De Dolle Stille Nacht

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

3/13/08: Bottle.
Orange body with a thick white head. Chunklets in glass. Aroma of yeast, alcohol and esters. Flavors include sweet caramel malts, honey, cinnamon, yeast, fruit and a touch of whiskey barrel. Finish is smooth and a bit sour.

Bottle from South Bay Drugs and Liquor. Created a huge development of foam that was not easily containable once poured, it practically overflowed out of the bottle and from the edge of my glass cup. The visual of the liquid is a dirty opaque yellow that is beyond hazed with sediment and other debris. In the nose a decent proportion of spicy yeast is detected but is somewhat mild and the alcohol is almost non existent. The flavor is a tart yet tasty serving of spices and the alcohol goes undetected. Impressing Belgian ale that I haven’t ever seen available before.

Cloudy Orange hue, full of yeast sediment and alcohol. Sweet, fruity flavor that is very abrupt on the tongue. Good warmth from alcohol makes this a nice sipper...

Bottled at Beer Circu, brussels. Hazy golden with a lot of yeast-particles. White head. Sweet and malty aroma; some toffee, slightly sourish. Yeasty flavour with perfume-ish notes and a warming alco-feel.

Bottled. Hazy dark blond color on the pour, with a lot of yeast sediment floating around. Great lacing with a big frothy head. Fruity phenol notes of pear, clove and banana in the aroma with biscuit yeast tones underneath. Orange and lemon citrus packed into the flavor with light malt, honey and candy sugar follow behind. A bit of a bread-like finish with a strong alcohol content. Pretty damn tasty, but I really couldn’t distinguish major differences alongside the 2005 Reserva edition.

As originally reviewed on 3/16/07: "Specbrew2005" vintage A big breakaway from previous Still Nachts, the "Specbrew2005" moniker found on the cap designates the first vintage using a more alcohol tolerant, attenuant, and slightly lactic yeast. The alcohol level has been boosted significantly, and the beer has become much drier and more complex. Gone is the cloying sweetness from the past, and drinkability is through the roof, limited only by availability and your wallet. Pours dark gold, hazy, with fine particulates in suspension. Significant sediment left behind in the bottle as well. Off-white, tight head rises modestly upon a carefull, angled pour. Head retention is minimal with all but edging and a center whisp remaining after 2 minutes. Color is noticably lighter than the standard Stille Nacht, hinting at a more attenuated density. Nose is Flandersesque, with residaul sweetness, but not overwhelming in either aspect. Honey and some mild mulled apple notes work well with a highly phenolic profile. Aromatics finish warming with light spice notes, coriander, orange blossoms, and dried cherries. On the thick side of medium bodied, slightly syrupy and quite sticky. Carbonation is lightish, but enough to add some crispness. Pallet is hugely Belgian, loads of fruit candy-like essense and honey. Alcohol is significant but not hot. Bitterness is right on, smooth and balancing. A myriad of fruit mingles with juicy malt and rum-soaked bubblegum. Pallet finishes long and warming on the back of the toungue, with none of the cloying residuals of the previous Stille Nachts. A stronger, drier, more complex and drinkable version. Extensive aging should be a real treat. 4/24/08 cellar check of "Specbrew2005" The carbonation seems a bit subdued, with a one-inch head at best with a long pour. Candied green apples making a stronger presence as this one ages. The mouthfeel could use some carbonation to keep things lively. Slightly dryer yet on the pallet, but still a fair amount of juicy malt and esters. Alcohol is under the radar, and the beer drinks fast.

<i>Bottle at the Beer Circus, Brussel, Belgium</i>. Cloudy light amber with yeast particles, large creamy off-white head. Fruity and perfumy aroma with marzipan and a clear touch of alcohol. Medium bodied and smooth, a bit too sweet.

In short: Sweet/syrupy ripe fruit concentrate. Just ok.
How: Many bottles, various aging. This rating for a two year old bottle.
The look: Very cloudy dark-orange body with lots of particles. Small white head.
In long: The main flavour is very syrupy sweet ripe fruit taste. Something that reminds me of a cross between a can concentrated juice (before adding the three cans of water) and the liquid in canned fruits (Del Monte kind of stuff). Cranberries, bananas, grapes, peaches, etc. Just too syrupy. A little milk chocolate and some candy sugar. Lots of small bubbles. Alcohol is somewhat apparent. Cruelly lacking in hops. Gets sickening after only a single little bottle. I really wanted to like this beer as this is one of De Dolle highest rated beer, the dudes that make some of my favourite beers (arabier, oerbier, etc.). But every bottles I had, fresh or aged, were just ok. This was my last bottle and I’m giving up on it after giving it more chances than a small town submissive wife to her drunk unfaithful husband.