Stille Nacht
Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers

Clear honey gold, almost amber, with a fairly tall khaki head of tightly condensed yet light foam.

The phenols are tempered, spicy but accenting, like pink peppercorn over some pear, honeysuckle and white wine. With such a soft and lifting mouthfeel, I also get a hint of lime or gin botanical tamped down by a honey graham malt.

I avoided this vaunted winter celebrator for years thinking it was an xmas spiced quad or something, but I'll be damned if this isn't just a really delicious beer, and not just the barrel aged version either. I could get down with this in the summer just as happily.

 

This one came from Purvis Beer in Melbourne in February 2026. It was drunk very slowly in May of that year.

L: The beer is hazy, bronze-orange in the glass, with a thin smattering of head gathered around the edge. Bubbles float lazily to the top of the glass in loose clumps. Pouring the sediment from the bottle halfway through the drink turns the beer a more tepid, murky orange, but by that stage the focus is all on the flavour and booze, and I'm no longer drinking with my eyes.

N: The nose is a portend of things to come. It's underpinned by rich, sugary toffee notes, overlain with treacle, cumquats, figs, and rich honey straight from the hive.

T: The taste profile is an expressive melange of rich toffee, coriander, honey, citurs peel, cumquat, candied lemon, overripe plums, stone fruit, sherry, and Christmas cake and its attendant spices. All the pieces come together into a luxurious, deeply satisfying Christmas beer, with a whopping alcohol hit that evokes the perfect Christmas post-prandial. Everyone's drunk uncle would be asleep on the couch after this one, a nice warmth settling peacefully over the throat, chest and mouth, lulling the senses and demanding a quick nap.

M: The mouthfeel is appropriately thick and rich, with carbonation prickly enough to work with the booze to counter the sweetness inherent in the taste profile.

O: Delicious from start to finish. This is a big-boy beer that kicks like a mule, but when treated with caution and slow persistence, it unveils its full taste profile as one works through the bottle. Unlikely to allow you to have more than and remain standing, but that's not the point. Absolutely demands slow enjoyment beside a roaring fire, letting its heat seep into your bones. A perfectly crafted heavyweight.

Cheers!
#820

Drinking out of a small snifter.
Pours a clear copper with a dense white head.
Smells some of sweet oranges.
Good mouth feel.
Nice sweet taste of orange marmalade overlaid on sour Brett

Bottled: 2025

A - Hazy medium gold colored pour with very vibrant carbonation and a very creamy, dense two fingered head. As the beer warms it turns to perfect clarity.

S - Light caramel along with some spiciness, apricot, and peach with overall dryness on the nose.

T - Light caramel malt base along with apricot, peach, nectarine, and ends with a light fruity bitterness along with a definite alcohol presence.

M - Thick medium body with tons of sprightly carbonation that settles to a creamy finish with dryness on the back of the tongue.

O - This beer is exceptional and worth checking out. Recommended.

11.2 oz bottle

Pours hazy amber orange with a huge creamy frothy off-white foam head. Smells like dark honey, light caramel, toffee, charred brown sugar, molasses, toasted bready malt, dark dried fruits, some raisin, fig, dates, plum, apricot, apple, pear, lemony orange citrus, exotic sweet spices, peppery clove, mild barnyardy farmhouse funk, wet hay, straw, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Tastes really complex and interesting, like bruised apples, pear, overripe banana, apricot, red plum, berry, cherry, raisin, fig, dates, dried fruit, dark amber honey, light caramel, toffee, charred brown sugar, molasses, toasted bready cereal grain malt, hints of roast, lemony orange citrus, lime peel, almost minty cardamom, coriander, slight medicinal clove, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, wet hay, straw, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium-lighter bodied, smooth and slick with creamy moderate carbonation. Overall a real nice and unique Belgian pale strong ale.

Excellent

 

 

Strong drink!

2014 bottle; poured without sediment

A: slight haze; caramel in color; no head; lots of bubbles rising throughout - I've had 1,000s of beers and never seen anything like this carbonation - it's champagne -like; as it continued to bubble, it's forming a thick collar; no lacing; there are a few floaters;

S: dark fruit and caramel, although that might be my brain tricking me due to the color;

T: dark fruit and caramel up front; hints of clove, pepper and cherry get added in at the middle; finish is apple juice; moderate sweetness throughout;

M: medium bodied; highly carbonated; dry finish; alcohol is warming, but not hot;

O: an outstanding sipper; wasn't sure what to expect from a beer this old;

 

 

 

Copenhagen 27/12 2018. 33 cl bottle from Høkeren, Kbh N. Drawing of little snowman with a star in one hand and a glass of beer in the other. Long golden scarf with a Christmas greeting hanging around his head.

Pours hazy orange with medium-sized white head. Settles as thin layer of foam just managing to cover the surface of the beer. Crawling up the sides of the glass. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is has a sweet and sugary quality. Bubblegum, fruity banana and hard candy. Underneath it I can smell a solid malt-base and some humid Belgian basement.

Light carbonation. Slightly thick, oily texture. Sticky.

Flavor is heavy sweet followed by medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sweetish with a lighter spicy bitterness. Lingering.

Sugary sweet without being nauseating due to a notable bitterness giving a little balance. Solid, sweet Belgian.

Showstopper. Remarkable beer. Everything I need essentially. Afraid to call it perfect. Does its own thing while drawing from several closely related Belgian traditions and styles. Think tripel meets golden ale?

It’s insanely beautiful. I suggest leaving most lees at the bottom as they bottle condition this with an extremely firm touch, for good reason. Pour gently and wait 5-10 minutes. Head development and retention is essentially unmatched. Flavor and feel is pure luxury: top of class.

Spectacular.

 

 

The pour is marigold yellow. The taste is banana, coriander, along with hints of clove, white pepper, & orange peel. Cheers, A-

Bottle from John’s poured into tulip. Magnificent Belgian head. Strong alcohol but great flavor masks it.