De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva

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

2007. Spicy-sour oak nose. Notes of peaches and cherry. Brown cloudy with a thin bubbly head that laces nicely. Well-rounded, led by a reserved sourness into a spicy finish. Good thickness, nice carbonation. A simple yet beautiful beer.

Thanks to Cheeseman and SoLan for hooking up the 04, 05, 06, 07 vertical of Oerbier Reserva. Each one had a distinct characteristic. Funky, bretty, raisins, woody and bitter. One of my favorite beers around. Great stuff.

The look is reddish to brown in color, muddy looking, and has a good beige head. The smell is fruity, alcohol, tart, yeast, and sugary. The taste is complex, tart, fruits, yeast, sweet, and alcohol. Easy to drink for 13%.

I owe a huge debt of thanks to a very good friend of mine here in Vero Beach, FL. If it weren’t for his beeritude, a lot of the rare, limited, and orgasmically delicious beers I have tried would simply not have been. I am and will always be in a debt of gratitude and respect for his graciousness and fellow beer geekhood. Prost!

Murky brown, a thin head lingers film-like while scattered bubbles pepper the sides. Raising my glass, I am struck by an orchestra of tartness, wood, oak, leather, nutmeg, all-spice, and rye bread. Going back for more, I savor her tart nature which pervades all aspects of her nose, and hopefully her palate. A thin body carries an explosion of mouth-drying tartness which sends shivers of ecstasy all the way down to my pinky toe. Mouth-puckering cherries, cranberries, and plums with brown spices sprinkled atop crunchy pears and star fruit. Each quaff is clean and drying, with a supple essence of leather and wood. More tart berries kiss my lips and dance with my tastebuds in a sensual orchestra of desire. Her clean, tart nature with whispers of barnyard is a siren’s song for a sour-ale geek such as me. Our time together is brief, but I shall remember my De Dolle Brouwers Special Reserva 2004 for the rest of my life.

Again, many thanks to my friend and fellow beer geek. Truly, my life is blessed once more, and hopefully someday another De Dolle beer shall grace me with her presence. If you are anybody who enjoys good beer and you come across one of their beers, run, do not walk, to the nearest check-out counter cradling her close to your chest like a suckling babe. Or, should you find yourself in the grateful position of receiving, be sure to heartily thank your gracious host.

’07 Murky brown with a tan head. Fresh and sweet aroma of raisins, coffee, apricots and plums. Med weight, bright and crisp on the palate. I’d guess this was a 6-7% alcohol beer before the finish. Flavors of sour cherry, vanilla, oak, plum, toffee. It begins sour like a geuze with the fruit flavors then cascades to a slightly sweet presence with the toffee and hint of hops. Interesting beer, worth the try.

11.2oz brown glass pry-top. Brewed in 2007, Bottled in 2008. Bought it at Publick House Provisions (Brookline, MA) a couple months ago. Appearance: Pours a ruddy amber brown with 1 inch tan head with good retention. Hazy but no visible sediment. Nose: Sour cherry, wet wood, milk chocolate, peach fuzz. Palate: Medium-bodied with nice rich texture that leads into a sour crisp finish. Sour cherry and lots of dark chocolate are the primary flavors, with some vanilla bean and cola rounding it out. Notes: Nice balance! A sour beer, but it’s kept in check by the complex flavors and great mouthfeel! Very drinkable despite being 13%!

330ml bottle (2008 edition) served in a tulip. This beer poured a dark mahogany with some ruby highlights and a thick head of fizzy tan foam that quickly settled into a lasting cap. Some slippery lacing was left around the glass. The aroma was phenomenol! Bright cherries, red apple skins, caramel, wood, candi sugar, and also some strong sour notes. Really vibrant and intriguing. The flavor was tart, but with a dry woodiness. Oak, caramel, pitted fruits, sour cherries, and plums. The mouthfeel as medium-bodied and had light carbonation. This is really tasty stuff. Much better than the regular Oerbier.

2006 btl. Thanks Nick 11.2 oz btl. Deep opaque honey brown color. tart cherries, plums, cold weather and subtle spice. Brilliant sour ale. Expansive on the palate. This is what I call a food beer. Perfect foir pairing. Avery Brewing just did a small release called Voltron. Tasted almost identical. Damn.