De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

Thanks to Gurede and Oslo for this treat. Gold color with faint color. Sweet sour body. Very nice. If I hand’t had a few rinses, I would have suspected a bad glass.

2 reviews in one - small vertical of 2005 and 2006 vintages: 2006 was first - almost a kriek like sour fruit aroma - a bit funky and adventerous. some notes of candy sugar. color was a medium and very cloudy goldish brown. very full body, medium tart - no where near a sour or dry lambic, but did have a very pleasing pucker to it. some flavors of cherries throughout. finished surprisingly crisp and clean. one taster commented "a multi-layer funked edge".

2005 vintage - much darker pour than the ’06. flavors were more integrated - less tart, less fruity, but it still managed to be equally complex - just a bit more subtle. Overall, I enjoyed the ’06 a bit more, but both are very, very good beers from De Dolle.

2006 vintage courtesy of Brock_Landers. Wasn’t wowed by this beer, and reading some of the other reviews, I guess I should have sat on this one for a while. Still, a very nice brew for the style. It’s got kind of a funkhouse aroma to it, hinting of the sour notes that are sure to come (and which do not disappoint). I have to say that I love a lot of bordeaux wines, but I find their impression on this beer to be somewhat misplaced. The wine tannins contribute to the sourness of the beer, but the sour tannins of Bordeaux are the very things I try to overlook when tasting it. Anyway, good for the style, but I didn’t fall out of my seat.

Aroma is slightly funky, clean, and tannic wine characteristics. Taste is very wine-like in the dull, red grape and oak barrel taste. Slightly bitter and dull finish. Starts funky and slightly sour, but quickly packs on the alcohol heat and funky fruitiness. The barrel aging is definitely present, as is a grape-influenced fruitiness. Finishes in a typically belgian yeasty, slightly hay and bitter fashion. Kind of strange. I like it, but it has some "flaws". --- Re-rate--- Amazing. cherry, sour, lactic. Wow. 9494518 I learned.

Three vintages sampled side-by-side on New Year’s Eve 2007. Most notably - as well as immediately evident - is the fact that the 2006 vintage that was released 6 months prior to sampling has yet to reach complex heights of development. This will surely change and is just one more of the many profound reasons to revisit all of these at multiple later dates.

2004. 10/5/10/5/19
Pours heavily clouded deep orange with murky rust and wood tones. A mid-sized, creamy light beige head slowly recedes, never fully. Wispy arc lacing, minor. Brettanomyces is a sub-particle of a candied shell that is so relentless in its continual development that proper critical assessment would be a truly monumental feat. Highly sweet caramel and linear shoots of barnyard funk merge and correlate with bold and heavy leather. Candi sugar-soaked fruits laced with hallugenogenic alcohols swirl wildly out of control. Red wine with requisite tannic spice tickles cilia while vanilla oak notes play the role of immovable backbone and nuance separator. A truly phenomenal break from the ordinary. Brett tartness is full bore and as refreshing as can be while still retaining a funkiness that never seems anything less than novel when this brewery struts its stuff. Sweetness is high but not overdone, vinous flux is minimal as tannic grape and barrel fold into each sip with ease. Acidity is medium but stifled by a refreshing astringency and spice from tannins. Sourness is moderate and wavering. The finish is slowly drying, ultimately extremely dry, very winelike and moderately tart and funky. The mouthfeel has medium-high carbonation and is a silken joy to swirl around an eager tongue.

2005. 9/4/8/4/17
Pours a murky mahogany with crimson and blood-red/violet outlying hues. A small off-white head slowly diminishes, nearly fully, to wisps. Dotted sheet lacing, sparse and thin. Heavy funkiness and lively and acid-brimming tartness from Brettanomyces leads the propulsion of intensity from the most vivid and focused of the three vintages. Sweet port notes are syrupy, full and intelligently wrought. Earthiness is strong but creates a relaxing backdrop. Alcohol is moderate and well-integrated. Earhiness is substantial and never lets up, Brettanomyces and tartness downgraded to a mild to medium level. Barnyard funkiness and traces of characteristics of open fermentation and the transfer of the angel’s share are evident in retrained quantities. Sweetness is medium and when combined with a moderate acidity and low astringency leads to a smooth and mellow finish. Earth, light tartness and slow drying emerge in a transcendental finale. The mouthfeel is softly and moderately carbonated, creamy, medium bodied and lightly sticky and tannic.

2006. 8/5/8/4/16
Pours a hazy dark amber, burned reds within. A mid-sized off-white/cream colored head slowly and mostly dissipates. Dot and arc lacing is miniscule. Tropical fruit streams from the vessel, a powerhouse that is awash with lively young funk that seems to have yet to reveal its true intentions. Vinous notes are lesser than older vintages and subdued by cream sensations. Alcohol is brash and unmanaged, yet to settle into a complacent complimentary role. A mustiness that must(no pun intended) fade into eloquence with a long slumber in this glass keepsake is a surprise upon first sip. Sweetness is low-medium to medium and fruitiness remains heavy but doesn’t succeed in sugary aspirations. Acidity is chunky and fueled by light acetic quirks. Alcohol is signifigantly warming. The finish is semi-sweet and succinct, tannins finally revealing peppery spiciness. Woodiness is very forceful and certainly the most evident at this young age. The mouthfeel is moderately carbonated and medium bodied, agreeably smooth and certifiably younger than desirable for most enjoyable consumption.

Bottle shared by John Bryan (of Boulevard Brewing) at theisti’s Holiday Tasting 12/28/07. Pours a cloudy light brown with some chunky sediment and a thin, beige head. The nose is hugely woody and vinous with black pepper adding to the dominant notes, faint vanilla and fruit poking out from behind, in supporting roles. Medium-bodied and slick, it finishes extra dry. The flavor follows the nose: dry, vinous and woody. Even though my pour was from "the dregs" of the bottle, this was very tasty. I’ll definitely need to find another bottle of this one. I have a feeling that there’s a lot more to be discovered in this brew. Thanks again for sharing this with us, John!

Brewed 2006, bottled June 2007, 33cl bottle, with a big thanks to my man, john_adam2002 for this surprise! Pours a clear dark brown iced tea color with burgundy highlights, and a large foamy tan head, minimal lacing. Aroma is wood, spice, candied dark fruits, and some earthy yeast. Flavor has a nice winey sweetness to it, with more spice and candied fruits present, wrapped in a gentle sourness. Excitingly different than expected!

2006 vintage. 330 ml bottle shared by John Bryan (obtained at the brewery), enjoyed at my Holiday Mini Tasting. Pour is ruby-brown with a thin khaki head. Aroma of cloves, anise and all kinds of spiciness. Some nutmeg in there as well. Taste is big sour initially, settling into a really nice woody, cherry, sour, juniper and all of the spices previously mentioned. A bunch going on in this one, this really refined. Thanks for this one John!