Duvel Barrel Aged Irish Whiskey Barrel Edition (2022)
Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV

Excited for this one, love Duvel and especially love Teeling whiskey, batch #7
Pours a fair fizzy 1/2 finger head with fair retention, a bit of lacing, clear copper to auburn color

Nose brings sweet Belgian malt and some candi sugar, golden blond malts, bordering syrupy sweet, a little toasted biscuity blond cookie, golden sweet fruit, orchard fruit, vanilla oak, butterscotch, light fruity whiskey

Taste brings the Belgian malts, sweet golden malt, candi sugar and toffee, blondie brownie, vanilla syrup, golden apple and orchard fruit, plenty of Belgian yeast fruity esters turning into apple cider, mild phenol spice notes that seem to clash a bit, as well as perfumey alcohol that comes through a bit heavy, vanilla barrel, butterscotch, soft fruity whiskey but not sure I could pick it out as Irish and especially Teeling, more apple cider and vanilla syrupy, mild bitterness, semi sweet finish, sticky

Mouth is med to fuller bod, lower carb unfortunately, fair to a bit higher warming alcohol

Overall OK, good base beer but barrel didn't really come through the heavy beer as much as I'd hoped, some clashing characters as well, too much apple cider

75 cl. corked bottle from Te lo dije Pérez, served in a stemless Duvel glass.
Copper colour, medium head and retention, sticky lacing.
Aroma of vanilla, oak, whiskey, a bit of smoke tobacco?, dried fruits.
Medium body, creamy texture, average carbonation. Sweet boozy finish.
Taste follows the aroma.
Another great one.

My 6,000th rating.
Poured into a Duvel stemless spherical glass. Pours a medium orange with very active streams of carbonation in the glass and a two finger white head with great persistence, looks great. Aroma of candi malt, apple, pear, and tannic grape with hints of oak and vanilla. Flavor is pale malt, apple, pear, lemon, astringent woody oak, vanilla extract; mild Irish whiskey notes that become more dominant in the finish, which is woody and moderately tart. Medium bodied with mild creaminess and sharp carbonation. Duvel was one of my first introductions to Beglian ales and I've loved it ever since. I was surprised to see this barreled variant with the unusual choice of Irish whiskey barrels for treatment, and had to try it. The barreling has changed the base ale quite a bit, to the point that I had to go back and review my review of the original. The biggest change is a light tartness with tannic character (the aroma had a resinous red wine note to it, but that is not as evident in the taste except for the tannins). The barrel character is more woody than oaky, although there are faint vanilla notes too. The base pale ale seems to have had the lemony tartness enhanced. At first, I did not taste the whiskey portion, but there is a clear Irish whiskey note in the finish, which is a bit tart and woody. There is a faint medicinal flavor throughout that is probably a combination of woodiness and the whiskey. An unusual and interesting treatment of a great Belgian pale ale. Warming, as always. Came with a cool globular Duvel glass that I like quite a bit.

Copper colored with a fingernail of off white around the rim and half of the top. The aroma is of Irish whiskey and doesn't become pronounced until the beer warms a bit. I'm tasting Irish whiskey and light and sweet Belgian malt. The mouth is dry and crisp.

750 ml bottle, bottle #005966, no dating I noticed on it. Served in a Duvel chalice, the beer pours a mostly clear golden/orange color with about an inch off-white head that stuck around for a while. There's also a lot of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like vanilla, oak, bready malt, whiskey, apple and some smokiness. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some pear and plum flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's slick and has a good amount of carbonation. I liked this one a lot, prefer this version to the regular Duvel. Think for me the barrel aging works for this brew a lot, kinda pricey but worth trying if you get the chance. $31.99 gift pack with the bottle and a glass.

This one served as the finale to our St. Patrick's Day weekend celebrations, the parting glass if you will. Orangey golden body with a white cap. Smell features a huge rustic barrel with dark dry wood, slight smoke, deep earth, and of course whiskey in a boozier sense with fruity belgian yeast. Taste is similar, though the barrel is even more dominant, almost peaty by the finish within the graininess of the yeast. Feel is very, very warm, wood leads the barrel character as the saving grace, yeast is still light and lush. Would lay this down to age if I had another bottle

 

Pours a brilliant dark orange color. Completely clear and somewhat effervescent. Thin, at most 2 finger off-white head forms on the beer upon pouring. The head recedes until just a thin splotchy layer of foam remains. The aroma on this has notes of vanilla, oak, some cream along with some subtle fruity notes - apple, grapefruit rind, and berry - and then some light yeast and ester notes. It's kind of an odd combination - I really do not know what to make of it.

