De Dolle Stille Nacht

Brewed by De Dolle Brouwers
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Diksmuide, Belgium

Bottleworks. Smelled skunky and poured incredibly foamy, with lots of unsettled sediment. Tasted bitter and sour.

2008 bottle. Massive blond head. Haz pale orange color. Very nice aroma, slightly sour, phenolic, fruity and spicy. Peppery Saaz hop aroma, some cloves, apples plum and apricot.A hint of vanilla and some graiiny malt. Big body with sugary and malty sweetness. Alcoholic bitterness is quite apparent. Long, sweet-sour and alcoholic bitter aftertaste.

Bottle. Old rating. This is one of the beers that i have sitting at Carlsens Kvater in Odense, every now and again. Just love it.

11.6 oz. bottle from 2008. I’ve seen this around forever and I could have sworn I had rated this before. LOVE the label. A rusty pour with tons of little floaties and a massively fluffy and long-lasting light-tan head with miniscule dark flecks in it. Dark cherries, plums, candied sugar, bananas, and citrus in the wheaty, tangy aroma. Full-bodied and sticky. Very sweet and candied upfront with some plums, pears, bananas, and dark cherries. Drying finish with some bitter citrusy qualities. Tingly spiciness throughout. Big alcohol burn.

33cl bottle at home, iRate: I can’t believe I haven’t rates this yet. 2008 bottle. Pours a nice dark and hazy orange copper with a massive off white head that continues to grow up and out of the glass. Aroma of apples and pears with a dash of pepper and a sprig of green wood, garnished with a citrus leaf. Overall sweet, but with lightly tart earth green vein. Lots of pear skin. Big and bold in your mouth. Again pear and apple, but mainly the skins, ontop of a good varied malt sea. Some simple table sugar pops in right before the alcohol rolls in. Some high hot alcohol with some good warming. A bit of Poire William. Medium full body with a long boozy apple and caramel finish with just a hint of green wood. I have always thoroughly enjoyed this beer bit I have to say that it is best with a little age.

Orange colored brew. Spicy, citric aroma. Sal ammoniak, spices, fruits in the flavor. Nice spicy flavor. Yeasty, sweet, sugar.

2005 vintage. A little bit of oxidation has set in. Other than the cardboard aroma there is a nice sweet malt backbone. Flavor is slight alcohol, candi sugar, malt sweetness, that leads to a smooth finish. Mouthfeel is medium heavy with a some carbonation. Overall a solid brew. I’ve got more recent bottles as well and I am guessing it will be similar (minus the cardboard) and perhaps a little more alcohol. I will update this rating if needed.

Definitely my favorite beer of 2008. Hoppy/sour/belgian barleywine? Beautiful copper color, and a dense pillow of head. Supreme retention. Pineapple and sappy esters. Aromas of white pepper and stone fruits. Flavor is deep, and would be cloying if not for the infamous De Dolle carbonation. Residual sweetness is evedent, yet lends a tartness leaving you quenched and thirsty for more. Exquisite brew.