De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

2006 bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville. Pours a cranberry color with an off-white small and persistent head with a little bit of lacing. Nice aroma of yeast, a citrus tang and butterscotch. Sour but smooth taste. Citrus, cherries, buttery finish. You definitely can’t tell this is 13%. Damn, 13%? Good night!

Pours a dark reddish brown with very light head (note - I didn’t pour it very well). Can’t smell much, still getting over sickness, but really wanted to drink this, so I am. Taste is sour cherries, oak/wood, berries, hint of citrus. This was waaaaaaaaaaaay different than I was expecting. I don’t know why, but I expected something more like Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru. I thought this tasted more like a beefed up, 13% version of Supplication.....and I love me some Supplication. Would never have guessed that this beer was 10+% ABV, hides the alcohol incredibly well. If I was rich, I’d drink this on the regular. Paid $7/bottle. This is my first De Dolle beer and I am highly impressed.

Bottle. Pours a deep ruby/brown color with a huge, lacy white head, Aroma is red grape, coriander, vanilla, apple, and oak - one of the nicest, most enticing aromas I have ever experienced with a beer. The taste is sour cherry up front, with vanilla, oak, red grapes, and coriander also noticeable among this unbelievably balanced offering. If I didn’t know this was 13% alcohol I would never have guessed it based on tasting the beer; it’s deceptively smooth. This is just an absolutely amazing offering from the wonderful folks at De Dolle, and I’m very glad to have tried it.

for my 100th rating i splurged. this beer is absolutely wonderful, a true gift from my favorite belgian brewery. pours an esteemed roasted brown color with a cumulus cloud head. it smells of coriander, apples, and oak. notes of vanilla, grapes, cherries and pears. the aging in the bordeaux barrels does wonders to smooth out the alcohol dominance of regular oerbier. i love it, wish i could afford it more often and will someday make a special pilgrimage to diksmuide. bottle @ the map room

2006 Pours a dark brown with a thin head, nice lacing. Aroma of berries and oak. Very tart, slightly sweet, some bitterness at the end. It will be interesting to see how this ages. Alcohol is hidden very well.

Thick dark brown pour with a nice white head. Fruity sour grape and citrus aroma...very intense. Nice sour start with a spicy bitter yet almost candy like finish. Not as sour as some other beers, but balanced really well. Hides the alcohol really well. Very good!

Bottle. I’ve waited quite a while to have this, so I’m fairly excited. Pour is a thing of beauty. Dark brown body with streams of little bubbles going up the side of the glass and leaving a two finger tan head. Aromas are tart and have a little bit of a vinegar feel to them and mix with earthy/woody scents. First sip is interesting and complex. Tart cherry flavors dominate and intertwine with wood, earth and vinous undercurrents. Alcohol is detectable and at times comes through a little bit to strongly, but this is inconsistent and not on every sip.

Brewed in 2004, bottled in 2005. This is the third time I have typed this fu@#king review! If my computer messes up again I might destroy it. Poured into a tulip, this beer is a clear amber. Almost an inch of head sits atop. The nose is of tart berries and oak. This tastes great! The sharp tartness that dominated the regular Oerbier has been muzzled, perhaps by the oak. The sour apples and berries, the yeast, and the oak are seemlessly woven together. This beer is huge. The mouthfeel is top-notch. It is full bodied, but not coating like the regular Oerbier. Although there is still a blanket of foam on the beer, the carbonation is very soft. This beer is ready to drink now, but I wonder what some age will do to it. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 08-23-2005 03:21:36