Duchesse De Bourgogne - Brouwerij Verhaeghe

JuliusCaesar

New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a deep red with an inch tall white head

S: Aroma of Belgian yeast and fruit

T: Not overly sour but has a good bite to it. Fruit and candy. Sweet but balanced

M: Good carbonation

Overall: This is candy not beer. The Duchesse is one fine lady

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 00:51:00 | More by JuliusCaesar

Hoppsbabo

United Kingdom (England)

4.29/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Dark copper, not particularly red. Nice though. Can almost see through it. Small but sustained off-white head comprising bubbles of various sizes.

S: The typical components of a Belgian dark ale with vinegar added.

T: Oh, my. Very complex. It's fairly sweet but balanced with sourness but not as sour as I was expecting. There's strong balsamic vinegar at the forefront then chocolate, cola and some coriander seed. In the aftertaste there's plum tea and a delicate green grape flavour that lingers for a long time afterwards, quite reminiscent of Remy Martin VSOP. Alcohol is completely imperceptible. From the dregs I get a touch of ginger beer.

M: A soft effervescence. Sort of foamy but not saturated with air. Ever so slightly sticky.

O: A quality beer but not something I'd drink often.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 12:08:00 | More by Hoppsbabo

Steamer

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a tulip. Deep, dark plum color with a beige head. The aroma is unique, sour fruit but a bit medicinal. Fruity, sweet and tart, cherries, ripe grapes, with a mild sour sting on the end. Medium carbonation and overall mouthfeel, An excellent and well blended sour ale that doesn't overpower.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 03:06:03 | More by Steamer

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 5/2014. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy cream colored with with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with plenty of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of green apple, cherry, raspberry, pear, apple skin, floral, hay, grass, oak, light vinegar, light red wine, funk, and grassy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity notes; with moderate malt sweetness and good strength. Taste of lightly tart cherry, raspberry, apple, pear, hay, grass, pepper, light vinegar, oak, light red wine, light funk, and grassy earthiness. Slight fruity and earthy tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark and light fruits, hay, grass, floral, light vinegar, light red wine, oak, and grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of fruity and spicy notes; with a moderate malt balance and zero cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a smooth, crisp, and lightly prickly mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Flanders red ale. Very nice complexity and balance of flavors; and very smooth and crisp to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 03:55:55 | More by superspak

StJamesGate

New York

3.83/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Deep chestnut with creamy beige head that fades to film.
Balsamic, cranberry, wood and dark candy sugar.
Raspberry vinagrette, a speck of chocolate, a vanilla oak hit and berry jam.
Winey finish and tart cherry skin linger.
Medium, chewy, creamy but clean.

Surprisingly sweet, some vinegar and wood but lots of red fruit sugar. Expected Brett or at least some big yeast but there's no funk at all. Oud Bruin more than Flanders Red.

Nice, just not so interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 01:02:03 | More by StJamesGate

FLima

Brazil

4.16/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a dark brown ruby color with a thick head with long retention and leaving laces.
Sour aroma with a good hint of red wine, vinegar and wood.
Delicious taste of bubbling red wine with some notes of Belgian yeast, condiments, a hint of earthy hops and raspberries. Mildly dry aftertaste with its residual grape. Very refreshing.
Light body with medium carbonation and tiny bubbles. Alcohol is in complete harmony with the other ingredients, more so than real wine.
Extreme well balanced beer, combining drinkability with flavor. Not too sour, perfect level (unless you dig a lot sour beers). Excellent. I am now curious to try it even more aged. I have the impression will continue to evolve.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 19:19:14 | More by FLima

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

4.41/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Pours a very dark ruby color, with some brown and purple. Has a very thick head and nice lacing.

Smell –Vinegar, red wine, raspberry, oak, a hint of black cherry, and sugar.

Taste – Sweet yet sour raspberry and grape flavors. A little like Sour Patch Kids. But it also complemented with oak, vinegar, and black cherry. Lots of tastes in this.

Mouthfeel – Starts off sweet, but leaves a sour aftertaste. Nicely carbonated.

Drinkability – A very good sour. Goes down very easily, although it is only 6%.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 06:30:34 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

eandersen

Massachusetts

4.46/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Nice deep ruby with a 2 finger off white head. Dissipates quickly. Leaves some really impressive, thick lacing.

S - Balsamic vinegar upfront followed by deep wine like berry smells; dark raspberry, elderberry. Maybe a little bready malt. Slight oakiness.

T - The deep dark berry tastes come through much more than the nose would suggest. Definitely more ripe cherry than is detectable on the nose. Tartness at the front of the mouth, but not necessarily a balsamic tart, almost more of a lactic acid tart. Very nice sour. Super easy drinking.

