De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

2005 bottle. Dark brown unclear red with a fine thick lasting creamy white head. Aroma is sweet , spicy, wood, vinous & cherries. Flavor is well balanced between sweet & sour. Oak & vinegar. Well hidden alcohol. Carbonation is fizzy but not as much as the regular Oerbier. Soft mouthfeel. Fine lacings on the side of the glass. Amazingly great!

Wonderful,teasing, fruity sour aroma,big working head,tastes like a port wine with lots of lactobacillus at firstsettles into a fruity tart cherry apple sourness, with a smooth yet tingle your nose finish. Awesome. Thanks to Chris at Murrays for pointing out the last one to me

eight six nine Vertical time 2002, 2004, 2005 get low, a get low. Some interesting differences.
The 2002 still had plenty of power and ageability. The maltiness came out most with tihs one, turned very biscuity, almost an English like malt flavor emerged. The sourness was still there, very strong actually.
The 2004 had a lot of fruitiness in its sourness, also more vinegar and more tartness than any other vintage.
2005 was darker than the other two, a dark burgundy ruby red. It was the least sour, milder in all aspects acttually. Still had some sourness but lacked the acidity of the 04 and the maltiness of the 02.

Overall, I would take the 02 over the rest. The 04 was great if its sourness I strictly wanted and the 05 may need to sit a bit. Also, no alcohol presence at all, I thought this was more like 5% brew, have no idea where all that alcohol came from.

2007. Same as 2005 except a little less funky....no blue cheese finish this time around...docking the flavor slightly.. 2005. Pours deep mahogany/red into a tulip. Tan micro head with good retention. Sour cherry and funk aromas. Tart and full with sour oak and a lasting, puckering then blue cheese finish. Alcohol is entirely hidden. 9/4/10/4/18 = 4.5 2002. Sampled 6/10/08. Slight cardboard and many dimished flavors. Much sweeter than the more recent, fresh versions, but remains drinkable, but I’d say finish these up if you’ve got ’em.

2005 bottle. Reddish amber in color, with a small tan head. Huge aroma, of both sweet and sour cherries, malts, wood, acetic acid, and a touch alcohol. Taste is cherries, oak, light notes of damp basement, a good amount of acetic acid (vinegar) but not overpowering. Tart and vinous middle and finish, with notes of vinegar and spices. A touch of alcohol warm too in the finish, but overall the alcohol is extremely well hidden. I can’t believe this is 13 %.

Oerbier Reserve ‘05-11.2oz bottle-pours a foamy tan head that laces with ruby red color with effervescence. Aroma is dark fruit, dark/medium malt. Taste is dark fruit-cherry, dark/medium malt-sweet, wood, yeast, faint hops.

2004 Bottle: The beer pours with a polished copper core with autumnal highlights. The ABV warmth cradles the aroma - loaded with notes of cherries jubilee, wet firewood, balsamic vinegar and vanilla oak. Over time, if the ether continues to recede, the nose would be perfect (9-->10). The sofly carbed bottle is a great vehicle for the juicy tart body. Loads of cherries and vinegar, sherry and oak. The body lingers off into a nice dry finish. Good stuff Jeff.

Bottle, bought this as a present for my dad, but not his thing so I had it. Poured dark reddy/brown. Aroma is woody, yeasty and with some alcohol. Taste quite sharp which I hadn’t expected, I had not even looked up this beer despite the high ratings, things mellowed after a while and there was a wonderful cherry tartness with the oakyness definately discernible, still I have to be honest and whilst I quite liked it I have to declare it to not really be my thing. Had this at Mes’s 20-06-08 in the company of Mes, Ang and Loz, many thanks Mes for your generosity Maybe my palate has changed as second time around I loved this and can’t quite believe it only got a 3.5 from me before. There is a distinct musty fruitiness on the nose of this beer which pours almost chesnut in colour with an off-white soft bubbly head. Dusty wood and leather some warm wet alcohol laden oaky flavour’s come through and then lovely sour cherries, the finish is a little dry, I think my palate has changed I love this beer, once again cheers Mes. 4.2 is the new rating for this