- De Dolle Brouwers
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De Dolle Brouwers Location Roeselarestraat 12B-8600 Esen, Belgium Owner(s) Jo Herteleer, Kris Herteleer Year opened 1980 Annual production 1000 hL[1] De Dolle Brouwers is a Belgian brewery, based in Esen in the province of West Flanders. The name means, literally, "the mad brewers" and this attitude is reflected in their whimsical graphics and adventurous brewing style.
The building housing the brewery is believed to date from 1835 and has a long brewing history since its inception by local doctor Louis Nevejan, having become the Costenoble brewery in approximately 1882 and remaining in that family for three generations. It was defunct when purchased by De Dolle and restored to function as a brewery in 1980.
The grounds of the brewery and tasting room are open to visitors for tours once a week, and by appointment for larger groups.
Contents
The Beers
- 21 (9%ABV) A limited-edition beer with an Original Gravity of 21 degrees Plato brewed only in 1998 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Hotel Erasmus in Bruges.
- Arabier (8% ABV) A particularly hoppy beer, dry-hopped with whole leaf Nugget hops grown in Poperinge.
- Boskeun (7% ABV) Literally "rabbit of the woods", this strong blond Easter beer (Paasbier)hopped with Goldings takes its title from the nickname of one of the founding brothers of the brewery.
- Dulle Teve (10%) A strong golden ale, its name meaning literally "Mad Bitch." The original export label bore this translation in addition to the beer's name, but this was removed when objected to by officials in the USA, and replaced with the designation "Tripel". In 2009, the brewery announced that some bottles of one batch had been unintentionally overcarbonated, and offered to exchange them if returned. In 2004, the brewery released a "Special Reserva" version of the beer aged in Calvados barrels.
- Lichtervelds Blond (9%) A Tripel-style ale
- Oeral (6% ABV)
- Oerbier (9% ABV) Meaning "original beer", this was the brewery's first product. It bears the motto "Nat en Straf", meaning "wet and strong". Addition of lactobacillus gives the beer a somewhat tart taste when aged. Hopped with Poperinge-grown Goldings.
- Stille Nacht (12%) Meaning "Silent Night". The brewery also releases annual "Reserva" and "Special Reserva" versions which are wood-aged and have an enhanced sour quality.
- Stout (9%) A strong dark beer considered to be a forerunner of the Belgian Stout style.
All of the De Dolle products are bottle-conditioned, and additional seasonal or special brews are also produced.
Awards and recognition
De Dolle received 4 Gold Awards in respected user ratings site RateBeer in their Best Beers of Belgium 2008[2] and 2 in 2009.[3]
In 2000, De Dolle brewer and owner Kris Herteleer was awarded the biennial "Golden Hammer" award by Bruges-based brewing and cultural society 't Hamerken for his work in restoring the brewery to function and also research on local brewing history.[4]
External links
Sources
- ^ http://beerme.com/brewery.php?1489 De Dolle Brouwers listing at beerme.com
- ^ http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/table_2008.asp?title=Best+Beers+of+Belgium+2008&file=belgium_beer_2008.csv RateBeer's Best of Belgium 2008
- ^ http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/table_2009.asp?title=Best+Beers+of+Belgium+2009&file=belgium_beer_2009.csv RateBeer's Best of Belgium 2009
- ^ http://www.thamerken.be/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=36 't Hamerken vzw "Gulden Hamerken" award history
Categories:- Beer and breweries in Belgium
- Beer and brewery stubs
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