M - Very smooth. Carbonation is somewhat less than I expected for the style leading to a slicker mouthfeel than many sours. But I'm totally OK with that.

O - Really excellent sour, will absolutely return to this. I could see this aging exceptionally well.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 03:40:01 | More by eandersen

JokineAugustus

Manitoba (Canada)

5/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I love this beer. It has a pleasant sour fruit smell of Cherries, Cranberry, and Raspberry. Taste is quite similar. Has a slight bready and sour fruit aftertaste that blends well. Look is beautiful bright ruby red in a glass which I absolutely adore. One of my favourites atm.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 00:27:16 | More by JokineAugustus

Sam21

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Deep dark ruby red body with a fluffy off-white head that clings and sticks around. Really appealing!

S- Winey fruit. Cherries. Raspberry balsamic.

T- Wonderfully sweet at the onset. Heavy sugared cherry flavor. This is soon joined by acidic puckering notes that are reminiscent of cranberries. It's a perfect balance of sweet and sour.
MF- Light body held up by very tingly and fluffy carbonation. Leaves you with a juicy sticky palate - think about the post- lemonade feeling.

O- Simple, complex, and extremely refreshing. It's a perfect balance of sweet and sour. This beer is outstanding. If only it wasn't so expensive.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 01:57:38 | More by Sam21

merc7186

New York

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle into a snifter glass. (How in the hell have I never ticked this beer, been drinking it for like 2 years)

A: Amber/Brownish Hue, Passes Mild Light, Thick Off White Head, Decent Lacing

S: Cranberry, Cherry, Sweet Malts

T: Cranberry, Mildly Tart Cherry, Sweet Bread, Boysenberry

M: Great Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Sweet, Mildly Tart

Overall, this beer sets the bar for a Flanders Red Ale, consistant every time I have ever drank it.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 03:37:12 | More by merc7186

damndirtyape

Ohio

4.24/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle (best before 14/06/2014) poured into a Tulip glass.

Appearance: Clear deep red-brown with a thick rocky light tan head. Lots of persistent lacing (strands and islands) all over the glass.

Smell: Sour & tart cherry. A hint of mustiness.

Taste: Tart/sour fruit up front (a combination of cherry with maybe a splash of citrus), then a sweet middle that was a clean sugary flavor, then a tart/sour finish, again fruity. This may be one of the most well balanced beers I've ever had - with the flavors complimenting each other just right.

Mouthfeel: Airy, soft, dry. It's there and then it's gone - it's almost like it evaporates away after the swallow.

Overall / Drinkability: A very interesting full flavor beer. Full of contrasts, but balanced and not overpowering despite being sour. Complimented a full-flavor dinner (Chicken + 40 cloves) very nicely and was good to savor after the meal. A very nice beer overall but for me a one and done. It's good, but one glass is enough. Another bottle or another glass would be too much - one per evening is enough. I could easily have this again though, just not in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 23:46:06 | More by damndirtyape

Fattmatt73

Georgia

4.76/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

An absolutely incredible beer. The balance of fruit, floral and sour is incredible. Usually a beer this sweet would be way out of my zone, but the balance of the sour accentuates the fruit and floral notes. Love it, one of my favorite beers. Anyone who has not ventured into the land of sours should make this one of their first.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 06:23:14 | More by Fattmatt73

patre_tim

China

4.7/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear filtered dark reddish brown, little carbonation, half finger beige head. Cool lacing.

S: Balsamic vinegar, dark earthy malt, must, a bit of caramel. Very acidic.

T: A balance of sweet and sour, slight metallic end on the first sip, but not after. Malty caramel quality. Dark malts evident. Acidic is vinegar on the end, but is more of a fruit like sour without a fruitiness. Some bitter linger at the end, but minimal.

M: Medium body, medium high carbonation. Acidity clings to the tongue.

O: Love this beer. Certainly up there in my favourites. The best of the sour reds I’ve had. Its balanced for a sour and complex. Keeps me wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 02:31:48 | More by patre_tim

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Elegant dark-amber color, showing very little light. Not a huge head. I drank this at a wine bar where it was served in a bowl-shaped water glass, so maybe it was not the most ideal.

S - Lots of floral smells, hints of tartness.

T - A very smooth and subtle sour taste, with flavors of berries, and hints of yeast. Well balanced.

M - Again, smooth, medium bodied.

O - Although not as bold as some sours, its flavors are well balanced and satisfying. This beer is pretty unique in its flavor profiles, and its quality is undeniable. Always a joy.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 04:23:10 | More by Beer-A-Lot

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.41/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a wine glass, produced a nice tan reddish head that has really solid retention. Colour is a dark ruddy brown, essentially opaque. It has a great lacing and film.

