De Dolle Arabier - Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers

cbl2

New York

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

10/2/2006 $2.59 11.2 oz. 7.00% No best by date.

Appearance:

Pours a murky orange brown that is riddled with a ridiculous amount of carbonation that leads to over 2 inches of billowy head that expands and shrinks with escaping gas that percolates from the brew below.

Aroma:

Estery bartlett pear and yeasty bread predominate the nose.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

Slightly overcarbonated with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel that carries with it a powerful pear presence. Some chewiness by midsip with a strong sensation of yeast, finish has a touch of bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2006 19:18:46 | More by cbl2

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appears a deeply hazed orange toned gold with a 4 finger white head that slowly fades out. Lots of sticky foam clings to the sides of the glass.
Smell is bitter with earthy, floral notes, along with honeysuckle, grapes, chamomile, apple skins, lavender, orange zest, and a touch of vanilla.
Taste is of the same with a mild sweetness that is dominated by a wood tannin hoppy bitterness, along with a slight vanilla flavor fighting through.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, semi-sweet up front with notes of bitter wood tannins leading to a moderately dry finish reminiscent of a Brut champagne.
Overall it's funky, semi-sweet, slightly odd...but this one is a pioneer for some of the funked out emulations that we now find brewed in the U.S.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2007 22:20:24 | More by weeare138

sweethome

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brown bottle - 11.2 oz - purchased from Sam's in Downers Grove.

Pours with an exploding head - actually started coming out of the bottle when opened - but htis is De Dolle so I expected it.

A hazy golden, apricot color. Huge bubbles with a meringue type top to the head - thick. Laced very well.

Nose is of spice, floral, citrus. A hint of pepper.

Medium mouthfeel - a typical belgian/saison effervescence. A hop spiciness is quite profound. Citric bite throughout.

A complex beer, flavor doesn;t quite finish the deal compared to appearance and nose - but an enjoyable belgian of distinction. Be patient with the pour.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2008 02:47:23 | More by sweethome

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

330 ml picked up at the Coop sometime last week for about $4.50.. poured into my New Belgium snifter.

Cracked at fridge temperature.. it was a massive gusher.. easy quarter cup of beer on the counter.. more fizzed out while sitting in the sink... 20 minutes later poured it into my glass.. Easy 3 finger head took forever to die back.. descent lacing.. brew is very hazy peachy gold.

Aroma is a phenolic mix of sweet and sour fruit.. green apples and underripe apricots... a little lemony..

Flavor mirrors the aroma .. same fruitiness with more spice .. white pepper ... cardamom and lite clove.. slight melon with a encompassing maltiness that does a good job tying the complexities together.. mouthfeel is light for the style .. way too much fizzy carbonation.. semi dry finish is the only place where I can detect a grassy hop presence.

I've only had this brew one time before and only purchased it this time to review it.. I won't pick it up again, unless I am brewing a BSPA and want a little inspiration.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2008 06:17:19 | More by JohnGalt1

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First had: bottle at Eulogy, Philly, PA

Served in a stem glass. Poured hazy, golden-yellow with a nice white head that receded partially. Floral aroma and some fruitiness. Very organic tasting, the aroma follows through in the taste: floral, light fruits and some citrus notes, complimented afterward by light grassiness, giving a crisp finish with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel, and nicely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 19:11:55 | More by Rifugium

fear025

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Aroma:This beer definitely smells like Belgian yeast. I get clove, coriander, and a little bit of banana in the aroma.

Appearance:Light gold in color. Enormous amounts of big fluffy white head.

Taste:Nicely sweet, with lots of malt. After a sip or two, I get more clove in the foretaste.

Mouthfeel:This beer starts off smooth, but gets slightly harsh on the back end.

Drinkability:Very pleasant, and easily sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 03:54:44 | More by fear025

bewareOFpenguin

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

It was the label that attracted me. That bird looked so cute, and it had "CAT.S" written on it. It poured a carbonated orangish yellow. It tasted almost like a lambic IMHO. Tart, I swear I could taste an overwhelming cherry taste. I found this beer quite different, I think one a session is more than enough.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2003 07:04:08 | More by bewareOFpenguin

frank4sail

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another one I brought back from Beermania. Nice yellow bow tie on the bottle. Huge soft, fluffy, airy, persistant head in the goblet. Slightly hazy gold color with lots of bubble density. Spicy cloves in the nose with a hint of lemon. Inital taste of lemon and dry pinapple followed up with a grassy slightly bitter finish. Quite smooth on the mouth and tongue. Solid smooth and drinkable...

