De Dolle Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005

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

bottle at rbesg06. murky golden with a steady white head. heady aroma of fresh apple, butterscotch, tart yeast. pleasantly sweet - stone fruits, sherbet, panettone, some herbal bitterness, quality stuff

Bottle (330ml) shared with HogTownHarry & tupalev -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a murky yellow-copper with a small somewhat-lasting frothy white head. Very nice aroma of fruit, yeast, spices, alcohol, oak, some light sourness and more -- lots going on here. Flavour of slightly funky yeast, fruit, sweet malt, light hops, spices, oak, alcohol and more -- this sucker just keeps on giving. Medium bodied. Fantastic stuff, this is barrel-aging done right, it’s enjoyable and a pleasure to drink.

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry and Blankboy, Harry’s bottle. Wonderful aroma - mild vanilla, strong Belgian dark malt and spice. Orange/yellow in the glass, good sized frothy white head. Great taste - strong alcohol, sweet vanilla, spice. Strong candy sugar bite at the end. Very complex and good.

Bottle (330ml). Shared with blankboy and tupalev, my bottle courtesy of MrBendo. Murky orange pour, average frothy off-white head. Boozy, sweet fruit malt aroma, yeast, tangerines, oak and vanilla - smooth and lovely, better as it warms. Juicy, sharp sweet malt taste, musty, yeasty, hint of sour bret - damn this a good beer. Decent body, acidic, long alcoholic fruity finish. Fan-damn-tastic.

SN Reserva 2000 got my first and at that time only 5.0 - will this live up to it? Pours hazy golden orange with some yeast and a thin white head. Extreme aroma dominated by a powerful fruityness with a warming alcohol sensation, a nice woodyness and that same hint of jughurt (in a good way) that I remember from the 2000 version - complex in all matters!! Flavor is not as rounded and rather sharp on the tongue with a good deal of alcohol. Dry and woody on a fruity background. Vinous and warming. Still a bid young but I’m 110% sure it will involve with the years like all of De Dolles beers. Will it become as good as 2000? Only time will tell. And I will definately be there to find out ;-)

11.6 oz bottle - Rating #999. Pours a hazy yellow/orange with a half inch of fizzy white head and a few dark floating yeast flakes. It has a strong aroma of citrus, maybe a touch of banana, yeast, alcohol, and a hint of spice. The flavor features fairly sweet malt presence with some oak, light citrus, and yeast along with a alcohol presence that is apparent but not as strong as one might expect from 13% abv. Actually when I opened this one I had no idea it was so high. I guess that explains why I felt it more than I expected I would. This beer is quite tasty and definitely intense. Going into it just knowing it was a Belgian ale and not much else, the intensity was a bit of a shock. It’s very good now, but might be better with another year or two of aging.

Bottle @ Kulminator, Antwerp.
[2005 vintage] (naturally)
My 100th Belgian Strong Ale
My 1700th rating
Poured a clear orange-golden with only a thin head in its density, but quite large in size. It is promarily big bubbles that leave loads of lacing. Aroma is very powerful. It consists of sweet caramel, oak, a lightly vinious streak, spices like coriander, vanilla and a touch of ash. For a beer this light looking, the palate is simple stunning and surprising - very full and very creamy. Flavour begins powerfully vinious, but it’s balanced with a lot of spices. Even through this relative harshness, it maintains a mellow sweetness. Absolutely fantastic!

sample @ Kulminator Antwerpen. Last rated beer after a very long day of travelling and beer tasting. Probably needs a re-rate sooner or later, because me and my tastebuds were extremely tired. Aroma of oak and alcohol. Sweet flavor with a rich maltiness, alcohol, oak and a hint of rapsberry. More balanced and more complexity as the "normal" 2005 Stille Nacht. (4.1 = 8 3 9 4 17) Re-rate, bottle from Hopscotch, tasted @ home. Orange color, cloudy, slight gusher. Oak, rosebuds, hint of cherry in the aroma. Oaky, alcoholic flavor. Hint of cherry juice, vanilla, raspberry, malt. Upcoming sourness. Banana. Good complexity in this overwhelming beer.