Taste follows the nose with notes of fruit - apple, berry and and some citrus rind. Then there are the notes from the Irish whiskey barrels - vanilla, oak, some vanilla icing, and a light cinnamon and spice. There are notes of grain and malt along with some yeast and ester notes. There is an odd tanginess that comes from those fruity notes. Feel is light to medium bodied, smooth, with moderate carbonation. The carbonation seems to die down quickly.

Overall this is an odd one - the tanginess I get from the beer is out of place and somewhat off-putting. Beyond that, the irish whiskey cask actually works well with the underlying Duvel. I preferred the rum barrel edition quite a bit compared to this one.

This one is a bit weird, as it defied expectations, but I am enjoying the oddity it brings. It starts with the look, a bit darker than I expected, and though I probably should've expected something a bit darker than Duvel, this was amber nearing rust color. It is quite clear, and though the head doesn't near regular Duvel's standards, it is okay and does provide a nice amount of lacing.

The beer’s nose is also weird, and I having had this beer alongside some Teelings, I totally got the vanilla cream I got in the whiskey itself coming through. There was a fruitiness that the beer brought and the combination worked to give the impression of cream cheese icing on a cake with some form of red berry fruit thinly spread between layers.

Taste brings more of the fruit and less vanilla icing, but Duvel’s Belgian notes and its bitterness are replaced with a strain of whiskey sweetness. The fruit actually seems like it’s trying to be a bit wild, with a slight tartness to it. Effervescence is fine to start but seems to lessen more quickly than I'd like, with the beer seeming to flatten around mid-glass.

From a 750 ml. bottle with a taped down top and beautiful packaging. Came with a free glass. Sampled Feb 10, 2023.

Attractive golden pour into that free 8 ounce glass withy a lingering off-white head and fine clarity.

The aroma is already alive with oak, wood, and alcohol. I also pick up a Graham cracker aspect, a little vanilla, and overripe cherries.

The mouthfeel is full and smooth.

I get a sweet and oaky taste. Maybe wood too. But the interesting thing about this one is the tartness. It has some of the flavor characters of a sour or perhaps a kriek with more booze. Warming finish. Well worth the money.

Not sure I like this as much as the Duvel Rum Barrel Edition, but it's very in line with it and similar beers I like(d) such as Doom and Curieux, and overall an excellent beer... Herbal hops with citric edges, a moderately sweet malt body, amply bittered and taut on the palate... Woody tannins add slightly acidic notes, and the carbonation is smooth - using the gift glass that came with it and a stable pour lol... Medium-weight, with a little boozy whiskey aftertaste... It was like a $22-23 bottle at Total Wine here on LI - well-worth it and recommended...

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a somewhat opaque orange. The head is still significant (compared to regular Duvel), but it's also different. Not as fluffy. Disappears MUCH faster as well. It is clear immediately from the nose that this was aged in whiskey barrels. Toffee, citrus, sweet candy, honey, oak, apples, and apricots. Compared to the regular version, this doesn't have the spicy note on the nose. Still, it smells fantastic!

The taste is really intense and interesting. Again, tons of whiskey comes through here. Lots of fruit - orange, lemon, apricot, plums, granny smith apples. Grainy and sweet. Some oak, toffee, honey, and some grass. This is just a really interesting beer. Strongly influenced by the barrel aging, so the regular Duvel doesn't come through as much. However, I am really enjoying this one!

Clear copper-hued body; sparse carbonation; nice head, thick and dense; fat white rings of foam encircle the glass. The nose offers a nice hint of Irish whiskey and oak; hint of fruity esters. Incredible flavor; apple, pear and peach; very subdued bitterness; lightly tangy; dab of oak; a light suggestion of honey. Heavy body; smooth and slippery.

This is an interesting beer. I only picked up the Irish whiskey profile in the aroma while the taste was nearly all esters and delicate sweetness. While the smell and taste don't necessarily match up, together, they create a very nice overall beer experience.

Pouring temperature: 45 °F; bottling info: Batch No. 7 124.860 BOTTLES (BOTTLE N° 000682 per bottle cap tape) 624 BARRELS
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)