De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000

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

i almost fell out of my chair when willblake opened this up at the jimmack04 invitational, having basically given up on ever having it. every bit of expectation was met and exceeded as soon as the first whiff of it hit my nose...tones of smokey wood, sweet red wine, hints of scotch, vanilla, caramel and spices assaulted my senses. i spent about 5 minutes just smelling my glass, which contained a copper elixr with a full white head, a surprising amount of carbonation considering the bottle was a 2000 vintage. when i finally got around to taking my first sip, my tastebuds suffered the same explosion of sensations that my nose was trying to recover from...flavors of sweet red wine, corriander, vanilla and caramel malts blended together perfectly, none taking more of a role than any other. a perfectly smooth, velvety mouthfeel gives way to a slightly warm sensation as each sip goes down finishes an unbelievable experience. my thanks to jon cannot be quantified.

05.22.05 750 shared at jimmack04 invitational. The third time I’ve had this brew and each time is better than the first. This beer, each time I enjoy it, produces another one of those magical beer moments where it’s almost impossible to pick up the pen to write any notes. The first two times I’ve had it, I didn’t even bother, this time I knocked off at least something to make it official...This beer is a 30 year old wood aged port in disguise. In fact, nothing from Bordeaux has ever come close to what De Dolle managed to extract from this wood. Honey colored and wonderfully viscous with an unfortunately sudsy, sort of soapy head, but at least it still shows some carbonation despite its age and size. Color and clarity are gorgeous. The body is pure silk. Forget every other time I said a brew had a velvet or silken palate. I was an idiot. This brew glides on Apollo’s wings across the palate, pure love. The flavor embodies all that is ancient wooded port, hints of sherry, dry spices. It’s a Christmas vigil with the fireworks of the 4th of July. It’s sweet, savory, and deep, while its still making a sweet case for attention. Hell, it’s too good to deal with the pen in my hands; it takes two hands to control this snifter.

Bottle. Thanks Willblake. Nice amber in color with a fluffy white head. Aroma of port wine with fruity notes. Port wine flavor with fruity notes. Nice malty character. Candi sugar notes. Smooth tasting. Enjoyable. Drinkable. Wow.

Bottle thanks (and a very big thanks) to Willblake at the Jimmack invitational tasting. Clear golden, white head. Fine port wine aroma and flavors, with very fruity candy like notes. Lingering malts. Smooth and mellow. This is one fantastic brew that I never thought I would get to try. Thank you again Jon!

Bottle at the 4/17/2005 Montreal tasting, shared with Rastacouere, Muzzlehatch, Tiggmtl, MartinT, Beerbuzzmontreal, Olivier and Simon. Sipped while cooincidentally listening to the Beatles’ "I want you". Aroma bursts forth from the bottle a full, intense and divine creation of sensory stimulants. So good, the bottle was passed around and people waited in line to get "seconds" of smelling the bottle. I described the aroma as "just pure goodness" but I will try to elaborate on that. Fully rounded, never sharp notes of soft oak woodiness, red berries, soft grapes, caramel, toffee, sweet cherries, marzipan, maple, vanilla, subtle yet strong Belgian yeast, touches of light dough/honey and a bit of drying tannins for balance. Wow. Appearance is a thick-looking vibrant auburn-copper-amber color, with lacing as the small white head quickly recedes (no doubt 5 years in the cellar, oak aging, and a high alcohol). Can the flavor live up to the aroma? It’s possible, I dare to think. And to some extent, it does. The flavor of a beer, in my mind, is a much more difficult beast to control and perfect, having to meld balance, mouthfeel and actual taste altogether perfectly. Perhaps I am just an easier judge of aroma, but it seems easier to imagine a perfect aroma than a perfect flavor. That being said, there was a little less intensity to the flavor than the aroma, some very light oxidation, a touch of dryness where it dosent belong and maybe a slight receding of firm, thick maltiness. But this is criticism the beer brings upon itself. I think near-perfect beers are easier to find faults with, being so close to perfect. It is easy to hold them to a higher level, created by their sheer magnificence. The malt is nonetheless, thick, rich, creamy and filling. Candied apples, soft notes of smoked cinnamon, vanilla, syrupy cherry liqueur of the finest variety. Bits of dry barley, light maple, playful Bordeaux wine fruitiness and light oak, never overdone, on the finish. Distinct Belgian nuances from the yeast, light raisins, dates, plums and delicate brown sugar. Perfect mouthfeel, full and not thin ever, but yet so easily drinkable for me. Alcohol gives some warmth as it goes down, but does not show anywhere near 12%. A most treasured experience, drinking this beer, and hopefully, with some luck, one I will have again. Score is very difficult to give on this as far as flavor and overall, I could easily justify a perfect score, especially taking in to account the graceful way this has aged. But I will discount the flavor a point, and see what I think next time I have it.

750 ml bottle (2000) gorged on rapturously with beerbuzzmontreal, ClarkVV, MartinT, tiggmtl, olivier, Rastacouere and Simon at the Farmhouse Ales and More! tasting in Montreal. The coppery, translucent, still whiskeyish oily body bodes well...the head is tiny and off-white but lasts....a whiff out of the bottle is sufficient to discover maple liqueur inhabiting an alien world with raisins, dates, anise and tar...in the glass is smokiness and delicate herbs, a touch of oaky vanilla...the greatest of barley wines with Belgian yeast....moderately sweet in the body, the alcohol warms and soothes yet never tires or sharpens...raisiny, oaky, smooth and toasty, liqueur-filled candy resting in mellow whiskey. While we went into raptures over this transcendent experience Abbey Road was playing, "I want you, I want you so baaaad, I want you so baaaad, it’s driving me maaad, driving me mad."

Pours a hazy orange color with a ring of white lace. Amazing, seductive and complex aroma of maple, caramel, fruits, honey and alcohol. Mind blowing and complex flavor of maple, caramel, candy, fruits, honey and alcohol with a sweet finish. Light body, enjoyable liquorous and sticky texture, soft carbonation. Whoa, that’s an incredible beer, as Rasta wrote it’s incredibly decadent ! This is the crown jewel of an amazing tasting session.

Woody, tannin-full, sweet, malty, toasty aroma with a pleasant alcohol note. Opaque golden caramel coloured body with partial cover and ring of off-white head. Woody, tannin-full flavour is thick, brown, round and doughy with huge sweetness and very pleasant, boozey, alcohol burn in the throat. Brown sugar and huge maple sweetness liger. Medium-full body with fair carbonation and strong alcohol warming. Liqueur-like texture. Bottle enjoyed immensely with beerbuzzmontreal, ClarkVV, MartinT, muzzlehatch, olivier, Rastacouere and Simon.