De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

Thanks hophead75 for the extra. I’ve been wanting to try this bad boy for sometime now. 2006 version. Pours a dark reddish brown with a two finger creamy sticky orange head. The aroma is sour, tart, spicy, sweet, fruity, tart,vinous, red graps. The flavor is very tart and sour, clove and spice, sweet, not very much alcohol present, definitely barrel aged, vinous, grapes. The palate was tart and acidic with a nice full carbonation. Very nice belgian strong ale.

2006 bottle. Pours a deep red/brown with some haze that isn’t distracting. Nice head that is red in color. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma of cherry, oak, pears and tartness that tingles the nose. The taste is dominated by tartness, cherry and oak character. The finish is sour and dry. A very pleasant flanders beer that doesn’t seem high alcohol at at. Excellent beer!

2006 Bottle: Dark brown color with medium diminishing cream head and some lacing. Strong fruity, vinous aroma. Flavor is extremely tart and sour which is entirely too dominant. I don’t see the complexity- all sour cherries and not much else, no malts, no hops. More of a sour ale than anything. High abv made this slightly tolerable towards the end. Alcohol was well hidden, but only because the sourness was is in your face.

Overrated.

33 cl bottle: 2006 vintage: Brilliant and deep garnet color with thin off-white head. The aromas coming off this glass are simply dazzling! A wonderfully tart, red wine drenched malt dances around with cherries, and other dark fruits, on a musty oak dance floor. After waltzing around with the aroma for a while, it’s time for the flavor to take the lead. Imagine a red-wine soaked peach grilled in a pan, served with a red grape, black cherry and balsamico reduction. Nice and tart but with many layers of flavors coming in waves but always ending on the red wine. Very enjoyable experience! Special 2001 Chateau Neuf de Pape barrel. Served by the brewer himself. Bigger wood notes and vinous grapeskins and appleskins. Spicy sweetness behind bold red wine. Nice lactic and brett notes. A little underattenuated when compared to the normal. 9 4 8 4- 18 : 4.3

2006 bottle. Rich aromas of reddish fruits. Mahogany color with a tan head that wasn’t strong. It did lace a bit. Rather thin in body with creamy/fizzy carbonation. The flavor is like thin red wine aged in oak. The woodiness tends to dominate the rest. Cherries and cherrie pits are likely. It’s rather dry, woody and tart. Very sophisitcated ale. The finish is astringent and oaky. Vinous sour cherries. Just an incredibly tasty drink.

Pours a flat chestnut color, with an unripe aroma of red grapes and roses. Tastes tart and less rich and malty than expected. The most prominent flavors are peach, plum and cherry. The finish is more full than the beginning, and the lingering taste on the tongue is sour but pleasing.

(bottle, thanks OSLO) Pours dark brown with an off-white head. Very sour aroma of tart cherry, with some wood notes and wine as well. The flavor is quite sour, tart, with light oak notes. Medium mouthfeel that works quite well for the beer. I was not expecting the taste or smell to be what it is, but it was good anyways.

Another sampling. Poured dark brown with white head that lasted. Aroma is just pure red wine, tannic, oaky, salty, just amazing. The taste was also strong and vinous with a lot of tannin, but also just a bit of sweetness that differentiates it a bit from wine. Taste does possess some cracked pepper too. This is simply an amazing beer.

I preferred this to the standard Oerbier. Dark brown color, promising a sweet, malty beer. Surprising however, is the sour flavor with vinegar, almost a sour ale really. Some light cherry and more balsamic. Kind of rough, or rustic, on the palate. Very unusual and good.