Smell has a pleasant tartness, vinegary fruitiness. A pervasive sourness, red wine cask. A really interesting interplay of flavours, balanced and complex, with a supporting malt body, not much bitterness, and a sour prickle.

Taste has a wonderful, floral and tart opening. Quite a bit of sourness initially but this is countered with more developing slightly sweet malt. Hop character is restrained, but a really nice earthiness comes through. Finish is delicate, and really smooth and dry, subtle red wine tannins and oak. Continues to combine and blend seamlessly, sourness isn't too strong, really complex flavours.

Mouthfeel is moderate bodied, but with a ton of richness, just on the cusp of being syrupy on the palate but without much sweetness. Carbonation is pretty light, but suits nicely. Finishes nicely crisply, definetly pleasant, and highly enjoyable as a sipper but without too much body to be too heavy.

A very excellent beer. Hard to find faults here, and its really tasty. As far as the take on the style, it isnt as in your face sour as others, and seems to have a more balanced approach and flavour, with a slight roast malt sweetness on the palate that brings it all together really well. A great beer with a ton of flavour worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 21:04:38 | More by mick303

Ryan011235

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Peculier Pub tulip on 1/29/13

Best Before: 05/01/2014

Dark copper color with ruby highlights. One and a half inch head fills the upper portion of the glass. Billowy, uneven retention and raised patches of lace.

Acidic aromas, dark cherry, damp oak, hints of blackberry jam, herbal hops and notions of spiced bread. With each sip, sourness and dark fruit juice wash o'er the palate. The sourness falls away pretty quickly leaving a robust, jammy fruit middle which, by some stroke of talent or luck, isn't very sweet. Undercurrents of jam-ready bread notions. Musty oak lingers at down times in flavor. The feel is brisk what with the shot of sour and ample carbonation, despite the body being of moderate heft. Clean, slightly oaky finish.

I am not the most eloquent or well versed on such beers; this is just mighty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 02:51:36 | More by Ryan011235

bobhits

Kentucky

4.21/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4.25

As expected a rather clear reddish orange body with a nice thick creamy dark cream head. Pretty nice presentation all and all.

Sour cherries, sugar, and hints of vinegar.

This is a great beer. The cherries give balance to a very nice puckering sour beer. A good amount of vinegar and tartness.

The carbonation seem a touch off to me. It's perhaps just a bit to explosive on the tongue. Still a minor complaint that doesn't hurt this beer much.

This isn't Rodenbock but this is a must try and the beer is priced extremely well.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 03:59:08 | More by bobhits

CloudStrife

New York

4.23/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

11.2 oz bottle poured into a snifter. Best by 14/06/2014

A: Pours a clear dark rube with a one finger slightly tan head. Lots of visible carbonation in the body. Head sticks around as a thin covering for quite a while. Leaves some good lacing on the glass.

S: Hits your nose with a sweet, fruity, sour blend of malts and yeast. Vinegar and oakiness permeates as it warms. Cherry comes through as well as dark fruity malts.

T: This is a tart and sour beer with a great sweetness and fruit. Strong cherry and some real good oak. On the sweeter side of the spectrum.

M: Very crisp, lots of carbonation combined with a fairly thick mouthfeel with a bit of a syrup feel. Dry feel, alcohol is lost in the flavor.

Overall this is a phenomenal beer, very easy to drink and an amazing flavor. Would love to drink this all the time.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 00:48:46 | More by CloudStrife

spoony

Colorado

4.23/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 750 ml bottle into a wine glass.

A-The beer is dark brown with ruby highlights. A normal pour produced about one finger of dirty, light brown head that faded into a cap pretty quickly. The cap hung around until the end.

S-I love the smell of this stuff; a real highlight. I get bright, tart cherries, acidic vinegar, sour apples, toasty oak, and a bit of earth. The whole thing melds together just right for me.

T-The taste is sweeter and simpler than the smell. Still, the flavors are tart cherries, apples, pears, and a little kick of funky earth. The sweet taste overpowers some of the oak and acid that make the smell so great.

M-The beer has a fine carbonation with a medium body. A touch watery feeling.

O-Disclosure: Years ago, this was one of the first sour beers I ever had, so I'm sure there is some nostalgia coming in here. Anyway, I really enjoy the Duchesse. In particular, I could smell this beer all day long. The taste is a little sweet and the feel was merely good (not great), so perhaps this beer lacks the balance and complexity of the best sour red ales (Rodenbach Grand Cru, for example), but the Duchesse is still a great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 19:05:11 | More by spoony

devlishdamsel

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

S: Single 11.2 ounce bottle from shelve of local beer section in natural market. It was the last bottle. I thought about picking it up last week during a haul, but hesitated due to the price tag. Luckily she was still there when I returned and a friend of mine who is a local distributor sang her praises.

