De Dolle Arabier - Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers

woemad

Washington

1.75/5  rDev -57.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Nasty, nasty nasty taste to this one. The bartender ( who I know is knowledgable about beer) said it sucked when I ordered it. I decided to go for it anyway, since I figured one would be an experience, if nothing else. It started out as a cloudy, blondish colored brew with an enormous head. Had an odd smell, a little bit like honey, but with a strange, unpleasant odor vying for attention. The taste actually reminded me initially of Chimay white, but then this nasty aftertaste barges in that totally overloads the tastebuds. The bartender afterwards gave me a Chimay goblet to atone.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2003 07:55:57 | More by woemad

Georgiabeer

Georgia

2.17/5  rDev -46.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

Somehow I've never had this beer before, even though I've seen it for years and enjoyed other De Dolle beers. I must say that this one is just bizarre. I read an earlier review that described this as overly phenolic.I have to agree wholeheartedly. Pours a very cloudy golden, like a hefeweizen in color, but with a huge creamy head that pillows into hills and valleys in the glass. The smell is funky, slightly sour, and quite clovey. This is just a touch of medicinal funk as well. The taste is shocking. Starts slightly sour and a bit sweet, and quickly transitions into band-aids, burnt plastic, wood, and a smokiness on the finish. In a way it is weirdly fascinating, but ultimately it is hard to stomach. Mouthfeel is very nice. Quite carbonated and soft and creamy with the jolt of all that carbonation keeping it lively. It does improve somewhat as it warms, but the medicinal flavors are stronger than any other I've ever tasted. Ultimately I'm barely able to keep taling sips of this to review- and I can't say I'm enjoying it. I think this is one that gets worse with age.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2008 23:47:20 | More by Georgiabeer

clvand0

Kentucky

2.4/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Beware the foam with this beer! This beer pours a cloudy yellow/orange color with an enormous, growing head - unreal how much foam this has - even with a good pour. The head stays thick throughout and causes the top portion of the beer to have an odd dark hue, even though the head is white. The aroma for this one had a lot of spices and hops in it with some small hints of yeast. The flavor was very tart and spicy with the alcohol being far too prominent for only having 7%. I didn't care much for this one - possibly influenced by the fact that it foamed over onto my table more than once.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2003 15:55:08 | More by clvand0

alcstradamus

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -38.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a cloudy golden color with a moutainous marshmallow head.

The aroma is yeast and light spice with a bit of skunkiness. Notes of apple peel and citrus.

The flavor is spicy and a bit astringent. Some empty citrus flavor and alcohol.

The body is light and carbonation is high.

Overall this beer is very mediocre. Do I have a bad bottle? I just don't see the appeal at all here.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 03:20:30 | More by alcstradamus

cjgator3

Florida

2.53/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

11.2oz bottle poured into a tulip glass. Carbonation formed in the bottle immediately after popping the cap, resulting in a slight overflow. Pours a murky dark orangish color with some yeast floating around. This is definitely a slow pour, with a massive head forming from the high amount of carbonation. The aroma is fruits (mainly apples and pears) with a touch of spices and yeast. The taste has a peppery spiciness to it with a dose of earthy hops in the finish. The mouthfeel is very light bodied and very heavily carbonated. Overall, De Dolle Ara Bier is an interesting Belgian Strong Pale Ale, but there is a really strong medicinal aftertaste that turns me off to it. It is worth a shot for its uniqueness, but I don't think I would purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2008 05:11:35 | More by cjgator3

henrysunset

Washington

2.68/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

pale and very cloudy with an enormous head of fine tan bubbles. seems a bit overcarbonated?

smell is pungent, tart citrus and/or apple scent.

taste is not something I'm enjoying. Balance seems challeged by and abundance fo sweetness and some tart slightly bitter flavors.

sure, it's smooth, but not drinkable at all. I hope this is a bad bottle, but the other reviewers found many of the same flavors I found.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2007 04:30:51 | More by henrysunset

n2185

North Carolina

2.7/5  rDev -34%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours an unattractive dijon mustard yellow/brown with 4 fingers of white head that recedes into a thin cap with a little lacing.

S: Lots of cloves and white grapes on the nose with a touch of yeast aroma. Smells like a white wine or grape juice.

T: Cloves and white grapes on the tongue as well followed by a chalky yeast flavor and an odd lingering bitterness.

