Duchesse Chocolate Cherry
Brouwerij Verhaeghe

Duchesse Chocolate CherryDuchesse Chocolate Cherry
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From:
Brouwerij Verhaeghe
 
Belgium
Style:
Flanders Red Ale
Ranked #36
ABV:
6.7%
Score:
90
Ranked #8,186
Avg:
4.06 | pDev: 12.32%
Reviews:
66
Ratings:
151
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 17, 2024
Added:
Nov 10, 2018
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  14
Traditional Duchesse de Bourgogne with Belgian cherries and chocolate essence added during the maturation process in oak casks (foeders). 20 kg of whole Belgian cherries are used in the production of each 100 liters of Chocolate Duchesse Cherry.
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Ratings by BeerForMuscle:
Photo of BeerForMuscle
Rated by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Feb 04, 2020
More User Ratings:
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Two brown 11.2 fluid ounce bottles are emptied into a clear glass liter mug. The liquid is the color of cola soda and it poured like one. There was plenty of carbonation, but the head was quick to disappear. The smell is certainly of cherries, but there's more oak barrel tannins than chocolate. To taste, this becomes much better balanced. The chocolate presents itself nicely, the cherry holds its own and the tannins don't overwhelm either, just provide another layer and keep the sweetness in check. As delightful as this is, it is not an overly flavored and sweetened dessert beer. It's a Flanders Red that's true to its style. The body and mouthfeel are light and for the most part, clean. The chocolate and cherry are nice additions.
Feb 17, 2024
 
Rated: 4.16 by ItsBeer4Me from Pennsylvania

Feb 13, 2024
 
Rated: 4.1 by SViterileroux74 from Texas

Dec 30, 2023
 
Rated: 2.87 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Dec 24, 2023
Photo of smbslt
Reviewed by smbslt from Illinois

2.52/5  rDev -37.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
The funk aroma was not inviting. While the taste did not follow the aroma, band-aid was so prevalent it would be considered flawed by everyone. This cannot be what they were striving for. Disappointing failure.
Dec 17, 2023
 
Rated: 2.29 by MrJones07 from Spain

Dec 16, 2023
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.36/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
(5 oz draft pour in a tiny snifter at The Mile last week... review cobbled from random notes taken then)

the notes: plastic diaper or band aid... cherry cough drops on the nose... Tootsie Roll (chocolate) essence on the palate

what I recall: dry, sort of thin in its body/attenuation... just tasted off, but like from natural flavor additives (cherry pits, cacao nibs) that didn't take to the beer well, as opposed to artificial flavors that made the beer taste "fake"... above all, this is not taste like the regular Duchesse I'm well familiar with simply accented by the featured ingredients... I feel compelled to buy a bottle now to find out if the draft was just shit or what (2247)
Dec 14, 2023
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12.7 corked and caged bottle into a chalice. Best by 8/18/22, so 15 months late. Oh well, let's see....

Looks nice enough. Reddish body, small pinkish head shrinks to a ring and faint covering. Very mild aroma, hard to find anything but cherry. On tasting, the chocolate is but a fleeting moment, cherries still light, as is the tart and sour aspect. Finish is clean, lightly sour. Overall, not a bad drink, but likely should obey the best by date for this beer.
Dec 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.03 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Dec 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.96 by Catalinmunteanu from Romania

Nov 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.14 by Private_Biscuit from Alabama

Oct 14, 2023
Photo of LanceBiggums
Reviewed by LanceBiggums from Canada (AB)

4.07/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Much redder than the regular Duchesse De Bourgogne Flanders red ale. Even the head has a pink tinge to it - for the half minute it lasts, that is. Huge cherry aroma on the nose, and a good bit of sour, funky yeast, plus a leathery scent. Nor big on chocolate. There is more of a chocolate note present in he flavour, though still much less than the cherry, and the funky yeast reminds me of a lambic, much funkier than the original Duchesse. This is listed here at 6.7% but my bottle clearly says 6.8%; either way, ylthe alcohol is barely detectable in the flavour. It is still plenty sour and refreshing, maybe even slightly more sour than the original Duchesse, and definitely funkier with the yeast. Overall an intriguing and flavourful beer.
Sep 30, 2023
Photo of BGDrock
Reviewed by BGDrock from Canada (ON)

