De Dolle Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005

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

Shared by Sliffy at Columbus tasting 5. Thanks a ton Dan. Barleywine aroma with caramel, and some alcohol. Murky golden brown body sport a full palate. Warm, sweet, and slightly sour taste--not as sour as the regular version--and not as good in my opinion.

Bottle share at Columbus Tasting V.Has a great sour aroma.Pours a cloudy copper with a slight white head.Yeast and spice in the flavor.Light to medium mouthfel with some noticable alcohol in the finish.

Bottle shared at the Columbus Tasting V, with a big thanks to SkillessVillian for hooking me up with this one: Hazy gold with a white head. Aroma, yeasty, a nice spice to it, oaky, some light fruits. Flavor, sweet to start, spicy, some floral hops. Very nice brew.

Bottle shared at Columbus Tasting V - Pours cloudy blonde with a white head. Aroma was yeast, grains, slight sourness, and some oak. Flavor is quite complex and consisted of vinous notes, yeast, oak, grains, grapes, and vanilla. Airy palate with a dry warming finish.

Bottle shared courtesy of egajdzis - huge thanks (do you want to take my second born for this one). Poured a medium amber color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of yeast (a lot more so than the ’00 we had side by side), grapes, light wood, vanilla and fruity. Tastes of yeast, lightly vinous, vanilla, apples and bananas. Medium alcohol burn in the finish. This was a great beer but did not hold a candle to its ’00 big brother. Somewhat Hot and may need some time sleeping in a cellar.

Cloudy gold, thin white head. Nose is whiskey, vanilla, wood, fruit. Flavor is bright fruit, vanilla, grapes, alcohol, raisins. Too much alcohol overall. Burney raisin finish with oakey vanilla.

11 oz bottle. Lots and lots of active carbonataion left a hughe white head on my little yellow beer. Fruity aromas and fruity flavors with a huge alcohol presence. Very very yummy

Speckled peach. Sticky froth is thin but creamy and persistent. Somewhat dull aroma consists of candy sugar, apricot, honeyed pears, peppery alcohol, mint and herbal hops. Understated oak generates a hint of earthy toast and cedar. Yeast lends insignificant dustiness. Heavy swirl releases some supple buttered-grape scents. Carbonation is fluffy but extremely loose. Fairly viscous in body. Initially sweet, and brash with alcohol, though the tacky candy-sugar residuals are quickly displaced by the feisty carbonation and dry surge of alcohol. The heat remains strongly present and squelches much of the brighter subtleties, as do the noticeably grainy malts. Vinous intensity beautifully coincides with the rising temperatures, while gritty pears also come forth and generate some redeeming luster. Oak remains virtually unapparent, throughout, with the exception of some muted earthiness. Dried apricot acidity briefly alleviates the sweetness, but the alcohol and candy sugar reemerge. Finishes sweet, peppery, and minimally vinous, as the esters and hops offer teasing lingering notes of apricot, stewed apples, and dusty floral whispers. A bit too sweet and alcoholic, overall, and not quite enough counteractive vinous acidity, yeast-derived nuances (could use more dustiness) or brightness to deaden it. It’s certainly fun watching the flavors evolve and come together as the temperatures change from chilled to cool (51F to 65F), but I must say it becomes more integrated at around 65F. Very nice, as is, but this falls just short of being exceptionally good.