Duchesse De Bourgogne
Brouwerij Verhaeghe

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by RockEmBaby from Texas

L-A real pretty reddish brown pour. Approximately 2 fingers worth of a light amber head. A real nice color combination.
S-Nice fruity smell with a hint of oak. The malt and hops also come through.
T-At first sip there’s a fruity and sweet taste, but then a real pleasant sour after taste comes through that provides a nice balance to this beer.
F-Real smooth
O-When I first took a sip of this beer I was totally surprised because I never tasted any beer quite like this. But the more I drank it the more it grew on me. This is a very unique and well blended beer. When you’re in the mood to try something different I recommend giving this beer a try.
PS: This beer went really well with the ham we had for Christmas!!

Dec 25, 2021

4.96/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
by md3kcn from North Carolina

Purchased as a 28-ounce tall bottle at The Fresh Market for $14.90. Poured into a tulip glass.

L - Ruby/mahogany with a one-finger dark eggshell head. Incredibly beautiful lacing; coats the sides of the glass.
S - Merlot grapes, leather, and cherry. Oak. Legitimately smells of a good red wine.
T - Cherry, dates, and grape on the front. Oak and tannin notes throughout, with a charred oak base. Finish is tart and juicy, and left on a slightly bitter berry note. On the sweeter side at first, it turns well-balanced as you progress down the glass.
F - Full-bodied, with light carbonation. Silky and juicy. Satisfying finish.
O - Though my ratings may differ, this is my new favorite beer. Wine-like sans the snobby, this is a perfect pairing to my Thanksgiving meal. If I were to have one beer before I died, I'd be honored for this to be the one. I cannot recommend this enough. Will purchase again.

Nov 25, 2021

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

11.2 oz bottle EB Euro dated 2022/09/16 into a 12 oz ale glass.
L: Pours murky dark amber/brown with a fizzy head that is gone in seconds down to edge foam, well carbonated, no lacing.
S: Sour, over-ripe apple skins, vinegar, cherry, red wine tannins, red wine cork, leather, dark fruit.
T: Tart, sour, sharp acrid sweetness, full flavored dark fruits, oak wood cask, cranberry, cherries. It is fairly intense tasting and I do taste nuances of malt in the background towards the finish.
F: Medium-light bodied, lively with carbonation, acidic and moderately drying. It has an intense and compact mouthfeel that is puckering.
O: A complex beer that is almost like dark cider meets tawny port wine. Very sour with cask aroma and a lively taste along with deep fruits. A sour beer to sip and it is excellent in it's style.

Nov 14, 2021

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by elnachooo from Spain

Cerveza de color rojizo con un cordón espumoso de retención media. Ligera y de carbonatación media/alta. Aroma a cereza, cereales y caramelo. En boca tiene una agradable acidez con notas de manzana.

Aug 09, 2021

4.98/5  rDev +20%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
by rxmk from New York

Wow! I am blown away by this! Excellent beer. One of the best i ever had.

Jul 28, 2021

4.21/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by zac16125 from South Carolina

11.2oz bottle into a Teku
Best before: 2022-08-06

A: Pours an almost cola color in the glass but with hues varying from ruby to caramel when held to light. 2 fingers of dense light tan head build before dissipating down. Moderation retention and lots of lacing. 4.5

S: Aroma is tons of sweetness up front, moderate dark fruits, huge butterscotch, a bit caramely. Tartness is mild, but there is pretty prominent pungent cheese like funky notes. 4

T: Taste is just bursting with flavor, huge rich dark fruits, equally huge sweetness with tons of sugary caramel notes. There is tartness, but it’s not particularly prominent. No reply
funky notes at all. It does provide some balance but for the most part it’s a sweetness bomb which admittedly I find a bit surprising. I do get some oaky notes to round it out. Very good but almost too one dimensional which again I am shocked by. 4.25

M/D: Full bodied but not heavy, carbonation perfect, some mild puckering tartness made it more drinkable than it otherwise would be. 4.25

O: Overall it’s a very good beer. Not my favorite style, nor is this my favorite in the style, but I recognize and appreciate that it’s one of the standards. 4.25

Jul 07, 2021

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by jasadewi from Tennessee

5oz pour for me in a flight at Raleigh Beer Garden.
A: Looks like a dark black tea. Barely red, more burgundy or brown.
S: Sour funkiness and cherries notes.
T: Slightly tart, cutting sweetness at the end. Follows the nose, but not overpoweringly sour.
M: Light bodied and fairly acidic.
O: A really great beer, certainly worth trying.

