Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005
Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers

Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005
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From:
Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
12%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 14.39%
Reviews:
56
Ratings:
85
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 25, 2022
Added:
Jan 26, 2006
Wants:
  52
Gots:
  15
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
375ml bottle.

Pours clear copper with a short-lived head of white. Minimal retention or lacing. Green apple, white wine, cloves, hint of raisins in the nose. Medium bodied with a slickish, tacky mouthfeel. Clove-studded candied apple with boozy, vineous malt on the palate. Finishes complex and winey.
Dec 25, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.19/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Cellared bottle for years. Still has a huge boozy bite! Wow, thought that might fade more with so many years of aging. The booze is sweeter, like cognac or brandy, goes well with the golden raisin malts, pineapple, biscuit, and complex yeasts. Smell is more full and rich than taste. Really warm and sneaky bright for the style. Enjoyable sipper
Sep 20, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by YvesB from Belgium

Sep 04, 2017
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Bottle from Kulminator

Off white head. Clear copper color.

This is a very interesting beer. Honey, grapes, white wine, basement and dust flavors, wet oak, raisins, figs, brown sugar. Some sourness. Green apple skins. Very odd in general. Some caramel and bready malt flavors. Strong. Whiskey shows as it warms. Kind of tough to drink. Was not overly impressed with this one. Maybe past its prime.
Jul 15, 2017
Photo of amano_h
Reviewed by amano_h from Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle poured into a De Dolle Balloon at Cafe Kulminator.

I'm not quite sure what was done to Stille Nacht to turn it into the Special Reserva and under what conditions the aging took place, but I'm pretty sure 99 out of 100 people that take a whiff of the beer in front of me right now will describe it first and foremost as "fresh baked bread." Slight hints of balsamic sourness follow, along with hints of fermented grape (cognac?). There's also hints of honey, wet wood, caramel and even more toast toward the end; hinting what kind of barrel / yeast might be in play within the brew.

Honey on toasted bread served on slate of varnished oak is probably the best way I can describe what I'm tasting right now. I'm picking up a hint of dark grapes on the tongue that wasn't as prevalent before on the nose; the caramel and candi sugar that is overwhelming in the regular Stille Nacht also manifest themselves as a kind after thought in the Reserva. Slight biscuit and toffee comprise the final afterthoughts on the palate. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Medium-light bodied, gentle, flat soda-like carbonation. The creaminess that the regular Stille Nacht sports is lost with this one, but I guess that's what 11 years of aging does to a complex BSDA like Stille Nacht. The sweetness and the spice that usually accompanies Stille Nacht has definitely simmered down to a point where you probably couldn't classify this as a "Christmas Beer" anymore.
Oct 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by jrob21 from North Carolina

Nov 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by WynnO from Florida

Sep 09, 2014
Photo of BMMillsy
Reviewed by BMMillsy from Florida

3.69/5  rDev -10%
Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005 - Bottle from Kulminator in Antwerp. Deep orange golden pour with small white head ring. Aroma of huge booze, wood, musty basement, cognac, phenols. Flavor is woody, musty, some fruits, drinks like an after dinner cognac or brandy. Pretty boozy but also very smooth on the tongue with delicate carbonation and a strangely light mouthfeel. Tastes like grandma's basement. Seriously this was a bit weird, and a bit like sipping on a super smooth aged scotch like lagavulin. But I have to say that overall this was a pretty huge disappointment. Maybe it was a bad bottle. Bound to happen when stored for 9+ years.
Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by zestar from California

Aug 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by brystmar from Texas

Aug 05, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Jul 20, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by TurdFurgison from Ohio

Jun 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Anonymous1 from Illinois

Jun 06, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by DStoked from Ohio

May 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Archemedies from Massachusetts

May 05, 2013
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Enjoyed bottle at Torst. The secret to its preservation is the honey, and that was big in the taste. Orange and golden bodied. Not boozy but its a big beer. With the honey is cloves, champagne yeast, other spice and a hint of vin tannin. Smooth, A little bitterness in the finish. Not as interesting or different as marketed and pricey, still a nice one.
Apr 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by dsgolovin from California

Apr 11, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Yabev15 from Massachusetts

Apr 09, 2013
Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005 from Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 85 ratings