De Dolle is well worth a visit if you ever find yourself with a spare Saturday or Sunday when in West Flanders. It is a really welcoming space, typically quirky and small scale. But it is places like this that make Belgium’s brewing industry special.
The De Dolle beers are reasonably easy to find in bars and bottle shops, though they only produce around 1000 hectoliters per year (that’s around 300,000 bottles). But this beer is pretty tricky to find in Belgium as it is only brewed once or twice a year. It was made for export to the US at the request of the US distributor. Pretty much as the name suggests!
And it is a very different style of beer for a brewery that produces a range of traditional Belgian styles. That just makes it all the more interesting though.
It is very English in style, save for the use of the Arabier yeast. Very dark, almost black body with a strong aroma of dark chocolate, coffee, dark dried fruits and brown sugar. The only surprise in the flavour is that the beer isn’t as sweet as the aroma suggested. There is also an earthy bitterness and a hint of woody spice or even licorice.
The finish is long and slightly bitter in the dark chocolate sense. It probably sits somewhere between an imperial stout and a classic Belgian strong dark ale. Either way it is rather nice.
A big Imperial Stout, dark fruit, chocolate and a hint of sourness
A big and tasty imperial stout brewed with cacao, vanilla and orange peel
An imperial stout brewed with cacao, vanilla and orange zest, aged in Brazilian Amburana wood oak barrels
A luscious big imperial stout with cocao nibs and roasted peanuts
The name translates as 'lubricating oil', and that is a fair description for this rich and smooth imperial stout
Another 2019 Boreft Festival Beer, this is an imperial stout with chocolate nibs and fresh mint
This Borefts Festival beer from 2018 is an imperial stout with amarene cherries, finished on cedar wood
The flagship imperial stout from De Molen - 'Hell & Damnation'
De Molen's 'Hell & Damnation' Imperial Stout
De Molen's flagship imperial stout has been given a hazelnut twist
De Molen's 'Heaven & Earth' - s smoky, peaty Imperial Stout
De Molen's 'Malt & Mocha' is their winter seasonal coffee imperial stout
De Molen's 2018 Boreft Festival '9+1' beer is an imperial stout with added aloe vera
An Imperil Stout with 5 different barley malts, flaked oats and hand roasted coconut flakes
A slightly sour imperial stout with walnut extract, caramel and salt, aged in Bowmore Whiskey barrels
A blend of two of De Molen's imperial stouts, then aged in various barrels, blended again and spiked with a wild Brettanomyces yeast
A delicious Imperial Stout with the addition of Rooibos, a little lighter and drier than a typical IS
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
It is Creme Brûlée - dessert in a glass
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
A rich and luxurious Imperial Stout infused with coffee beans from Italy
It's a big dark lager, in the form of an imperial stout. And it is delicious!
Really this is more a cross between a Belgian Quadrupel and an Imperial Stout
A massive Imperial Stout, with loads of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee
A delicious imperial stout with oat flakes in the malt bill, and coffee beans, vanilla and chipotle and mulato chilli peppers
A wintery imperial stout with roasted chicory root
An oatmeal stout with a rich, creamy and luxurious chocolatey flavour
A delicious dessert beer, this is like caramel fudge in a glass
Probably the flagship beer of Kees' beer portfolio
An imperial pastry stout with vanilla, toffee and dry dates
A really interesting, slightly sour Imperial Stout that has been barrel aged for 12 months and spiked with wild Brettanomyces yeast
A delicious imperial milk stout with the addition of coffee beans, cocoa beans and lactose
An imperial stout aged with American oak from bourbon barrels
A big and tasty imperial stout that balances the sweetness with a good level of roasted malts and hop bitterness
Four malts, roasted barley and two hops create a beautiful Imperial Stout - with a Belgian twist.
This Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout is a three-way collaboration with Alvinne (BEL) and Velka Morava (RUS) brewed at Brouwerij Kees
Imperial pastry stout with vanilla, coconut and lactose
An oatmeal imperial stout with the addition of Jamaican coffee beans and orange peel
Imperial Pastry Stout with vanilla, coconut and lactose
An imperial milk stout with vanilla, cinnamon and lactose
A massive imperial stout with the addition of vanilla, marshmallows and lactose
A Belgian Imperial Stout, rich in chocolate, roasted malts and coffee
De Dolle's Passbier, or Easter seasonal offering is a delicious tripel using organic cane sugar
The 'Mad Bitch' is an insanely good tripel from De Dolle Brouwers
A dark beer that was the first beer produced by the De Dolle brewery
A special pale ale with bitter orange peel was brewed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of De Dolle Brouwers
The renowned Christmas seasonal beer from the 'The Mad Brewers' - can stored for many years.
