De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva 2008 (Bottled 2009) - Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers

brentk56

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a cloudy mahogany with a finger of a head that fritters away without leaving much trace

Smell: Caramel, oak, dark fruit and tart apple

Taste: Caramel and fig on the opening, with a growing tart character that adds green apple and cherry flavors in the middle; before the swallow, another layer of caramel appears; after the swallow, the oak wraps around all of the sweet and sour flavors and drives it all home in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied with low carbonation

Drinkability: Superbly complicated; a fascinating example of the Oud Bruin style

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 04:31:30 | More by brentk56

Atomicskis5

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

04-11-2013 01:05:39 | More by Atomicskis5

bsuedekum

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

03-28-2013 02:56:28 | More by bsuedekum

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

330 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Clear deep ruby body, at least until the sediment starts to flow. Huge chunks just about to land in my glass before I pulled back the neck. Phew. Nice sized off-white head. Big discrete bubbles hang around a while but slowly recede to a thick collar.

Smell - Tons of red wine. Like I'm smelling Consecration. Fruity cherry-like acidity, fairly acetic in nature. Malt, too. No booze.

Taste - Really intense wine flavor again. Still reminds me of Consecration a lot. Less cherry and more like currants. Very sour and oaky. Malt flavor comes through big in the back, but never sweet. Dry.

Mouthfeel - Man, it doesn't seem boozy at first, but the sourness combined with a sharp alcoholic bite in the back end make for a scary finish.

Overall - Tastes great but it's more of a sipper than many beers of its strength. It's not actually all that alcoholic, but it just builds to an intense finish. Definitely gonna be working on this one for a while.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 23:27:13 | More by Alieniloquium

thegerm87

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

02-27-2013 13:30:20 | More by thegerm87

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.63/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

33cl bottle into a 25cl Duvel tulip. Big thanks to Matt for sharing.

A: Clear ruby-amber body with a thin off-white head that disappears fairly quickly but does leave some nice delicate lace. Pretty solid for being several years old.

S: Intense acetic tartness right away, smoothed out by some terrific cherry and red-wine fruitiness. Vanilla and tannic oak well balanced in the background. Fantastic.

T: Follows the nose precisely - sour, fruity, oaky, and cleanly tannic. I cannot believe that this is 13%, since it goes down with impeccable smoothness and not even a hint of booziness. Just a delicious Oud Bruin.

M: Medium body with light carbonation.

O: Wow, this blew me away. I'd only had the '11 vintage of this beer, and it really didn't do too much for me - overly bitter and boozy, just unbalanced - but this was a masterpiece. Thanks again Matt!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 14:17:34 | More by woosterbill

tendermorsel

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I have had this specific vintage multiple times but never got around to doing a review. Thanks to Wolfsblood for hooking up a case back in 2009:)

Brown redish color. Pretty much flat. Very minimal head and slight carbination which was pretty much non existant after sitting in my glass for 10-15 minutes letting this bad boy warm up.

Wonderful smells. Sour plums. Vinegar. Dark fruits.

Amazing flavor. Strikingly tart. Booze is almost non existant especially concidering the high ABV. A slow sipper for sure. Sliky smooth mouthfeel. Increased in complexity as it warmed.

I had to take some points off for the dark murky sediment on the bottom of my glass but other than that this beer is great. World class stuff.

For the sour/Belgian lover it doesn't get much better than this.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 14:25:54 | More by tendermorsel

beerpirates

Belgium

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

75 cl bottle @ chez moeder lambic fontainas Brussels

Pours a hazy copper-brown color with a one-finger slightly off-white head. The head dissipates into a thin pancake on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells good. Slightly tart fruits - figs, berries and hints of pear - are backed by mild hints of oak. As it warms some funk manages its way out.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Sweet malts are joined by tart fruits in very nice balance. Near the end of the sip a hint of the wood comes out right before an ending that leaves a perfect amount of tartness lingering. I would never guess this was 13.0% ABV

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a good thickness with soft carbonation and goes down well

Overall the most impressive thing about this beer was how well it hid the alcohol. A very tasty Oud Bruin that's definitely worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 18:01:04 | More by beerpirates

HamGlade10

Oklahoma

5/5  rDev +15.5%

09-26-2012 19:47:07 | More by HamGlade10

bonbini26

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -7.6%

01-13-2012 18:34:09 | More by bonbini26

ygtbsm94

Virginia

4/5  rDev -7.6%

12-30-2011 08:07:04 | More by ygtbsm94

rpaul2012

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

12-22-2011 00:15:21 | More by rpaul2012

OddNotion

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -19.2%

12-20-2011 20:05:35 | More by OddNotion

AshleyMiller

Vermont

5/5  rDev +15.5%

12-04-2011 13:59:53 | More by AshleyMiller

Itoclown

Michigan

4/5  rDev -7.6%

12-03-2011 22:27:07 | More by Itoclown

Sarah515

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +15.5%

12-03-2011 14:16:14 | More by Sarah515

uturn

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%

12-01-2011 22:50:54 | More by uturn

brandoman63

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

11-30-2011 17:01:10 | More by brandoman63

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this back in January of 2010. The beer poured out as a dark red color with a creamy white head on top into a snifter glass. The smell of the beer is sour and tart, it makes your mouth start to salivate almost right away. The taste of the beer is tart, plenty of sour cherry notes in there that really makes your lips pucker. The mouthfeel of the beer doesn't have a whole lot of lacing to it. Overall this beer is a sipper, it's not something I'd want to drink very fast at all. It's good for the style though for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 19:15:34 | More by Knapp85

codynevels

California

4/5  rDev -7.6%

11-18-2011 03:12:54 | More by codynevels

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +15.5%

11-17-2011 22:43:49 | More by Neffbeer

azorie

Florida

5/5  rDev +15.5%

11-16-2011 22:01:20 | More by azorie

Jason

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -7.6%

11-16-2011 18:47:12 | More by Jason

victory4me

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +15.5%

11-16-2011 02:30:27 | More by victory4me

djrn2

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

11-14-2011 20:42:50 | More by djrn2