Appearance: Darkish red ( sadly the tulip style glasses i used were a very dark glass, its possible my perception of the color could be off due to this.) Very frothy voluminous white head.

Smell: As this was aged in oak casks for a bit i could definitely smell notes of that.

Taste: Exceptionally complex, with a very mild bitterness and slight sour acidity. I sipped on this with dinner and finished off with pairing it with fruit later. This beer pairs amazing with fruit, especially pineapple.

Mouthfeel: slightly carbonated in texture, but almost smooth like a cider. the froth on the head is composed of very fine bubbles.

Overall: Definitely a win! I will definitely add this beer to my rotation of Belgians as it deserves no less.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 02:35:50 | More by devlishdamsel

IPA35

Netherlands

4.35/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle form a sampler box of Belgian beers.

Appearance:
Dark ruby red in the glass with a white(ish) head.

Smell:
Vinious, dark fruits, green apple, a hint of (balsamic) vinegar and oak.

Taste:
Very fruity. Red fruits. It is a rather sweet beer but with a good tartness to it, as per the style. It then finishes with a surprisingly bready maltiness. Very different this style is indeed. Not much vinegar in the taste fortunatly. Not unlike red wine actually, but without the awefullness.

Mouthfeel:
It is rather full bodied and has plenty of carbonation.

The verdict:
Overall a very interesting beer. And a good one at that but very different from you average beer. This is much more vinious and tart that nearly all beer styles out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 18:58:15 | More by IPA35

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

We pour a glowing ruby red brew. It holds a three finger head of fat, creamy tan bubbles. This shows excellent retention, leaving thick and chunky lacing down the glass as it slowly dissipates. There is a slight haze, with little flecks of sediment noted, while carbonation appears moderate. The aroma is bright with caramel and pale malts, warming oak, and huge puckering tartness of yeast and fermented cherries. Warmth brings out bitterness of plastic phenols, a heavy blanket of basement musk and dust, and light ethanolic fire. Our first impression is that there is surprising sweetness to balance out the immense tartness. As we sip, metallic musky yeast, honey sweetness, grape and strawberry sugars, pale toasty malts, and peppery spice of booze mix for a complex start. The middle peaks with enhanced sweetness of grape and “sweet tart” candies. The latter affords pucker amongst the sugar, giving an aged, fermented quality to the fruitiness therein. The finish comes with pale malts, grit, souring funky yeast, that tartness of aged cherries (much like a kriek), and brown apple sweetness all washed through with a significant coiny cleanse. The aftertaste breathes of plastic phenols, solidly pale malts, light and dry oak, bittered metallic coininess, sweet cherries and apples, and general tartness of yeast and that same fruit. The body is medium, and the carbonation is medium. There is excellent slurp, cream, froth, and smack to each sip. The mouth is coated in this bubbly glory, but soon dries with gritty astringency along the tongue and tooth line. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks very nicely.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the complexity of flavor, and the unique balance of sweetness to even out the classic puckering tartness. From the moment of the pour we knew things would go well with this one. The coloring glowed, and the head stood tall and strong. The aroma gave us a lighter hint of the excellent mash of flavors within which, alone, would have you coming back for more. The feel only builds this desire, as there is nice frothy slurp to each sip. This is an outstanding beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 00:26:38 | More by TheBrewo

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

4.8/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 11.2oz bottle into an Affligem Goblet.

Appearance- Beautiful amber color with no sediment floating around. Little to no head, but a slight ring around the top.

Smell- Oak, vanilla, tobacco, cherry, yeast, some malts. Absolutely beautiful.

Taste- Cherry, vanilla, malts. Some oak is present. Not to sour. Very well balanced.

Mouthfeel- Nicely carbonated. Very smooth, not too resinous.

Overall- This is a beautiful beer. All around very well balanced. I'll be buying this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 18:45:30 | More by Seanniek91

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

297th Review
Bottle to Westy XII chalice
Vintage: Not specified.
BB: 2014-09-03

A: Medium plum red. Half (off-white) fingernail head on soft pour.

S: Tart cherry, cranberry, soft vanilla, and slight hint of vinegar acidity. Oak and hint of earthy red wine as well.

T: Soft sour character up-front with cherry, oak, and vinegar overtones. Muted red fruit sweetness and a bit of barrel here as well. Okay at best.

M: Medium bodied with decent carbonation.

O: Slightly above average here as this beer needs some time to become more rounded.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 23:38:08 | More by spdyfire83