4.21/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Semi clear, reddish brown (or brownish red?) body, dull, with a faintly pink head that struggles to form.
Aroma is tart and acidic, of red currant, cherry, and yes a sense of fruity chocolate, a hint of must.
Wow what a burst of bright, tart, fruity/chocolatey flavour! Macerated cherries, like a Luxardo cherry, side-by-side with rich deep chocolate - the flavours combine like a cake, or a mousse topped with cherry jam; there is a touch of cream or vanilla which is a lovely touch; all of this balanced by sharp acidity and sourness that leaps in and carries the flavours through the long finish; medium body and prickly carbonation, the feel is sticky and puckering.

Delightfully vibrant flavour, unique and beautifully balanced, a treat for dessert but also great on it's own.
Sep 16, 2023
Photo of Storm_Rryder
Reviewed by Storm_Rryder from Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Delicious !! Dark opaque brown, medium body and carbonation. Quite sour with excellent mix of chocolate and cherry flavors. It's like a light black forest cake although not as sweet. Perfect balance, love it!
Sep 16, 2023
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before Aug 5 2024 and served slightly chilled.

Pours brownish-burgundy, taking on a glorious ruby red colour when held to a light. A deliberately rough pour stirs up one finger of loose, soapy, pinkish-tan head that collapses in about sixty seconds, leaving behind a generous collar of bubbly suds. I'm getting oak, sour cherries and balsamic on the nose, with understated notes of cocoa and milk chocolate; hints of cherry pit, barnyard funk, cranberry and vanilla, with a touch of ethanol.

A little sweet at the forefront, with cocoa, vanilla and black cherry combining to give off a vaguely cake-like note that is immediately overrun by sour cherry and balsamic acidity. Robust, funky oak flavours come through later on, with caramelized sugars, milk chocolate and cherry pit on the back end; the aftertaste is potent, with sour cherry, balsamic, oak and cranberry persisting for a second or two before fading to musty funk. Medium-light in body, with fairly lively carbonation that froths up on the tongue as it agitates the palate; smooth mouthfeel, with above average drinkability for the style.

Final Grade: 4.13, an A-. I wouldn't say I prefer Duchesse Chocolate Cherry over the original Duchesse (or the Cherry-only variant, for that matter), but it's still a really good sour in its own right. I don't have tons of experience with Flanders ales, and this is the first chocolate-flavoured one I've come across, making it a worthwhile novelty for this beer geek. The added sweetness from the chocolate does temper the sourness a tad, but not entirely - it's still very tart, and I definitely wouldn't put this forward as a beginner's sour. I'd buy this again given the opportunity, but it's not a brew I'd desperately search for. Cheers!
Sep 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.7 by MakerMachiav from England

Sep 15, 2023
Photo of Grax
Reviewed by Grax from Iowa

3.64/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Much like the regular Duchesse but with a smoother, milk-chocolate backbone to it and some cherry sweetness riding overtop. As usual, a tangy flare inherent to the style. Not a bad change to the formula, but probably not something I'd seek out.
Aug 02, 2023
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.81/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
330 ml bottle from the LCBO for $3.95 CDN. Served cold in a goblet. Best before October 12, 2024. Listed at 6.8% ABV.

Appearance - Deep red, nearly mahogany in color. A whisper of head is poured and fizzles out in seconds. Visible carbonation at the edges of the glass.

Smell - combination of sweet and sour cherries, hints of cocoa powder. Lots of balsamic and earthy wet wood aromas.

Taste - Starts kind of sweet with cherries and a sweet chocolatey taste, then very tart and sour with an explosion of sour cherries. Some wood and then more elements of chocolate in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Very fizzy with crisp bubbly carbonation, mouth puckeringly dry in the finish. Body is medium.

Overall - A fine treat with a nice contrast of sour and sweet. If anything if the tartness was dialed back just a bit, I think this would be even more enjoyable as it stands, the acidity and tartness is nearing extreme. Still very well crafted by one of Belgium's finest.
Aug 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.16 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Jul 03, 2023
Duchesse Chocolate Cherry from Brouwerij Verhaeghe
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 151 ratings