Oerbier
Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers

Quintessential dark unfiltered cherry juice color bordering dried blood. The memory foam pillow on top even resembles the same khaki coloring. It looks so plush and soft I actually thought about laying my head on it. I didn't.

Ahhhh, that aroma. Such a wonderful change of pace. Dark fruits galore with fig and prune, even a little splash of Welch's Grape. Classic clove and spices are dialed back from your more familiar Belgian Darks. A touch of caramel and a helping of Earth.

Some of those aromas come through in the flavor, but surprisingly muted, or transformed to say the least. Stone fruit hard candies, red grape, and toffee like sugary goodness pave the path for an herbal, dusty, and boozy finish.

That soft pillow transcends into the feel, with tiny foamy bursts everywhere. Not as sweet as the aroma would imply as a bitter bite quickly takes over. The alcohol is very warming, and it finishes parching dry.

A delicious Belgian Dark ale, and just the right size. Unless you were to share of course, but I'd rather not with this here beer.



Cheers, and thanks again Tim!

33 cl bottle best before April 2027, as per the cap.
Pours a shimmering clear garnet hued mahogany (yeah, I left the dregs in the bottle (though consumed)) colour with two plus fingers of tawny reddish beige head.
Belgian yeast, plum, brown sugar on the nose - dark fruit, some raisin bread, and perhaps even a faint hint of licorice.
Sweet and fruity up front on the palate - dark fruit, plum, brown sugar, and Belgian yeast with just a slight suggestion of vinous tartness..
Brightly carbonated - medium full mouthfeel with a warming boozy sweetness lingering.

 

 

 

Copenhagen 21/2 2020. 33 cl bottle from Den Belgiske Ølbutik, Jyllingevej, Vanløse. Little happy yellow doll holding a staff and a mug of beer on red background on the label. Very gushy upon opening.

Pours opaque dark brown with a very big off-white head. Very bubbly. Leaves a 0,5 cm thick layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is intense, sweet and yeasty. Brown sugar, caramel, tobacco with hints of licorice. Humid basement. Light sourish and sharp notes.

Medium carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is intense and has a strong sweetness. Followed by a light sourness. Aftertaste is sweet but with a notable bitter undercurrent. Semi-dry finish.

A very solid “Original” Belgian with enough flavor and aroma to hide a substantial ABV.

 

Appearance:  Poured from a 33cl brown bottle with a red and white polka dot bowtie into the brewery's stemmed chalice with matching artwork. 2cm of khaki lofty foam that held at 1 to 1.5 cm until finished.

Aroma:  Figs, dates, malt sweetness, and raisins. Alcohol. Toasted raisin bread.

Taste:  The funkiness doesn't go away no matter what you throw at it. The same lovely figs, dates, malt sweetness, and raisins that were on the nose. Add some strawberry. The alcohol doesn't affect the taste, but at the same time it starts to creep up on you before the first glass is empty.

Feel:  Nice, strong carbonation that perfectly compliments the style. Just the right amount of sugary sticky sweetness.

Overall:   It's a fantastic beer that serves its purpose. What more needs to be said.

 

Bottle from 03/2023 and poured into a chalice
Appearance – The beer pours a hazed ruby-brown color with a one finger head of fizzy looking tan colored foam. The head hades rather rapidly, leaving a touch of bubbly lacing on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is heaviest of a tart cherry, apple cider vinegar, and brown bread aroma mixed with notes of caramel and some toffee. Along with these comes other dark fruit aromas of raisin and prune as well as some cocoa and nut.
Taste – The taste begins with a bit of the brown bread maltiness that was in the nose along with some of the fruit of cherry and prune. The tart is light upfront and through the middle of the flavor profile with notes of apple cider vinegar and sour cherry. To balance the tart are some sweet flavors of caramel and a bit of candied sugar. Yeast and some spice make their presence known more toward the middle of the taste profile, being accompanied by an increase in the tart which increases to the finish of the taste, where with a bit of wood and cocoa, one is left with a very pleasant, mildly tart, and fruity taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is light for a 9 % brew with a high and prickly carbonation level. For the mix of fruit, tart, bread, and yeast the feel is quite nice making of an enjoyable and easy drinking matrix.
Overall – A very well-crafted brew that delivers a mix of tart and Belgium strong flavors to produce a easy drinking and balanced beer.

 

Poured from a bottle. Brownish in color with a large tan head. Tart, grain, malt and spices on the nose. Flavor is also tart but sweet with dark fruit and roasted grain. Really good mix with the flavors.

Canned on 12/2021. Beautiful, all around. Candy. Some barnyard. Mild funk. Sour. VINOUS. Sweet and tart cherries. Absolutely delicious.

 

 

Draft at lorerelei in Pittsburgh

Picked this up a while ago at the Bottle King in Middletown, having never seen or heard of this beer before. Love my Belgians and this one deserved it was subtly complex, easy to drink, and held up well despite any date on the can!

Nice pour to this was it a rustic brown with quite a bit of light seeping in around the edges. Darker up top than down below, a nice amount of full and bubbly head topped it off as it took quite a while to settle down. Tart, sour, fruity, and bready in the nose, all of those were present in the taste. A high phenol and acetate presence balanced out the strawberry, plum, apple, and dark cherry as this was full of fruit, heft, and nuance. Needless to say, this did not last in my glass long as the subtle carbonation and lasting slickness only added to this beer's appeal.

To be fair, this was strong and I could feel the booze creeping up on me before I finished it off. The bread stuck around in the aftertaste too with a hint of toast and caramel as this left me wanting another can or two. Yes, it was that great as it aged beautifully and was too complex to be savored just once. So much to love here (except for the lack of a canning date) as this was the epitome of what good Belgian beer should be!

 

 

I had this on draft 1/30/24 @ the Hopleaf.

Opaque dark brown appearance.

Big tan head; minimal lacing remained.

Brown sugar & mild tart strawberry notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Acorn, mild tart strawberry & oak flavors; booze heat emerged as this warmed.

Interesting, complex & tasty. I loved this!