De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

RATING #100!! More thanks to Reklaw for his generosity. This brew pours 3 cm of white head on top of a beautiful amber body. Great lacing sticks all over the glass. My nose received hints of apple, spice, and coffee cake. The palate is bombarded with sour hay notes, raisin, grapes, more apple, roasted nuts, and a tiny amount of maple syrup. High carbonation is well-balanced with the huge body in this beer. Wonderful. A great beer for a 100th rating.

Dark, dry and oaky/sour. I really enjoyed this beer because you had no idea wha to expect from the color. Stronger & drier than Oerbier, but in a positive way. The aroma was the best, with a sourish roasted smell. Nice amount of alcohol, but very smooth. Nice, but not available that often.

Bottle 2006 version. By the smel of it you have already the idea that this is a bear with body. Splendid tast and good aftertaste. A really good beer

Bottle - thanks to Jannik - I want more of this. Unclear reddish - offwhite head. Wood, berries, light sweetness, tar, light dolle yeast sourness, light sharpness, light alcho-burn. Very very good !!

I expected this to be great, but I found it next to awful. It had surprisingly little aroma. For some reason it smelled like Sprite or 7Up: it’s like you could smell the heavy carbonation and the overall sourness. Taste was heavy sour apple, sour cherry, and nasty oak, rolling into unimaginably sour complexities. I like sour ales and lambics, but this stuff is horrific. The high rating shocks me.

Cloudy Dark Brown with Light Orange Hue and Off White Head. Sour Cherry and Oaked Aroma. Medium Body and Syrupy Mouthfeel. Vinous Feel to it. Fruity with Cherry Notes More Subtle on the Tongue Than the Nose...Light Spices...Dry Currant and Oak Notes. Sweet, Peppery and Dry Finish. Very Smooth for 13% but Still Quite Evident That You’re Drinking a Strong Ale. Very Well Balanced Compared From What I Remember of Other De Dolle Brews. Highly Recommend.

7/6/07 - 11.2 oz bottle. 2005. Dark woody brown with a brief tan head. Sour cherries and lemon oil. Earthy undertones. Creamy mouthfeel becomes increasingly tart. Subtle fruit elements heavy on peel, pit and pepper. Vinous notes; white burgundy? Dry oaky finish. Interesting play of sour and bitter. 3/19/08 - 11.2 oz bottle. 2002. Dark brown, but clear, with a light tan frosting. Nose is wood, dried apricot, caramel, raisins and figs. Lightly sour, intoxicatingly sweet. Taste is among the most complex i’ve encountered. Drinks like a red wine with a bit of carb tingle. Taste is vinous, sour caramel, hints of red fruit and cherry skins. Oak adds smoothness. Puckery finish, peppery lips. Having tried two years of the Reserva i still prefer the regular. I added 2 for the aroma and a point overall. 7/9/09 - 11.2 oz bottle. 2004. Murky brown with sparse beige foam. Nose is sour cherry, wood and hints of caramel with subtle funk. Medium light with fine carb. Silky then tart. Tastes like a red wine with a touch of madeira and wild mushroom. Turns to sour crabapples, finishing with dried apricots. As it warmed, opened up beautifully but missing that hint of sweetness in the regular version. Same rating overall except for the aroma which i gave a 7.

Bottle. By fare the closest to a red wine experience that I have ever come across, without it being a red wine! Partly because this brew have been maturing in old red wine oak barrels, and that heavily shows in the overall impression of this remarkable beer. Large creamy light brown head that mostly lasted. Held up to a light source, the body was somewhat clear and sparkling. The color was light dark with a reddish glow. Aroma was bread, dust and grain, toasted notes, grape, prune, raspberry, very vinous with a mix of sour milk and acidic fruity notes as well. Full bodied with a light alcoholic and sticky texture and a soft carbonation. Flavor was mixed between moderated acidic and light to moderated sweet and hint of bitter notes as well. Finish was plastered everywhere in your mouth and lovely lasting feel that you don’t want to let go off. Thank heaven for trying this lovely brew!!