodenbach when it comes to sweet and sour beer, the fruity notes are just beautiful. Why don’t they hype this at all? Goddamn classy bitch of a beer.

UPDATED: MAY 30, 2009 Ruby-amber on the pour, deep brown in the glass, with refractive garnet highlights, a finger of beige head leaves a glass-coating lace. Full bodied aromas of apricot nectar, balsamic vinegar, and yeast. First sips from the cold glass are more sweet than sour, apricot nectar with an underlying tartness. As the glass warms, the vinegar element dominate the sweetness, while the fruit remains, plums and apricots. Mouthfeel is initially viscous, like a fruit syrup, then turning dry as the beer fades into an oaky finish.

bottle 25 cl, dark amber with small head. i’ve been eager to rate this. excellently balanced fruit flavored, a bit souer. the best of its kind as far as i know.