De Dolle Arabier

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

Golden orange in colour, large and lingering white coloured head, excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is of lemons, apples, musty, yeasty, some spice. The flavour is floral, soapy, yeasty, some alcohol, citrus and spice. Medium bitter mouthfeel, medium body, medium/high carbonation. Finishes slightly sweet, lingering with some spice and alcohol warmth.

This is still pretty good but I’m afraid to say that this is starting to fade.

330ml bottle from the Beers Of The World in Rochester, New York.
Opened on December 30, 2007.
Purchased in November 2004.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy hazy orange amber body with an off white head. Flavor and aroma is sweet malt, some dry woody citrus. Heavily carbonated and some nice spiciness. decent.

Smells great. Loads of fruit (apricot and more) and sweet malty caramell. Tastes good too, though not quite as nice. Sweet, malty, yeasty, fruity and a huge amount of CO2 (as with other brews from the brewery). Nice.

tons of carbonation big huge soapy head fruity bitterness grassy just plain funky i think this one needs some time or it is infected very slick on the tongue with hints of butterscotch not as good as the other de dolle offerings

33 cl bottle, and a gusher at that. Hazy light amber muddy pour with thin but tenacious gauzy white head with great lacing. Some chunks floating, and I swear one of them might be green. Hm. Good thing I like funky beers. De Dolle always delivers the funk. Complex sour aroma of bananas, yeast, hops, citrus, herbs, spice, peat, even smoked Gouda. Same kind of action on the tongue, with it all dancing around in a pleasant foaminess. Nice balance of yeast, malt, sugar, sour flavors, and some earthiness. I’m a big fan of this brewery, and their labels are great to boot.

bottle. pours a clear gold amber, with a sizable off-white head that quickly fades to a film. smells like apples and pears and sourdough bread, with spices, raisins, oak, and a surprising hint of lemon. quite interesting. tastes like smoked spicy fruits, with a pretty strong woody character. kind of astringent. moderate bitter, with a surprising bit of tartness in the finish. medium to full body, with a ton of carbonation. it’s an interesting beer. i like the tartness, and it smells amazing, but the flavor doesn’t hold up for me. oh i’ll certainly drink it again if someone brings it to a party or something, but i doubt i’ll seek it out again.

This Belgian Strong Ale pours a slightly hazy orange gold color from a 33cl bottle. A frelling huge sized , long lasting white fluffy and foamy head. The aroma is yeasty, spicy and fruity. A medium bodied BSA. The malts are fruity and sweet. Lots of yeast and spice flavors. The hops are floral. It starts out sweet and finishes fairly dry. Nice beer, if you have the time for the head to subside. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet

It’s always a pleasure to taste something from De Dolle, their Arabier is no exception as it pours a slightly hazy but bright gold. The fluffy white head is a work of architecture in itself. Sudsy on top, a moat of fine bubbles sinks around the edges of the glass, producing what looks to be a medieval tower barricaded with thick lacing. Fragrant despite this large head, the nose particularly emphasizes noble hops. An almost cheesy hop component is present and pleasant, accompanied of sweet grains and honey. Herbal aspects are also apparent, denoting thyme and tarragon. This is a light and summery aroma, but don’t think it simple, it’s another Daedalian brew from De Dolle. Hints of banana, pineapple, soap and apple pull you in all different directions. The flavor evolves wildly on the palate starting surprisingly sweet with creamy white honey and a fine tingling of carbonation. Quickly it moves to ample grains and light fruity flavors of peach and hoppy grapefruit, it’s astoundingly balanced. The dry peppery finish leads to an almost smoky and cheesy aftertaste, when finally, coffee appears several seconds after the swallow. Harmonious, drinkable, excellent. I could analyze this one all day, instead I’ll simply urge you to try it for yourself. (03/06/07)