De Dolle Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005

370 reviews

Diksmuide, Belgium

Community reviews

4.4 330ml bottle given by Fin to a couple of people he had never met before (Mat and me). We decided to share it, so on 8th Dec 2014 five of us tasted this wonderful beer during the December Shrewsbury Bottle Exchange Group meeting. Just lovely, what a pity all five of us turned up! You can read what other people have said about this beer because I did not take notes, I just savoured the moment and relaxed with my small portion while the world rushed by.

4.8 Five years after the legendary Stille Nacht Reserva 2000 was made, as the first Belgian beer matured on barrels of other kinds of beverages, it was repeated, but almost wholly exported to the States, like so many other terrific Belgians. Tasted at the Kerstbierfestival of that year. This is the ’newer’ Stille Nacht matured on wine barrels, with a deep amber colour and thin but creamy, yellowish head; aroma and taste reveal a baffling complexity, immediately attacking the nose in an incredibly seductive way... Banana, amaretto, limoncello, liquorice, red wine, orange, sweet sherry, vanilla-like tannins, honey, yoghurt, pepper, grapes, cider and so much more. Well rounded, soft and full palate, extremely fruity, extremely vinous with drying tartness, mild bitterness in the finish with the same strong alcohol as in the basic beer but somehow mitigated by woodiness and tannins, very long and utterly satisfying. I was sincerely flabbergastered by this, this is certainly the best of all the good Dolle brews I had so far, and in fact one of the best Belgian beers I ever had the pleasure to taste, unfortunately only in a very limited quantity... World class masterpiece, like its 2000 predecessor.

4.0 Bottle shared with richthevillan for our 2k and 3k ratings via jezza. Thanks Jezza. Hazy orange beer with residual head. Aroma of whisky, soy sauce malts and yeast. Taste is whisky, some sweetness, soy sauce, yeast and alcohol. Very good.

3.9 Bottle thanks to Jezza @BonsVoeux1 beer 2k & 3k share with SarkyNorthener; hazy light orange pour with a thin beige head, cognac and dried fruit aroma, taste sweet caramel, cognac, fortified wine, Demerara sugar, wood, ABV present.

4.0 Bottle split with Bruce and Colin in March 2013 at De Heeren van Liedekercke - Denderleeuw, Belgium. Pours mostly clear, bright gold with a big of sediment and a mild, foamy white head. Sweet-smelling aroma with notes of maple syrup, suggestions of oxidation and lightly tangy fruits. Medium to big sweet flavor with some lightly dried pale bread, alcohol, faint oxidation, dried sugars, old fruits. Full bodied with fine carbonation. Warming finish with some additional fruity tang, honey, dry caramel, woody alcohol. Nice stuff overall. The effects of aging are still relatively subdued. There’s still plenty of fight left in this fella.

3.4 Stille Nacht Special Reserva 2005 - Bottle from Kulminator in Antwerp. Deep orange golden pour with small white head ring. Aroma of huge booze, wood, musty basement, cognac, phenols. Flavor is woody, musty, some fruits, drinks like an after dinner cognac or brandy. Pretty boozy but also very smooth on the tongue with delicate carbonation and a strangely light mouthfeel. Tastes like grandma’s basement. Seriously this was a bit weird, and a bit like sipping on a super smooth aged scotch like lagavulin. But I have to say that overall this was a pretty huge disappointment. Maybe it was a bad bottle. Bound to happen when stored for 9+ years.

4.0 Bue en bouteille de 33cl, couleur jaune trouble, mousse compacte, effervescence moyenne. Un de mes rêves bus (j’en ai encore pas mal en stock) nez très fort incroyable de légèreté sur les fruits jaunes et les fleurs jaunes. En bouche une attaque sur la mirabelle, assez longue en bouche ça continue sur l’abricot et les épices. Vraiment excellente mais pas une claque non plus.

4.0 Bue en bouteille de 33cl @ Sherwood Pub Nicorvo. Une bière de rêve, très difficilement trouvable, On est sur un super produit évidemment de réalisation quasi-parfaite. Juste un peu déçu sur le peu de différence avec la Stille Nacht classique.

4.0 Thanks GothGargoyle! Volatile open, pours a hazy yellow gold with suspended speckles of deliciousness. Aroma of maple, wood, peach. Taste is sweet, with a tart punch. Medium dry finish. Gritty.

4.3 Slightly gushy bottle, cloudy orange with a good sized pale head. Aroma is candy sugar, preserved fruits, wood, apricot, caramel, Belgian yeast. Full bodied, sweet and complex on the palate, warming finish. Taste is honey, Belgian candi, dried stone fruits, orange brandy. So good

3.9 Bottle, at the Kulminator. Clear gold pour with white head. Aroma is boozy, intense cognac, fruity, pears, plums, light cinnamon. Taste is sweet, really fruity, nice booziness, tons of cognac, oxidization notes, light menthol, candy cane. Palate is med-full bodied, good carbonation, really warming alcohol.

4.1 Bottle (330 ml) @ Kulminator. Clear bright golden/orange with a small white head and good lacing. Aroma was really strange at first, but when it opened up a bit it was really good, complex and unique with Madeira, dust, mushrooms (like in some old gueuzes), alcohol, fruits (peaches/apricots, pineapple), winey notes and wood. Taste is also very special with Madeira (oxidation), light sweetness, dust, fruits, wood, winey notes and yeast. Medium/full body. Medium carbonation. Winey mouthfeel. Wooden finish. Very strange beer and probably past it’s prime, but still really tasty and enjoyable. These De Dolle beers often have a very special way to "integrate" the oxiditation and still be awesome.

