Category Archives: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium, De Dolle Brouwers

De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2021

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Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: 2021 vintage

Brewer Description: As far as I could work out for the 2021, Stille Nacht aged for 2 years in barrels that once held red wine.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2021 vintage, bottled in June 2023. Poured into whatever glass I could find at the hotel.
Appearance: A hazy golden dark orange colour, with a thin white head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Boozy, brandy soaked pineapple, apple juice, orange zest, oak, vanilla, with a brandy finish.
Taste: Sweet, orange, marmalade, pineapple, apricot, vinous, oak, vanilla, brandy.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with an especially wonderful aroma and strong barrel character.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium, De Dolle Brouwers

De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2019 Barrique 10

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Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: 2019 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Stille Nacht aged in oak barrels for 3 years. Refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, brewed in 2019, bottled in 2023, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin cap, while leaving fluffy lacing.
Aroma: Oak, barrel, vanilla, fruit cake, lemon zest, lime, candied orange, white wine grapes, damp wood, with a touch of funk.
Taste: Very lightly sour and tart, oak, vanilla, lemon zest, lime, candied orange, damp wood, and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with strong barrel character and good complexities in both aroma and flavour.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium, De Dolle Brouwers

De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2010

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Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: 2010 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Stille Nacht aged in Bordeaux wooden barrels for 25 months.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, produced in 2010, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear orange copper colour with a one finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Fruit cake and blackcurrant oxidation, with sweet caramel, toasted oak, and candied citrus zest.
Taste: Sweet fruity, dried red berries, lightly red wine vinous, candi sugar, candied dried orange slices, honey, caramel, oak.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Despite the oxidation, this was an enjoyable sipper with nice balanced complexities within the flavour.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium, De Dolle Brouwers

De Dolle Stille Nacht

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Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: Christmas beer

Brewer Description: (from website) With Stille Nacht, available in Esen at De Dolle Brouwers, we offer a quality Christmas beer that you will enjoy, we are sure of it. Only Poperinge bubble hop is used. White candy mites provide the extra density.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled in October 2019. Poured into a De Struise tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, candi sugar, honey, boozy, candied orange peel, Belgian spices, with slight notes of apple and banana.
Taste: Light to moderate sweetness, boozy, candi sugar, fig, apple, orange peel, pear, peppery spice, with notes of clove and banana.
Mouthfeel: Boozy, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It’s a sipper, but the combination of sweet and boozy, although not too extreme here, is still not my favourite.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V., Netherlands

La Trappe Isid’or

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Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: Trappist beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) La Trappe Isid’or with it’s harmonious taste starts as a fruity flavour and then shifts to malty caramel; a perfect balance between complexity and simplicity.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of July 2020. Poured into a La Trappe goblet glass.
Appearance: A dark copper amber colour with a one finger beige head that had good retention and eventually settled to a nice thin replenishing layer while leaving lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Dark fruit, prunes, plum, fig, raisin, Belgian yeast, caramel and a touch herbal.
Taste: Sweet, dark fruit, plum, prunes, fig, raisin, followed by banana, clove, toffee and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Looks great and aroma was nice too. But it was sweet, too sweet for my liking. The sweetness was so strong that sipping it was the only way for me, and even that was too much at times.