De Dolle Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005

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

Bottle.

Pours a light yellow-orange with a nice while head. Lovely musty, vinous aroma, like the wood-paneled tasting room of a small Sonoma winery. Rich and elaborate flavor that recalls a nice desert wine, plenty of honey, citrus, sweet white grape, and heat from the alcohol. Indeed, still quite hot with that 13% come through abundantly. More oak and spice in the second pour which contains the yeast at the bottom; very nice. There is a lovely hyper-mustiness about this one that takes it to the next level and makes it stand out, but I can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed at the incongruity between what are relatively delicate flavors and the strong heat coming from the alcohol.

pours a very nice hazy honey color with a foamy white head. nice retention and lacing. very aromatic, tart and sour with notes of leather, pepper, and candied fruit. flavor is also outstanding, much of what the aroma suggests is evident and also has some citrus and honey. mouthfeel is creamy and silky with a pleasant co2 bite and a long, slightly tart, dry hoppy finish. outstanding...de dolle should make this the regular recipe for stille nacht!

Thanks to richlikebeer for sharing this one! Just exceptional. Pours a hazy amber color with a tall white head. Aroma of yeast, alcohol, honey and maybe some wood, Complex flavor that includes yeast, citrus, honey, alcohol, and wood. Still hot for its age. A wonderful experience.

11.2 oz. bottle courtesy of hopdog. Pours a hazy dark golden with a good sized billowy white head. The nose has a sweet malty base sprinkled with yeast, citrus, alcohol, wood, and honey. After the nose, I couldnt wait for the first drink. The flavor didnt disappoint. My initial impression was sweet caramel and toffee like malts with a candied fruitiness. Mid palate the citrus and yeast come through with an alcohol driven warm up. The finish has honey, wood, and more of the alcohol. There is also a tart quality at the end. This is a very complex beer and I enjoyed having the opportunity to try it once. Rating 700.

Rating 1200. Bottle sent in a trade about a year ago from Footbalm. Thanks Eric. Pour is golden with a nice, frothy white head. De Dolles are never short on carbonation, that is for sure. Very complex nose...citrus, toffee, dd yeast, brandy, wood. Flavor has more of a toffee presence, with a lot more wood, brandy, more citrus and a bit of honey. Never been a huge fan of these Stille Nachts, but I cannot deny the complexity of this beer. It is very well done and pretty darn tasty. Hides the alcohol pretty well too though I was only drinking a 3 to 4 oz sample.

Huge thanks to Sam for breaking this gem out. The nose was so inviting, complex enough to give hints of the barrel and the varied sweet components, but also direct enough in its fruity quality and the mildly boozy note in there. Light orange pour, pale yeasty body and pretty good carbonation. Honied, almost meadlike qualities peek through as you get into it, and the barrel becomes more assertive. Some brandy and triple sec qualities emerging, with more honey and a hint of toffee in the finish. A delight.

Thanks to turdferguson for saving/sharing this one. Pours a hazy soft gold with a one finger frothy offwhite head. The nose is very nice, very complex. Nice aged character, earthy, sweet candies, yeasty, honey, woody, mild alcohol. Start to smell some oak and tart characters with warmth. The flavor is earthy, mild orange peel, some alcoholic warmth, hoeny, mildly yeasty, nice De Dolle tartness, oaky, orange peel. Warm and fully carbonated mouthfeel. Some oak and alcohol on the finish. Fantastic.

Bottle thanks to hopdog. Pours a bright orange color with a large white head. The aroma is very strong; loads of woody and sweet notes. Some sour wood, sweet and rich malts, and lots of yeast. The flavor is very nice; initially a very sweet mix of malts, candies, and some fruit. Later the more sour barrel-aged nature stands out. Lots of yeast throughout. Some spices and apples too. Very mellow for the ABV. Vinous and fairly dry. Very nice. A full carbonated and fizzy mouthfeel.