De Dolle 21 3x7 Jong

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

2000 bottle at Hotel Erasmus. Apparently this beer was made for the hotel by De Dolle in 1998 on what I think was their shared 21st anniversaries. Not quite sure. Anyway, I was thrilled to see this on the menu. Clear auburn pour gets tainted by old yeast. Honey, licorice aroma. Clove, cinnamon, a dry taste. No sour, but the De Dolle yeast bread notes are present. Light on the palate, a little minerally finish is bad. Perhaps a bit old, though very mellow. Compared to other De Dolle beers, this hasn’t aged too well.

Had at the Erasmus in late 2004. Tasted like a treat at the time but had in conjunction with several other beers there. I’m also a huge fan of the brewery, and this was not disappointing. Big, beautiful, and creamy.

Bottle at Erasmus. Pours a slightly cloudy amber. Aroma is sweet fruit and higher alcohols: peach, fig, some apple? Full bodied, with lots of sugar, and an unexpected slight bitterness, quickly overwhelmed by the candied, sweet finish. Not very good, especially considering how good this brewery is.

bottle at Erasmus, aged 9 years. pours hazy orange with white head. nose of aged notes, vegetables, and hint of toffee and tobacco, some fruits of cherries and raspberries. really complex aged nose. flavor is aged notes of tobacco, vegetable, but quickly moves into caramelly light and fruity w/ citrus, pears, and white grapes. mouth feel is light but very smooth and extremely drinkable. very complex yet thirst quenching. a wonderful find!

courtesy of Pascal Sauser - cloudy dark orange colour, little beige head; strongly madereized with notes of gingerbread, alcohol and nut; very sweet and full-bodied, fair bitterness and a touch of acidity; long fruity, bready finish with warming alcohol notes

33 cL bottle @ Erasmus yesterday. And what a treasure... Color is an orangey brown-amber with the lacy, lasting head you expect from De Dolle. Lots of old honey and some lemon in the nose. I found sour fruits in the flavor, somewhat tart but so refreshing for such a big beer. Also honey, orange peel, "fresh" hops, and some alcohol. Lively and dry. Lemon-limey, hoppy, malty finish with more alcohol. Really unique and enjoyable. This beer is nine years old and has held up like a dream.

Bottle at Erasmus on 12-19-2006. Golden/amber color with medium head and nice lacing. The aroma is quite lemony, perfumy and port-like. The tartness is also there in the aroma. The flavor has the tartness of a green apple but it is that typical De Dolle flavor. Yum. It’s pretty carbonated and does not taste very oxidized, even at this point. The balance of sourness, funk and sweetness is heavenly but I’ll admit to being a lush for De Dolle and Fantome beers. Simply delicious.

Gift from Erasmus Hotel - bottled in 2000. This light amber ale poured with a thin white head. Tastes like Orval with a De Dolle twist. After six years, the candy flavor is still as pronounced as it was when I had one last year - ages very well - I’m almost sorry I opened this one already. The carbonation is not quite as lively, but this is still a very nice beer.