De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

2004 vintage. Dark red-orange with a massive light tan head. Mild doughy bread and muskiness in the aroma. Plastic phenols and a ruddy tartness over woody malt and some raisin character. Fruity tart finish with residual wet hay. Mouthfeel is light, fairly dry.

11.2 oz bottle-This wasn’t a bad beer & it will probbly suffer in comparrison due to the fact that I tasted it right after drinking their Stille Natch Special Reserve 2005. Poured murky dark brown/ruby red w/a moderste tan head. Had that distinctive "Belgian" aroma. Had a somewhat sour taste, kind of gamey & woodsy, not necessarily in a good way. Some oak, spicy, some what yeasty & doughy. Probibly drank this one before it’s time, may have been better w/a few years maturity. Long heavy tart finish.

My girlfriend found a 2005 during her trip in Barcelona. (I’m so lucky). Pours a beautiful deep brown/reddish with a thick tan head. The aroma is somewhat sour, with fruity notes and a pineyness. It’s a very lively and rich beer with a tart bouquet/flavors of fresh plums, chocolate covered blackcherries, an oakeyness and a later subtle toffee like sweetness. Nice brew.

Re-rate. Beer 10 of the Bartzilla’s Death Metal Beer Tasting 1/12/2007, consumed with many great beer drinkers including Bartzilla, Naven, as well as Lee Chase. This came out to be much more like a flemish sour then I had expected and damn it tasted good, different yes then the last 2 times I’ve had it but shit it tasted really really great. Beer 26 Summer 2006 trip in Europe. Drank on 7/3/06 bottled and purchased from the beer temple in brugge. 2005 Bottle. This a fantastic brew, it is rich and extremely flavoral and quite potent in comparison to the regular oerbier. Very very nice.

2004 bottle, nicely aged like a wine would be, with mellowed though present souness. Good foam and lace. Unique and worth having once.

Bottle, 2004, Oerbier tulip @ the Delirium café, Brussels.
Slightly cloudy, ruddy brown body (barmaid gave it the heave-ho into the glass!), very finely carbonated but definitely well charged. Head erupted up the flue of the glass and receded back to form cobwebs of froth that daubed messy trails of lace down the sides. Intensely vinous, nose tickling aroma that glorifies it’s aged status, but to what effect. Alcohol is present, medicinal, as is some malt vinegar, burnt tight fruits and clean brandy, oak aged yeast extractions, tannins and vine clippings and just a little, little whiff of bitter chocolate to remind me of the beer’s namesake. As with HogTownHarry my notes read that the body is unbelievably and unremarkably light in the mouth. Almost too well attenuated, like it all got sucked up and spat out as alcohol and CO2 as the alcohol is aggressive and the carbonation makes it a little too harsh and prickly on the tongue. Deeply vinous, again showing the same traits as the aroma. It’s got some tart, ripe aswell as aged fruits that give it a heavy puckering astringency that is also unexpected to the palate. Light showing of oak, fresh-chopped herbs, stinging nettles, grape tannins and a touch of Moselle that dries it out. Finish is a little harsh, unrefined yet it doesn’t linger for too long aside from some woody notes and a little pepper and higher alcohols. Not all together impressed with this one. Sure it could get you arsed in half the time, but I’ve tasted beers with half the alcohol that blow it out the water as far as overall complexity. Another couple of years and I’d say it would be a high octane malt-vinegar so a younger one might be the go. On the positive, it’s certainly unique.

Bottle (330ml - 2004 vintage). Deep brownish ruby with a large, lasting, fluffy-creamy slightly off-white head. Aroma is very much like a good Flemish sour, extra-strong alcohol - tart/sour - almost green - red currant, cherry, other berryfruit - yeast, wood resin and lemon zest; mildly vinous. Taste is similar - reminds me oddly of Goudenband, heck, even Orval - spicy/yeasty, alcohol, sour fruit, dry citrus, even a hint of vinegar - I totally see jehoey’s mentioning of a dry Spanish champagne. The body is .. I guess a little light, hard to tell, it’s so continually fizzy and lively - medium acidity - I don’t know what I was expecting, but this surprised me. It grew on me a lot by the bottom of the bottle, very tart and funky.

33cl bottle that was brewed in 2002: an interesting and very complex beer. aroma of merlot wine, bourbon, and alcohol. pours a murky dark brown much like Rochfort 8. Has a small head that disipates quickly into a thin film. Flavor is much like the aroma. nots of plum, blackberry (very merlot like), but at the same time it tastes like a dry spainish champagne, and has the elements of a belgian ale, again like Rochfort 8. The mouth feel is slightly syrupy and not very full or active. not exactly what I expected in that regard, but this was still an awesome beer.