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2004 01:49:34 | More by frank4sail

santoslhalper

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearence: Pours a nice gold color. The head is entirley too big. Took 4 pours to get it all in a glass. The head itself is white a rocky. But it's way, way too big.

Smell: Smells spicy-sweet. The alcohol is almost undetectable. A nice amount of malts and hops play in the nose.

Taste and Mouthfeel: At first it's very malty and spicy with a huge amount of complexity. The hops finish it and round it off well. Alot of flavors blend together, some of which are clove, apple, and oak, to name a few. The mouthfeel is creamy, but a little too carbonated.

Drinkability and Overall: An interesting beer, and a decent example of a BSPA. Nothing too special, but a nice amount of complexity. It was a pleasure to try, but I wouldn't keep it around all the time. Definitly one to pick up if you see it anywhere, but nothing to seek out too hard.

Yert again, GClarkage, you're the man. Thank you for sending this one my way.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2004 00:22:44 | More by santoslhalper

OttoPeeWee

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I am on a mission to try all of the De Dolle Brouwers beers, so I am a fan.

This one is quite a bit different that the dulle teve, oerbeir, bos keun, and still nacht. All of those beers are a bit on the sweet side. This one seems more peppery. A very good beer, just a more savory than sweet taste.

It seems this is more of a dubbel that a tripel.

The head is almost bizarre. It will take some time to pour (unless your really good, or lucky..) and you will have a fluffy bit in your glass the whole way down. It's almost like stiff peaked egg whites for you cooks out there.

De Dolle Brouwers, yo!

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2009 00:33:41 | More by OttoPeeWee

rarbring

Sweden

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is nearly clear, amber with a brass hue, the head is white high and strong. Leaves lots of lacing and good curtains are seen.

The smell is musky and earthy, rhubarbs in sugar, sour milk, yeast, leather and damp earth ran in a blender.

Upfront sweet, toffee and brown bread, then sour fruit notes, apricots and green apples, the finish is very bitter, raw seed nuances.

Medium high carbonation, small bubbles, soft and fairly complex, a rather dry finish.

Slightly unbalanced to the bitter side, maybe storing a year would help. Anyway, good with cheese.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 20:57:07 | More by rarbring

DovaliHops

California

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bottle says it's 8%ABV, not 7. Pours a very cloudy golden color with a HUGE white, frothy head that doesn't go anywhere anytime fast. Good lookin beer. Scent is yeasty, spicy, and fruity. I get oranges, apples, and banana. The orange is actually predominant in the nose. Taste is somewhat unique in its own way...Tons of flavor...Initially I get a hoppy flavor, quickly followed by delicious banana and orange flavors. Then I get some bread notes and tons of yeast and spice...a lot of pepper and some clove. It finishes very hoppy, which I was not expecting. Mouthfeel is very crisp and dry with a lot of flavor. Drinkability is fairly high, as the ABV is pretty well-hidden. This beer is nowhere near Duvel, but it's a good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 07:48:06 | More by DovaliHops

karait95

Mexico

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: such a big head is really cool, whitening color withnsome residuals that make it mix in colors, beer color is bright golden, carbonation is not very rich but head has excellent retention leaving lots of traces on the glass.

S: is good but a little too much hops, maybe some fruity is missing and also barley should be the center.

T: flavor is very intense but alcohol is not the center, hops are the center, again barley and fruits should be more tasting.

M: complex sensation formed by bitterness that remains through the end for a very lasting and astringent end.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 04:33:08 | More by karait95

EPICAC

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Downtown Wine & Spirits. It came in an 11.2 oz. brown bottle with a picture of a yellow bird holding a glass of beer. I let it warm and served it in a Duvel tulip.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy brownish amber, that borders on golden. A massive beige head tops the beer. The head sticks around well into the beer and leaves good lacing. A bit darker than I expected and a little too cloudy.