M: Medium-light body with high carbonation, this beer is fairly well attenuated but has a bit too much yeast and sweetness to nail that light crispness I prefer.

O: Not a very good beer. Too much grape flavor/aroma with a chalky, bitter yeast instead of having a nice balance of malts, spices, and bready yeast.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 01:58:30 | More by n2185

fmccormi

New York

2.7/5  rDev -34%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Straight pour from 33cL / 11.2oz pry-off bottle to a 25cl Duvel Single tulip. No dating or freshness information visible, but I’m not too put off about it, considering the style.

Appearance (3.5): Holy hell, this is an active pour. Quickly rises to four fingers of fat, crackling bubbles and some finer foam in the middle of the head, bone-white in color. Not much lace as it recedes, just a few small spots here and there, really. The body is an oddly dark, dullish amber color, with red tones against the light. Not the greatest looking body, but the head is pretty nice looking.

Smell (3.0): Easily the most prominent note here is a mineral-forward, vinous scent, like a pungent pinot grigio. It opens slowly as it warms, showing white grapes, some wet grass and a mild funk, combining to make a distinctly cidery character. Not picking up any of the warm fruity, spicy tones you might expect from a BSPA, but the nose is interesting at least.

Taste (2.5): The taste follows the nose, in that it has some oddly vinous notes: kind of a dirty, earthy body with acidic cider characteristics mixed in. Very prominent mineral flavors with a medicinal finish, very . . . phenolic. I think I get the “band-aids” thing now. Not getting any spiciness, and the fruit character is limited to some tart, green grapes. Mild to moderate acidity, lending a somewhat bitter finish. Very modest alcohol heat toward the end. Odd, somewhat unbalanced, and not featuring any of the classic BSPA characteristics on the palate. Still, mellows and smooths out a bit as it warms.

Mouthfeel (3.0): Slightly tingly in places, foams airily on the way down, and finishes dry with an acidity that lightens the feel quite a bit. Medium-weight, but finishes light. It’s alright, not bad but definitely not great in any way.

Overall (2.5): Something tells me I got a very old bottle of this beer. It tastes oxidized with some odd, phenolic notes in the nose and on the palate. Looking over some other reviews, what I’m tasting, seeing, and smelling doesn’t resemble what others seem to have had very much at all. My guess is that this is an off and / or old bottle. I’d really like to revisit this sometime with a bottle that I know is fresh.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 00:31:48 | More by fmccormi

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

2.78/5  rDev -32%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A - Color of apple juice, small white head, tiny, tiny specks of lacing.

S - Smells a lot like apple juice too. A touch of pear and bubblegum. Not bad at all.

T - A weird spicy bubblegum, black pepper and coriander. Aftertaste is a fairly spicy pepper that quells to a peppery bitter finish.

M - Smooth even though though high carbonation. Slightly refreshing.

D - Not great. The flavor isn't pleasant, it just has too much much pepper to be enjoyable. It smells nice though.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2007 17:12:17 | More by mrasskicktastic

hotstuff

Indiana

2.85/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

This brew poured a small white head with small bubbles that quickly diminished. This brew left a fair lacing on all sides of my glass. The body was cloudy and straw yellow in hue. It had a mild hoppy aroma along with a citrus aroma. It had an initial sour flavor that was still there at the end. The body was light on the palate. I was not very impressed with this Belgian and Belgian Strong Ales are one of my favorite styles of brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2003 14:26:27 | More by hotstuff

LilBeerDoctor

New York

2.9/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 8/28/08. Bottle. I don't know how old this bottle is, but it had been sitting at my local bottle shop for at least 2 years, so that's how old I'm going to estimate that it is. Pours a cloudy brown with no head, just some bubbles. Aroma is quite pungent, lots of raisin and alcohol. Flavor is not as pungent as the aroma, sort of a mellowed combination of the above. Kind of one dimensional and bland and too strong. Not a fan.
5/3/6/3/13 (3.0/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 21:52:43 | More by LilBeerDoctor

SeanChouffe

New Mexico

3.05/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a golden/orange color with a full off-white rocky head. Well carbonated, with great head retention and nice lace. Aroma is fruity (a hint of cherries), spicy, earthy, tart and somewhat astringent. The taste has a hint of a sweet start, but goes right into tartness and a biting hop finish. Mouthfeel quite bland, with some carbonation and a bite.
A nice looking beer, with an interesting aroma -- but a one-dimensional and not very appealing taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2004 05:00:32 | More by SeanChouffe