May 10, 2021

4.52/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by colts9016 from Idaho

Review 1519
I thought I had consumed this beer, only to learn I have not. My co-worker raves about this beer. Years later, I am finally going to drink this beer ( I probably should have done this long before now). The beer is 44 degrees and served in a tulip glass. The pour created a one-fingered head. The creamy tan had so-so retention and left no lacing on the glass. I was hoping for some type of lacing or retention. The color of the beer is SRM 20, dark amber brown with a reddish tint. The beer is clear with some carbonation bubbles suspended mid-liquid.

I get candied cherries followed by sourness. Another whiff I smell, oak, wine, malty sweetness, toffee, raisins, and earthiness. I want to say it smells like cough syrup but not with all the nastiness that cough syrup embodies. I love the aromas of this beer it is fragrant, sweet, and sour.

A huge punch of sourness, followed by candied cherries, and oak. Next, I get sherry-like wine flavors, vanilla, malty sweetness, and raisins. I taste apples, earthiness with a touch of funky.

The mouthfeel is puckering, tart, and dry.

The body of the beer is medium, medium carbonation, and full finish.

This beer is awesome, it has big rich flavors. Leaves your mouth watering but finishes dry. I can see why this is a timeless classic. I would not mind a few more of these beers.

May 06, 2021

4.6/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by mike22ne from Massachusetts

Poured from a bottle, stamped Best before 12-17-2021.

Just a fabulous beer! Bright yet deep, tart with a rounded malty sweetness, fruity and funky. Well balanced with many layers of flavor.

World-class for good reason.

Apr 10, 2021

4.69/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
by MesaDan from Minnesota

Combined my reviews of 2017 and 2021: Brewery says it is a Flemish Sour Red Ale: Nose of red cherry wine with some must; deep red hue with tan lacy head; light and smooth mouthfeel with medium effervescent carbonation; taste of sweet, earthy cherry w/ some raspberry & oaky notes and with just a bit sourness. Finishes crisp with a lingering fruit taste.

Mar 26, 2021

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
by detgfrsh from Texas

From a 750ml bottle. Pours a dark red with a thin lacing of bubbles. Smells of sour cherries and straw. Medium body. Cherry flavor with some earthiness and a slightly sour finish. An excellent beer, and very distinct. Could probably pick this one out in a taste test!

Mar 20, 2021

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
by Sigmund from Norway

(250 ml bottle). Pours with a large thick head, colour is copper. Intense aroma of red fruits, red wine vinegar and horse stable. Lovely sour flavour of fruits, notes of spices. Aftertaste says "more, more!". A great beer.

Mar 20, 2021

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by beerthiefdotca from Canada (NL)

On the attack I get black cherry the middle stays fruity maybe a touch of caramel. The finish drops off fairly quickly. The tartness you would expect seems absent. Still one of my favourites.

Mar 07, 2021

5/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
by GBStevenson from Tennessee

Among many of sours this is might be favorite that I can get here in Nashville. I buy a four pack once a week. It is splendid in every way. I love Rodenbach, Mort Subite among many, but amazing balance, mouth feel, the oak, champagne-like even. Cheers!

Feb 06, 2021

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
by Gdabeast from California

This is without a doubt, a benchmark, a standard, for any sour style beer. It is ridiculous that you can get such a great beverage for such a reasonable price.
It holds a dark amber/ruby color, with a white head that quickly returns to the brew hence it came.
It has a sweet and fruity smell to it, smelling of cherries, leather, and wood.
The taste is a superbly balanced sweet cherry, with a full bodied almost creaminess to it. I believe part of the "creaminess" I get is from the excellent mouthfeel. One could equate drinking this beer to drinking a tart cherry pie filling. An amazing beer.