Smell: Nutty and sour apple aromas dominate, with a light yeastiness evident. As the beer warms the aroma really opens up.

Taste: Lightly sweet upfront with spicy, fruity and nutty flavors emerging in the center. The spiciness mellows as the beer warms. The finish is lightly bitter, with warming alcohol. The bitterness lingers quite a while and reminds me citrus zest. I initially had this as a 3.5, but once the beer warms and some of the carbonation dissipates the beer really improves.

Mouthfeel: Tingly carbonation seems to mask some of the better aspects of this beer. It's light bodied and smooth.

Drinkability: Drinkable enough, high alcohol makes it dangerous (especially on an empty stomach).

Overall: This is a decent Belgian Strong Pale Ale, not one of my favorites though.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2006 00:54:46 | More by EPICAC

stumac

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

this brew pours a cloudy ugly brown color with a perfect off white frothy head. great lacing on my glass, baby cakes....the nose is sweet malts, slight oak, honey, light sour fruits, citrus. the taste is grains, yeasty, citrus, malty....medium bodied, medium spritzy carbo. Decent brew from De Dolle. I've had better from them...

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2008 21:54:05 | More by stumac

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

3.83/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - WOW! What a pour, that took a while and the head is still trying to creep out the bottle . Big fluffy meringue head that leaves decent lacing. Very hazy dark orange in color.

S - Grapefruit, Citrus and various other fruits. Spicy, bit of cloves and maybe some white pepper and yeast, also maybe some bubblegum that adds to the sweetness.

T - spicy, bitter grapefruit rinds, mixed pepper, clove and musk. Not as much sweetness as I expected from the nose, and think it could have used some additional to balance out the bitterness.

M&D - Medium bodied and Very smooth with good carbonation (I had figured it was going to be over carbonated from the pour, but I was wrong). Bubbled up a bit in my mouth but only the first couple of sips. I could drink more but I would have liked it a bit better balanced.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 13:52:57 | More by thepeter

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle at Bier Circus in Brussels. From notes.

A - Poured with a big 3 finger fluffy head with some pillowy quality. Head was white. Very effervescent. Hazy dark orange colour with a little lacing and a good ice cream scoop in the middle for retention and some film around.

S - Really farmhousy. Lotsa yeast and some mild hop. Quite citrusy.

T - Yeast, barnyard funk, good citrus, hops, and a little more funk.

M - Nice carbonation, medium body, and a nice bitter, dry finish.

O/D - Nice one. Great to sip on and a nice hop/funk/yeast combo.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 22:15:10 | More by tbeckett

froghop

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours a hazy golden yellow-orange, with lots of carbonation, a very large egg-shell head, and good lacing.

smell is of sweet fruits, yeast, and a touch of sour malts.

taste is fizzy, sour malt, sweet fruits, peach, and apricot, ends dry, a little sour, and a little bitter.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2009 01:52:19 | More by froghop

hustlesworth

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- clear golden amber with a huge attractive off white head. Pouring the first 2/3 of the bottle of course disturbed the yeast so after its inclusion the beer has a slight haze to it. The lace is cobwebby and random and the foam looks hoppy as it settles.

S- hoppy and lemony fresh, even thought the bottle is almost 2 years old. Herbal citrus noble hop aroma with mild notes of mixed tropical fruit gummy candy that were blue and shaped like sharks. Also maybe some white gummy bear. Pilsner malt and lightly toasted cereal grains meet the hops half way. Some mango and banana yeast.

T- bitter with a quickly fading fruity edge. Hop flavor lingers well into the finish and then becomes neatly clean and dry. Soft fruit flavors of banana and melon are sliced apart by the bitterness (which I'll assume has tamed down some) and damn near evaporated by the time the crisp pale grains seep slowly in along with peppery spice. This has all the flavor components of a hoppy imperial pilsner but with a lighter body.

MF- on the lighter side and thirst quenching with zesty carbonation, but darn all that alcohol. Dry and hoppy on the cheeks.

