CulturAle Press

Aging Beers: De Dolle Oerbier ‘nat en Straf: Wet and strong’    At Twelve Years From our “Vault”

Date:  February 16, 2018

The Story—  De Dolle Brouwers in Esen Belgium:  De Dolle translates to “Mad” as in “kinda nuts” and it kinda fits.   A couple of brothers salvaged a defunct brewery in their hometown and still brew on weekends when they’re not at their day jobs.  In the 80s, Maurice Coja, founder and the owner of the legendary Brickskeller Saloon in Washington, DC, gave us a couple of thousand dollars to find some beers he could import.  We found him Schlenkerla, Cantillon, and DeDolle.  Not a bad collection for the rank amateurs we were at the time.

Chris Herteleer of De Dolle became a frequent guest at the Brickskeller tastings of the 80s and 90s.  He’s funny and smart and incredibly talented.  His day job is an architect and he’s a superb artist.   Look for the De Dolle labels – they’re creative with that so distinctive Belgian humorous edge.  He’s also a brilliant brewer.  Chris was one of our earliest mentors in aging beers.  He took us to his “vault” and tried to show us the value of laying a beer down.  Unfortunately cellaring beers isn’t really a science and many of the bottles he pulled exploded in foam when opened.  He almost gave up, but the last one he pulled — I don’t remember the age but it was several years– was nothing short of magnificent.  He told us that beers sometimes go through a decline — sort of a time in the desert– before rebounding into splendor.   He was using the Rodenbach “yeast” at the time.  The original privately owned Rodenbach brewery was more generous with its unique blend of organisms than the more commercial management of recent years.   This beer, we’re pretty sure, used the Rodenbach yeast and cellared spectacularly.

Chris went through some tough years searching for a replacement for the Rodenbach, but he’s back.  We don’t know what he’s using or how he got it, but the bottles we’ve had recently have the same magnificent Flemish touch of sour without excessive acid.  We assume they’ll age well — we’ll try to let you know in 2030.

The Beer—   At twelve years, the beer has a rich, fruity and meaty aroma.   Lots of Rodenbach-y sweetness to match the rich cherry and darkness.  Almost no acid;  cherry is sweet but nowhere near the soda-like sweet fruit beers.   Exceptionally clean though slightly creamy.  Wowzer — this is the reason Chris puts them down for years.  I’ll admit a bias, but what a gem!  Ellie’s view:  some funky tart, but it’s fruity and a surprising amount of chocolate fudge and cocoa.   Complex and interesting – no extremes (!) Age has probably helped it.

Value —Good.   De Dolle beers are reasonably priced in Belgium when you can find them.   They’re brought to the US in relatively small quantities and the importing adds a good deal to the cost.   A small bottle will set you back more than you’d expect, but it’s a very worthwhile splurge.  We pick up some every year to put in the back of our fridge.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 In February, we’re digging into our legendary “vault” where we’ve been storing hundreds of bottles of beer waiting for the right time to taste them (or sell them for charity).   The charity market has slowed, so we’re working through them in front of a fire and finding some disappointments, but more very surprising delights.   You can find the full list –eventually– here on this “index post.”

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”