4.1 (Backlog) Bottle. Sparkling golden orange pour with tan head. Fruit like apple, some spice, wine and oak aromas. Apple and vanilla, yeast, fruit and spice flavors.

4.4 Pours like a regular Stille Nacht beer. A slightly darker color than the original. I must say this IS my Christmas beer of choice. I have had their latest Reserve and I found this to be a tolerable version of the product. It was much more sour than the regular Stille Nacht, but packed with intensity. Bought it at The Kulminator in Antwerp in 2014 so it may have aged well.

4.2 33 cl bottle @ Mikkeller Bar. Pours clear mahogany color with no head. Aroma is yeast and ripe fruits, lots of caramel malts and some berry notes. Complex flavor of ripe fruits, yeast, faint spice notes, mild dark berries and faint wooden notes on the lingering aftertaste. Alcohol it’s present but well mannered. Sour and somewhat sweetish palate. Excellent. 4347

4.0 330ml bottle @ Mikkeller Bar Pours clear orange with a tiny head. Aroma of wood, ripe fruits, oak, yeast and spices. Taste is smooth, ripe fruity, oaky and woody with some yeast and spices. Finish is vinous but lovely smooth, sweetish and ripe fruity with some vanilla, wood and oaky notes. Quite vinous, well balanced and well aged Belgian strong ale. Cheers laiti for #5000!

3.7 33 cl bottle @ Mikkeller Bar my 5000th rating! Aroma has toffee typical to aged beltian ales, some apricot and alcohol. Also some moldy cellar tones. Flavour has lots of apricot, some cellar tones and hints of peaches. Also some white wine tones. Alcohol is present, but it only makes this a slow sipper without disturbing. And it feels like "barrel alcohol". Some cardboard tones occur after a couple of sips - perhaps still a bit past its prime after all. Also some bourbon-like sweet barrel notes and more grapefruit at last sip.

4.2 330 ml bottle @ Mikkeller Bar, Copenhagen. 2005 vintage. Pours a copper colour with a small head. Aroma of apricot, tart wood, mango jam and earth. Flavour is very well balanced with apricot jam, wood, mild grassiness, green apples and orange. Full bodied and thick mouthfeel. Extremely well balanced. Some delicate alcohol warmth. The barrel accompanies the flavours very nicely. Elegant. Cheers laiti for tick #5000!

3.9 Bottle @ kulminator shared with BelgBeerGeek. Pours a clear bright amber with a nice tan head. The smell is complex with rich malt sweetness, dark fruit, brown sugar and caramel. This one is bursting with flavor, fruit, some tartness,wood, roasted grain, a touch of cardboard. booze with a dry, crisp end. Mild carbonation with medium body that is slick.

4.0 Bottle @ Kulminator .. It pours amber with a small beige head….malty, honey, vinous, vanilla, wood and some warming alcohol….. lovely .... Fantastic!

4.2 Shared bottle at Kulminator. Sparkling, deep nut goldenbody with a small beige head. Honey, vanilla, wooden and vinuous notes on the nose. Meaty honey flavors, smooth and full bodied with more vinuous notes and a pleasant alco warmth. Fantastic!

4.1 How: Bottle. Where: Kulminator, Antwerpen. Appearance: Hazy light brown colour with a small off-white head. Aroma: Sweet citrus, sour fruit, spices, some alcohol. Body: Full bodied with lots of carbonation. Flavour: Sour fruit, rather sweet, raisin.

4.3 Thanks to bu11zeye for this bottle. Pours translucent copper with a transient beige head. Aroma mildly sour fruit. Near med body. Lots of wood. Some brown sugar; some heat; ripe light pitted fruits. Maybe a touch of date/raisin in the finish. Very good! Aged nicely.

4.3 Bottle shared by bhensonb. Pours reddish copper with a tiny orangish beige head and a sour fruit, alcohol and malt aroma. There is a carbonated slightly sour brown flavor with lots of oak and some dark fruit. Very complex and well-aged.

2.9 Old notes, no idea from which event or tasting. Just wrote down the flavors which were winey, oak, a touch of sour. Ok, but not my favorite.

3.5 Bottle from Keith I think. Rating #327. Clear copper pour with practically no head to speak of. Fruity aroma, grapes are the first one that comes to mind. Big and boozy with a slight fruitiness, wine and a little woody. Not bad. (2802)

3.3 Bottle @ Kulminator. Clearish blonde with a thick white head. Aroma is spicy, sugar, beets and apparent oxidization. Flavor is spicy yeast esters, sugary malt, citrus peel and alcohol. Medium body. Wow, not what I expected at all, the oxidization is expected for a 8 year old beer but it had a weird beet aroma that I couldn’t get past.

3.5 Bottle at Torst. Barely any head; poor retention. Tastes like a boozy, honey-infused barleywine. Sweet bready malt bomb, plenty of alcohol behind the flavor. Good, but not worth seeking out. Totally different from the 2010, and yet far inferior.

3.0 Bottle at Mikkeller Bar, pours a cloudy dark orange with a small white head. Aroma of Belgian yeast, sour fruits, some turpentine, and paint thinner. Flavour of white wine notes, turpentine, oak barrels, and Belgian yeast. Super complex, but too much paint thinner quality, on top of the vinous notes. Way overrated. Not of top tier as the ratings suggest.

3.8 Enjoyed bottle at Torst. The secret to its preservation is the honey, and that was big in the taste. Orange and golden bodied. Not boozy but its a big beer. With the honey is cloves, champagne yeast, other spice and a hint of vin tannin. Smooth, A little bitterness in the finish. Not as interesting or different as marketed and pricey, still a nice one.