De Dolle Dulle Teve Special Reserva

Formerly brewed at De Dolle Brouwers
Style: Abbey Tripel
Diksmuide, Belgium

(Bottle) Pours a cloudy bronze body with a large off-white head. Complex aroma of mustiness, citrus, pepper, apple, wood, and vinous. Flavor of spicy yeast, malt, wood, light citrus, butterscotch, and vanilla. Alcohol is nicely hidden at 11% abv.

Murky light brown/gold. Big, dense, creamy, off white head. Nose is apple, oak, yeast, alcohol, subtle spicy sweetness, rich malt. Look out. Tastes like a sweet and spicy, wood grilled apple pie. Big yeasty apples up front and a dry, alcoholic finish sit on top of rich, oaky malt throughout. Aftertaste is initially dry and a bit sour, then turns roasty followed by a touch of cannabis. Full, balanced body. Excellent brew from one of my favorite breweries. If anybody has some of their 20th anniversary or Stille Nacht Reserva available for trade send me a message.

Bottle: Poured a hazy golden yellow color ale with a huge foamy white head with great retention. Aroma of apple is quite dominant and weirdly enough reminiscent enough of ice cider; alcohol was not that overly apparent as I would have expected from reading ratings for this beer. Taste is also dominated by the apple component from the Calvados but again very reminiscent of ice cider and was very much enjoyable. Body was above average and alcohol while being evident was not providing a burning-type sensation, which I often dislike. Definitely will be seeking more of this in the future.

330 ml bottle - many thanks to my awesome trading buddy slob for this one. Pours a hazy caramel-orange color with a huge beige head that diminished leisurely to a thin film, but left clumpy lacing. Aroma is fruity, sweet and sour bready with alcohol prominent as well - a little like a orange marmalade slathered sourdough roll with a white rum on the side. Flavor is complex, with alcohol being prominent once again, orange and tannic wood flavors, spicy yeast and rich buttery notes along with a rather astringent finish and a bit of pepper in the aftertaste. Flavors blend better and alcohol mellows a bit as it warms. Medium body and creamy carbonation. Nice treat - thanks Bert.

Decent head that went away pretty quickly. Smells fruity and a little nutty. It has a nice honey looking yellow. It has a good taste, kinda strong alcohol taste but it goes away pretty fast as well and finishes well. Decent overall.

Sampled December, 2005
As soon as I pop the cap the beer starts to foam out of the bottle. The beer pours with a frothy, light tan, three finger thick head. The beer is a hazy copper color that has lots of carbonation dancing up from the bottom of my glass. The aroma is an interesting mix of sharp fruit notes (like green apple, and pear) and subtle woody oak notes (with a bit of buttery oak notes). I’ll admit that I like the fresh, spicy, sharp and fruity aroma of the regular version a bit better.

The beer has a nice fruity note to it up front that is reminiscent of pears especially and a bit of green apples and tart plums. The oak begins to make itself know in the middle and lingers through to the end of a draught. The oak is fairly subtle, and only plays a complimentary role; it is predominantly woody, slightly tannic, with a hint of buttery-oak, and perhaps even a hint of vanilla. The spicy notes are subdued by the oak notes, though in all fairness a lot of the spice notes have probably just been muted over the aging time as well. This beer is pretty tasty, definitely enjoyable, but just not nearly the beer that the regular version is.

Appley alcoholic aroma. Hazy golden, with abundant head. Some huge alcohol presence. Medium-light body, honey tinged. Definite alcohol burn. Hops are quite subdued compare to the regular dulle teve. Fine but nowhere near the balance and finesse of the fantastic regular dulle teve.

Finally I get to try the beast.... Pours a dark cloudy amber hue with a frothy white head. Aromas of apples, honey, alcohol and caramel. Mouth feel of your typical triple, effervescence. Also apples, alcohol, honey and a light fig note and also a hinot of bubblegum. Very nice....I’d like to see this sit for a while.