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle picked up at State Line a ways back. 2010 vintage. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pours a clear golden color that is a bit dark for the style, though not too much. Massive white head with some good lacing on the way down. The nose carries quite a bit of bread along with a very mild yeast presence. Flavor continues like this. It's simple -- which isn't necessarily a problem with the style -- but it gets the proportions wrong. The taste is too bready without any of the light stone fruit I'd like, or really much yeast character at all. The breadiness makes it too thick and chewy, and there's not as much carbonation as I'd like. With that said, it's still a well-made beer that I wouldn't complain about drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 11:01:27 | More by Thorpe429

Admiraldinty

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was really disappointed by this brew. Poured a hazy gold with a huge, rocky head. Aroma was sweet with apple, lemon, and malt. I was disappointed most of all by the taste, as the tartness was just overpowering, and didn't match the aroma. Spicy hops and alcohol. Grainy and phenolic. I detected some charcoal and metallic notes as well that were rather unpleasant. Mouthfeel was prickly, which matches this style fairly well, and grows smoother with every mouthful. This is certainly my least favorite offering from De Dolle.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2004 04:07:02 | More by Admiraldinty

impending

California

3.08/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

33cl into a tulip. Pours a hazy butterscotch orange. Magnificent pure white towering head remains till nearly tomorrow. One of only a few 33cls that wouldn't fit my Duvel tulip in a single careful pour. Clumpy froth clings as only a belgian can.

Aroma is yeast by the ton atop a cornucopia of mid summer light skinned fruits. Superb!

Taste is not up to the level of the nose or eye. Taste surprisingly lacks complexity, rather one dimensional. Simply yeast and pine bitterness atop under ripe fruits with a peppery finish. Light, prickly mouthfeel.

Rarely has the scent of a brew exceeded the flavor to this extent, unfortunate. Bottled six months ago, perhaps it needs to be fresher.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 00:37:59 | More by impending

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer was pleasant and certainly unique, but had a rather strong grainy-cereal note to it that I didn't especially care for. On the other hand, it did have a peach-apricot fruitiness that I liked quite a bit. Sort of a mixed bag for me.

This beer was a cloudy tan color with a medium amount of off-white head. There was some sediment at the end of the bottle, but its appearance and quantity were nothing to get worked up about. Aroma was a malty, yeasty (thought I got some Brett-funk), and a bit fruity. Flavor was predominantly malt with kind of a lot of cerealness and a finish that was either peach or apricot. Mouthfeel was pretty viscous for what was a fairly light-drinking beer.

Not bad, and quite a bit different than other Belgian beers I've had in recent memory, but not really lip-smacking delicious either. Still, I'd recommend based on the uniqueness alone.

I had a bottle of this at the Palm Tavern in Milwaukee.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2008 20:43:00 | More by BeerBelcher

sacfly

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear light golden color. Huge head of white bubbles. Aroma is spicy and dusty. A hint of apple. Taste is light with hints of grain. Faint grass and perhaps some bubblegum way in the back. The grass becomes more sharp as I drink. Very dry. Drinkable, but not my choice for Belgian Strong Pale Ales. Just too sharp on the grass.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2006 18:18:27 | More by sacfly

jrallen34

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I drank this beer from the bottle into a chalice.

The beer poured beautifully with a huge white, creamy, chunky head that clung to the glass. The beer itself was a cloudy golden orange.It had average to good lacing.

The smell was great, very strong sense of orange, hops, and bitterness.

After this great start with the smell and look I was greatly disappointed. This is not a very good beer. It is very very bitter with a no taste of orange that I smelled and just left me disappointed. Not at all what I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 20:17:26 | More by jrallen34

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a tulip. Appears a pale gold with a big white head. The aroma is of apples and subtle herbal spice. The flavor is of sweet malts with with a touch of apples and white grapes. Finishes with mellow, grassy hops and a bitterness that balances out the initial sweetness. I find the carbonation a little much - strong enough that it gets hard to taste the beer. And once the carbonation did die down, big band-aid and medicinal phenols took over the aroma. I really dug the hoppy aftertaste, but the phenols and carbonation turn me off.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2008 18:14:35 | More by tempest

weatherdog

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle poured in Duvel tulip

The cap pops off with a huge burst of CO2. It explodes into the glass with a huge pillowy head. I had to leave about 1/3 of the beer left in the bottle or the head would have overflowed. If you are familiar with the size of a Duvel tulip this is no small feat. The etching on the bottom is letting out a stream of bubbles akin to a tornado. Man this beer is carbonated. The color is a ever so hazy bright orange. When the head finally dies down to a manageable size sticky big bubbles are left sticking to the sides of the glass.

