De Dolle Stille Nacht

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

Bottle. Aroma of raw meat, dark dried fruits, apples, yeast, caramel, spice, and dust. Large off-white head that diminished and left little lace. Murky orange brown hue with lots of small particles. Flavor is spicy, sweet, a little cloying, and a little bitter. Palate is lively and medium-full bodied. Typical crappy Belgian.

bottle into wine glass for lack of tulip/snifter/trappist glass. Very active carbonation... the first pour was 75 percent head. It has a clear nut brown copper color with a big barely off-white head (some descent lace) and lots of little carbonation bubbles rushing to the top. Aroma of Belgian candi sugar, wheat, yeast, coriander, delicate alcohol, and pale malt. Lots going on in the flavor, and not in an overly flavorful/sweet syrupy or confused way - candi sugar, yeast, hops, plums, cherries, pale malt and more. There is a definite alcohol presence, but it is complex and delicious and warm, not biting and nauseating. I am not a huge fan of many belgians because I am not into super carbonated brews, but with a swirl or two this gy offers enough to tickle the tongue yet go down silky smooth with a medium to heavy body. Overall: one of the most enjoyable Belgians I have had to date, and I am sure it only gets better with age. A great brew (and a cool label too!).

Bottle 2006 edition. Thanks for sharing fonefan. Poured hazy amber with a medium head. Malty aroma with lots of spices and fruit. Heavily fruity flavour with spices like cinnamon. Bit sour with a good alcohol marker. Smooth palate that explodes in my mouth.

Poured into a St. Bernardus goblet. Dark goldenrod/grey poupon color with a sticky white head. Great lacing with ample legs. Completely hazy. Aromas of freshly baked bread, overripe apricot, raisins, and cinnamon. Flavor is very sweet, with banana and peach esters that melt into a brown sugar finish. Lots of yeast and spice, even a little hop bitterness towards the back of the palate. Full bodied, but even so there’s just too much carbonation. A couple of modest sips result in an appreciable belch. Chewy, caky mouthfeel, no alcohol flavors. Drinkability takes a hit from all the CO2. Very good beer.

’05 bottle on special for $2.99 at the Ann Arbor Beer Depot. Christmas in August. Murky orange amber with a fizzy head that gives way to a thin lacing around the edges. Smells of a fruit smoothie, plums and strawberries, sugar. Instant sticky sweet until the bitter alcohol emerges. Pretty spicy for a 3 year old. Nice beer for the holidays. Might go back and buy the rest of those cheap bottles.

Pours a hazy yellow with a big white head. Aroma of fruit, spice, malt, candi sugar & sour apple. Flavor is sweet at first with some caramel and dried fruit. Finish is some what tart and very drinkable. Very complex beer, I love this one.

Hey-o, this is different, even for De Dolle. No gusher on this one, which is atypical. Bright chunky amber pour with big bubbly white head that settles into a beautiful thin creamy layer. Huge chunks distributed throughout but refusing to settle. Dense! Malt, burnt brown sugar, pineapple, peach pits, and some funky cheese on the nose. Bit of an alcohol burn, but for a 12% beer, not obscenely so. Probably not my favorite De Dolle (primarily b/c of the alcohol), but wonderful like all the rest.

2006 Bottle found at Beer Paradise in Holstebro. Dark amber with good head and sentiments on the bottom, Sweet malty aroma and taste with fruity notes. Very complex and hides the alcohol content very nicely. Spicy and fruity aftertaste. Very very nice