De Dolle 21 3x7 Jong

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

33cL bottle, bottled 1998 / released 2000?, courtesy of miketd. Thanks, Mike! Pours a very murky, tarnished orange color; off-white, patchy head with fine-bubbled lacing; a few pepper-like particulates at the bottom. Nice, toasted, complex De Dolle yeast in the aroma; some dry caramel notes from a light oxidation; very complex, intriguing aroma. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: chewy candy / Belgian sugar, reasonably oxidized (caramel), with some fluffy carbonation; intricate yeast, maple syrup, and breadiness. Tasty, messy, yeast-forward beer; slightly muddled. Lengthy finish: dried caramel, Belgian sugars, and yeast.

1998 vintage shared with miketd. Pours copper with a white head. Smells grassy with a nice house character. Tastes of lemons, honey, lots of straw like greatness. Very enjoyable!

[1184-20080303] 330mL. Vegetable herby spice aroma has roasted beef characteristics and a bit of wood malt. Clear, amber red body with a medium-lasting creamy off-white head. Sweet cherry wood booze base flavour has a melee of roasty malt, yeast and leafy greens and weeds. Medium body is slightly sour. Alcohol is well-hidden, overall a very nice brew, even now eight years later.
(Vintage 2000 @ Erasmus; Brugges, BE; w/ jerc)

Bottle (330ml) shared with and courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a cloudy copper-orange with some sediment and an average size frothy white head. Aroma of sweet malt, candi sugar, tart fruit, yeast, toffee and spices -- smells wonderful! Flavour of tart fruit, mostly lemon, along with spices and sweet caramel malt. Medium bodied. Fantastic, I loved it!

Pours a dark, almost amber-golden color. The head is large and foamy and barely fades; plenty of visible carbonation. Aroma is strong and the age is present through a chocolate aroma. The aged-malty-chocolate is very cool. Some light cardboard in there as well but its still pretty light. The cardboard-chocolate is mixed with un-citric lemon. The medium body evaporated quickly on the tongue. This was a delightful aged experience but I don’t know if this will be good in 2-3 years.
33cL bottle, where else but Erasmus, in a wine glass on 5/20/08.

1998 bottle served at Hotel Erasmus in Brugge. First pour is clear copper, but the last with the yeast mixed in is muddy brown. Big, earthy, musty clove and overripe fruit nose, smells quite old and aged but with only a slightly amount of noticeable oxidation. Damped cherries, old oranges, some apricot skin and pears as well, all wrapped up in a full bodied, sticky (but not sweet) body. Soft at doughy at times, heavy and fruity at others, but mostly smooth and rich. Crackers and dough and old fruit is what this comes down to, warming the throat over the course of the drink. Really quite good.

Bottle (330ml). Shared with blankboy, courtesy of jerc. Murky light orange pour, average frothy off-white head, some floaties in the bottom. Genteel, aged aroma, thick sweet caramel malt, soft spice, great yeast, slightly tart lemon and berry fruit, a little dry and woody (8 or 9, hard to call - oh WTF - 9). Taste - much less sweetness and yeast, there’s quite a bit of lemon juice tartness - shows its age more in the taste, really. Still, average body, quite a bit of acidity, nice tingly finish ---- yes, past its prime, but probably a 4.4 or so then.

2008-03-03. Amber body, soft foamy off white head. (3+) Aroma of fruit, rains, sherry - possible sign of oxidation? Hint at caramel. tangy fruit flavour, mild malt, light tang returns in the finish with a not quite sour hint to it. (6+) Average palate is fairly smooth. (3+) Nice, but I agree with Duff who notes in his review that it is likely nearing the end of its peak life.
Bottle at Erasmus, Brugge