The nose has fruit notes of orange and apricot. After that some typical oily spicy Belgian yeast comes through with just a little bit of alcohol. It's not an overly complex or as strong as some other BSPA I've had.

The flavor is huge orange citrus flavor but not like a orange hop flavor. Pretty typical yeast bite at the end. Alcohol flavors also make themselves present at the backend. I'm just not wowed by the flavor very much and find it pretty average. It's not very exciting and the flavors are pretty heavy handed which I'm not really looking for in a supposed light bodied BSPA.

The mouthfeel right out of the bottle is terrible because of the carbonation. Bubbles just form in your mouth and its distracting as hell. After 20 minutes in the duvel glas it's died down and become quite creamy in the middle but still finishes dry. That's pretty unique and I'm enjoying it. The drinkability is just above average, mostly due to the alcohol taste and the carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 01:31:42 | More by weatherdog

kojevergas

California

3.3/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served on draught into 20cl stemware at the Mikkeller bar in Copenhagen. Cost was 35 DKK. Reviewed from notes.

A: Fair cream and thickness, but bad retention. Colour is a dark orange-gold.

Sm: Cream, butterscotch, caramelized malt, and barley. A mild strength aroma.

T: Caramelized malt, barley, and hops. Maybe some butterscotch. Complex enough, pretty balanced, and decently built.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Complements the flavours of the body.

Dr: Fairly high ABV with very easy drinkability. The price is rather high, but then I got it in Denmark.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 01:34:41 | More by kojevergas

claspada

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours golden almost amber, with an exploding white soapy head; definitely started coming out of the bottle when opened luckily I read about how that would happen, so I was prepared. Lots of carbonation and bubbles in this beer but it still has a pretty syrupy look if you look at it up close.

Nose is of spice, floral, citrus, also a hint of apricot and pepper, but overall kinda metallic and disconcerting.

Taste is fairly different than the smell. The aroma was not that enjoyable, but the initial taste was quite good. Finished kinda metallic and dry, started better than it finished. Decent mouthfeel; a typical saison effervescence with a hop spiciness that was quite profound with notes of citrus. There was a peppery bite throughout that was a bit much for my liking.

Overall a decent/complex beer, but not really in a good way. The flavor doesn't quite finish the deal compared to appearance. Be patient with the pour. I am just not a big fan of De Dolle I guess.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 20:20:26 | More by claspada

rousee

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Brown 33cl bottle with an artsy looking label. Pours a peach orange-honey -very murky with a big 1inch + cap and holds very well down to 1 finger after a few minutes. Very fluffy and fresh-looking lace which leaves thick puffs on glass. The head holds so well it is similar to egg-whites with very soft peaks.

Smell is a sour honey herb-grass and a little malty too.

Taste is very complex:bubbly honey-floral grass on the front. Finish is slightly spicy and peppery. Has a strong alcohol taste too.

Mouthfeel is warm well-carbonated and smokey.
Drinkability is below average for this style. I would not buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2004 16:11:19 | More by rousee

stcules

Italy

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The colour is full golden, with some turbidity. Creamy, and abundant foam. A lot.
The smell is citrus fruits, yeast, hop. Freshness.
The overall impression is freshness in the taste too. And hop. Some spices (anise). Then a light warmness, probably dued to the alcohol. Fruity again, citrus fruits. Maybe some balsamic hint.
Medium-medium-light body.
Aftertaste very bitter, fresh and herbal. A lot of long standing bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2004 22:04:27 | More by stcules

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark golden orange with some haze and lots of peppery floaties. Creamy 1 finger off white head.

S: Dry malt on nose along with faint licorice, caramel and spruce.

T: Some alcohol and citrus with dry floral bittering in the finish compliments the malty palate. Some spiciness from coriander also highlights this beer.

M: A slight fizzy tinger from the heavy carbonation provides moderate mouthful with some dry malty oranges.

D: A decent brew but was expecting more from this brewery.drinkable but only moderately enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2008 23:59:40 | More by beerthulhu