Feb 02, 2021

4.32/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
by BPVandenbroek from Canada (AB)

Duchesse de Bourgogne is crystal clear, and a deep, almost sullen, ruby colored ale. The head is dense, a very light tan color, and incredibly lasting.
Aromas of wood are what I notice first. Beyond that, the nose is robust, complex, also smooth and enticing. In addition to aromas of wood I’m picking up notable fruit esters. In particular, I can smell ripe cherries and other ripe, pitted fruit. Interestingly, I can also smell notes of vanilla. Subtle as it is, vanilla coupled with aromas of wood keep the fruit aromas from dominating or overpowering. And yet, the fruit esters have enough tartness to prevent the nose from being overly sweet.
Taking a sip, Duchesse de Bourgogne is smooth and enjoys up front flavors of tart ripe fruit. Fruit flavors taste like a combination of ripe, dark red cherries combined with supporting flavors of lemonade. This is all supported and by flavors of wood and vanilla, helping to smooth out the beer’s overall tartness. At this point, I taste something akin to red grapes, adding to the complexity and depth of this Flanders Red Ale. Flavors of multiple ripe fruit combined with vanilla and oak give Duchesse de Bourgogne an impressive, vinous quality.
Duchesse de Bourgogne boasts a gentle tartness, flavors of ripe fruit, and an overall vinous quality making it a wonderfully complex drinking experience. The barrel aging process impart flavors of wood and vanilla that give the beer an overall sense of structure. Barrel aging also prevents the fruit flavors from dominating the beer. What helps make this beer so impressive to me is that with all of Duchesse de Bourgogne’s vinous complexity, it’s remarkably accessible. Which is to say that if you’ve never had a Flanders Red Ale before, this would be an excellent example to cut your teeth on.

Jan 07, 2021

4.52/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
by Jake-Bomb from Illinois

Can you call a sour a sweet?

Poured into a Spigelau Wheat Ale glass.

Looks dark ruby red with a little foam, highly carbonated. Aroma's sweet with a hint of bitterness. Taste is hard to describe but closest would be like the Doctor Pepper of beers, it's almost like Cheerwine soda. Feels light and the carbonation is hard, lightly assaulting your mouth. Didn't leave me feeling particularly full and left me begging for more. Really haven't tasted a beer quite like it. Overall, it's bizarre and impressive in it's complexity. I'd drink it regularly if it was regularly available.

Jan 06, 2021

3.54/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
by MAB from Canada (AB)

A little too sour for my liking, but a complex and enjoyable beer nonetheless.
Quite dark with lots of carbonation. A fruity aroma which is borne out in the flavor; reminiscent of sour cherries. Big malt presence, some sweetness to help balance the sourness a bit, but lacking a dominating hop flavor. Yeasty and bubbly, it's a fun re-visit every once in a while, but nothing I'd seek on a regular basis.

Dec 26, 2020

4.07/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by donzilake from Ohio

50mL bottle stopped with a very long (i.e. hard to remove) cork, which itself is dated 2022-02-05. Label read Sour Fleshing Ale and 6% ABV. Served in a wine glass. This ale pours like no other beer, brown and tinged with red like wine. Very little head formation. Aroma yields malt vinegar (mildly) and a hint of berries. Flavor combines sourness with sweetness and oakiness in a way that is delicious in a way that is neither like beer nor wine. It leaves the tongue a little bit viscous but the finish is fruity and pleasant. Extremely fine carbonation. Excellent drinkability. This is one sour beer I can get behind 100%.

Dec 23, 2020

4.34/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by DirtyBerty from California

Pours a deep deep cherry, almost black with a red tint, especially red where the sun hits the glass. Full inch of foam, sticky, perfect looking. Smells like good port or sherry — taste is like that too, like a sherry beer, outstanding (I like fortified wines). Quite a bit of carbonation, which complements the taste well. Much richer and more interesting than the typical sour beer; in fact it’s not sour, just tart. I will bring this to Christmas dinner and make many toasts. Purchased at Healthy Spirits in The Mission, San Francisco, and drank in a big wine glass.

Dec 22, 2020