De Dolle Speciaal Brouwsel 20

Formerly brewed at De Dolle Brouwers
Style: Sour Ale
Diksmuide, Belgium

750 ml bottle, shared with Cranesareflying at Hopleaf, Chicago. Don’t know why I was too cheap to get this at Christmas, but I’m making up for it now. Enormous unending sheets of snow-white foam carve intricate patterns across the glass...dark, cloudy orange-red, evil-looking. Hugely farmy, sour-apple aroma accedes to old leather...soft and supple body like baby’s skin, carbonation present and grateful. Apple sourness dominates the front but gives way to a cherry/grapy wininess that is tender, delicate and sweet. Beautiful.

October 200 Bottle: Giant, frothy, rocky cream coloured head. Caramel, woody, grape, cherry, yeast, bretty nose. Copper ruddy orange hue. It was hard for me to pop this one, but Im coming down the stretch to #1000, so I figured Ill crack open some of my big guns from the cellar. The head is just a giant floating cream coloured iceburg, on top of this delicious liquid. Sheets of lace. Fruity, vinous, vinegar palate, almost lambic like. Perfectly balanced, full of complex flavor. I bought this when I had just turned 21, and I wish I bought the other 3 that were left on the shelf in Albany, NY. After I realized what I had done, I went back 2 weeks later to find them all gone! The 8% is undetectable. I am just blown away by this brew. Sour, woody, rusty, cobwebs, cherry, more wood, candy fruit, sugar, leather, prune, vinegar. Finishing with a molasses like burning sweet and sourness. Seductive and perfect, one of the best beers to cross my palate. Anybody got any more?

Bottled 10/00 shared 06/04! Found a bottle in the cooler at Delilahs in Chicago and had to pop it open. Very, very alive, bubbling over. Looked just like apple sauce, complete with cinnamon sprinkle-looking chunks of yeast throught the glass and head. Superbly complex in nose and taste, sweet bready malts, brown sugars, dark fruits and even a peaty note underneath it all. Some great sour and woody-dry flavors came through at the end of each sip. Alcohol was well masked by the huge array of flavors. Thanks to whoever thought to hide that away!!!

Had an apple sauce color. Nice chunky head. Tons of particles scattered on the bottom and head. Lots of cinnamon, spice, and pepper in the nose. Brown sugar, spice, slight alcohol, yeast, green apple and a sour finish. Great complexity of flavors with the more cookie up front tones rounding out the floral, grapefruit, sour end.

A very explosive beer. The color is hazy red and it has huge fast disappearing orange head. The aroma is sweet with notes of wood, yeast, alcohol, and prunes, but also a sourness, as if it is too old. The flavor is acidic with notes of alcohol, red currant, grapefruit, and a dry hoppy end. The acidity draws out the mouthwater. It seems as if this beer is over the top - but it is still a very nice beer. Thanks to Mads Berg for sharing this.

Bottled: Cork explodes out of the bottle. Dark amber coloured. Unclear. Huge beige dense head. Lasting. Plums, alcahol, spices and yeast in the aroma. Flavour is fruity (plums again and prunes) with a good subtle sweetness. Has a somewhat acidic or citrusy note. I’m not happy to admit it, but I think this beer is a little over the top. I bought it at Le Bier Circus in Bruxelles for 18€, which given the taste maybe were a little too much. But on the other side, I would have thought about this beer for a long time, had I not bought it.

Vintage 2000.
Higly explosive cork! Pours a, typical for De Dolle, very tall off-white head on a muddy orange body with lots of sediments floating around. Aroma is dominated by yeast but has tones of fruit, plums, oranges, apricot, nut and toffee. Quite odd, but rather full and interesting - maybe a little fusty though. Flavor is extremely fruity, mostly plums and raisins with some acidity and wood notes. Dry and again a little fusty. A very speciaal beer, that I believe was a bit over the top (maybe it hasn't been stored properly?!?). Thanks to madsberg for sharing this very rare beer!

Dark amber coloured. Definately over the top. Very mature aroma and flavour with raisins and prunes. Some acidity. Thanks Mads Berg for sharing this rarity.