De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

Pours a dark cloudy brown with a big tan head... Aroma of vinegar, apple, and a bit of cherry... Taste is sour with notes of vinegar, apple, and cherries and a tiny bit of chocolate... Finish is slightly sour and moderately lingering... I do not believe this is 13% and will not believe this is 13%... This is outstanding, imperial sour may be my new style of choice... Amazing beer...

33cl bottle - cap indicates 2008. Pours a deep, dark, cloudy orange-brown. The tan head isn’t very thick, but it almost seems like it should be as the bottle begins to issue forth foam just sitting there. The aroma is rich and vinous with acid (light touches of vinegar), fruit (dark fruit, cherries, sour grape), and hints of dark malts. The flavor follows the aroma: malty on the very tip of the tongue and then quickly sliding into lots of acidity and wine-like fruitiness. At mid-palate, it is very dry, very tart, and very low in sweetness. It has just a touch of malts, toffee, and chocolate and some fruity esters, too. Very funky. The mouthfeel is acidic and briskly carbonated that lends it an odd resemblance to a sparkling red wine - but fuller with beer-like hints of chewy malts. Overall, interesting and tasty, but I think I liked the standard Oerbier much better. I’ve had sour beers that I’ve really liked, but this just isn’t one of my favorites. I think it’s pretty good, but I can’t give it a score that even resembles its average (4.03 at the time of this writing). It’s a touch too vinegary. It also hits you like a brick - alcohol is well hidden in the flavor but slaps you firmly in the face after you get down a bit.

2007 scura buona schiuma la persistenza non eccezzionale il nasoè intenso molto vinoso un po di acidità legnoso anche in bocca molto ampia vionsa disreta acidità fruttato non molto amara note dolciaste etiliche non di facile beva

2007 bottle purchased from Knightly Spirits and Solan. Pours a dense ruddy orange brown hue, fair amount of off-white creamy head sustains, hazy clarity. Nose is dark fruits, chocolate malts, cherries, vinous oak, vanilla, slight acidity. Flavor is slowly creeping fruit tartness, cherry syrup, light fruits and citrus, spices and oak, belgian yeast, tangy tartness lasts in the background, finishes dry with a touch of sour funk. Medium bodied, moderate-high carbonation, slick watery texture. A subdued sour ale that relies on fruit and yeast to carry the flavor profile which never really peaks and falls quickly leaving a cherry tart aftertaste, refreshing and interesting but doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

This beer has a lot of carbonation, but that was not a problem. Nice deep dark brown in color. Nice head sitting on top, but eventually fades away. Very fruity on the nose. Nice sour taste. The texture is nice, but it is well carbonated which takes away from that. Overall, not a huge sour taste, but still very good. This beer also has a great aroma.

2007 bottle at The Back Abbey. From memory so I’ll do my best. Pours a muddy reddish brown with a short, quickly dissipating yet well lacing head. Aroma is sour, cherries and oak, a touch of barnyard. Flavor is actually less sour than expected. Citrus and green apple, plenty of wood, spicy, tangy with a great big dry funky finish that I love. Medium bodied. The sourness actually balances with the other complex flavors as opposed to dominating like most sour beers I’ve had. Really awesome stuff and dangerous at a VERY drinkable 13%.

2007 11.2 oz bottle. Pours a murky brown and ruby color with a good size foamy tan head. Nose is sour, oak, vanilla, dried fruits. Initial taste is sour, tart, apple, citrus, salty, some funk and oak. Mid palate to finish displays more vinous characteristics with some caramel and sweet fruits mixing in with developing rhine tartness. Warming of the alcohol becomes more apparent towards the finish which is not overdone and quiete balancing. Palate duration is excellent. Head retention and lacing of the glass is very good. This is beer is extremely drinkable for a 13%.

Bottle shared by Robert at SL. Wow...sour tart aroma. The color was murkey brown/red. Taste was close to the nose. Medium sour and tartness that were not over-powering but dominated the taste. Dry.. Decent beer... I am not a huge fan of sours.... Thanks Roberto!!!!