D- recategorize this one as a Belgian ipa and I'm all for it. Not what I expect from a BSPA. I'm sure it was dry hopped and all that jazz and being so hop forward it would be nice to have it labeled as such. Love this brewery though.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 03:38:29 | More by hustlesworth

Golden2wenty1

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Courtesy of expatsteve, part 1 of a 5 part De Dolle flight.

Pour: supercharged fluffy, soapy foam head with good lacing and retention over a ruddy golden yellow hazy body.

Nose: spicy yeast, pineapple, apricot, musty wheat malts

Taste: sweet and fruity up front with nectars of apricot and pineapple, spicy yeast, with a dry booze finish.

Feel: smooth and tickling, easy-going

Drinkability/Overall: as drinkable as any BSPA I've had, a session possibilty. Solid all around.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2007 20:55:14 | More by Golden2wenty1

Bendurgin

Maine

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Got this one at Julio's the other day. Poured into a tulip.

Poured this one and I'd say about three fourths of my tulips is head! This beer is mostly a big fluffy white head on top of a straw colored beer. It looks nice but I can't even pour this thing! The head takes a while to dissipate and all in all it really took me about ten minutes to get this whole thing in the glass. No biggie though. Smells like sweet apples and I can really smell the Belgian yeast. Slightly bitter on the finish. The taste is like sweet and sour apples, Belgian yeast with a bitter tart finish. Pretty nice for a medium body but I feel like De Dolle over carbonates. It lowers the drinkability for me and at 7 percent, I can somehow taste the alcohol on this with a bit of a warming sensation as I drink it.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 03:25:48 | More by Bendurgin

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Super deep full sweet Duvelesque smell and pours a beautifully thick foamy head which goes the distance from first to last sip. Hazy deep yellow with some spice and a reasonably full body withour being at all heavy. Flavour seems to lack some definition but the body is fully supportive and plays well in the mouth.
No slouch here but doesn't deliver the goods as promised.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 20:54:32 | More by Zimbo

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Another bottle conditioned volcano, 3 inches of rugged head in a Duvel glass. Highly sedimented dull bronze color, laces like cotton on a Christmas tree. Light aroma, spare yeast and a lemon cough drop kind of malt, a little different. Flavor is marked by a hard to descibe maltiness, present with decent body but counteracted by a considerable bitterness -- a one/two of citric pith drying to pine needles. Whew, can't say this one is a favorite but an arid and bitter alternative to the thick and malty brews. Very much worth trying, there's a lot going on here.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2003 13:45:17 | More by ADR

rkhaze

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy light peach color. TONS of carbonation that leave a huge rocky foamy white head. Aromas of sweet oranges, tropical fruit and that Belgian yeast.
Earthy sweet malt taste. Tropical fruit and a very aromatic citrus bitterness. Reminded me a bit of candied orange peel. Not as sweet as the nose was. Complex with lots of flavor.
Rich creamy mouthfeel that finishes dry.Not as carbonated on the tongue as the appearance led me to believe. Rich, but still decent drinkability.
A little different but well worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2003 02:50:17 | More by rkhaze

GreenCard

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: orange-gold hue, slight haze, HUGE unstoppable mound of cream-white foam (even on a rather gentle pour), insane head retention, head turns frothy/rocky after a while

Aroma: lusciously fruity, some clove, some cotton candy, caramel, raisins, piney hops

Flavor: starts out rather malty, but no too sweet; some hop flavor, yeast, soap, and gripping alkaloidal bitterness; finish is dryish with a mouth-puckering bitter aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium body, bubbly, some warmth

Overall Impression: [What a weirdo! So promising by sight and smell, but the bitterness is so overpowering and strange! Doesn't taste like it comes from hops, but more like chewing on that "almond" inside a peach pit or sucking on a bar of soap. Might be the most bitter beer in Belgium! Though I think all of you Arrogant Bastard-lovers would disagree that this is a bitter beer. I'm going to have to think this one over and maybe try another bottle of it at a later date.]

This beer can be REALLY strangely bitter when it's fresh (see above bracketed comments], but after a year or more of proper cellarage it becomes much more balanced. Based on this, I have increased my rating of it. It will likely be at its prime with a year's storage under its belt.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2003 19:58:25 | More by GreenCard