Duchesse de Bourgogne

Aged in oak barrels for an extended period of time after fermenting, Flanders Reds are then typically blended into a mix of old and young beer. This specific example is a blend of 18 month and 8 month old beers. I really enjoy the complexity that comes from the blending and barrel aging along with the sour characteristics of a good Flanders. Duchesse is one of the most celebrated Flanders out there, so I had high hopes and definitely wasn’t disappointed.



Style – Flanders Red Ale
ABV – 6.2%
Brewed In – Vichte, Belgium
Availability – Year Round

Score – 8.8/10

Appearance
After pulling off the cage, the cork gave a nice pop with only a slight amount of pressure. The dark copper color has orange highlights and is very murky. The light tan head is thick and soapy, with notable retention. The lacing left behind is spotty at best.

Smell
The aroma is subtle, yet multidimensional. Dark, sweet cherries are in the forefront, accompanied by toffee and vinegar.

Taste
The flavor definitely isn’t in your face, but is extremely complex and all the flavors play off of each other very nicely. The malt vinegar provides an excellent balance to the over-ripe cherries, while the vanilla and oak flavors from the barrels provide more depth of flavor. It finishes dry with just a hint of tartness.

Feel
The carbonation couldn’t fit this beer better, creating just a slight prickle on my tongue. It’s fairly light and a bit too thin, but very smooth.

Overall
This is a very good example of the style. I could have handled a bit bolder flavor, and a little thicker mouthfeel personally, but overall I really enjoyed this. I’m glad that I have a few bottles in the cellar since I can’t get this around here anywhere. Do any of you guys have any experience aging this or anything similar?

Thanks for the review Justin. I agree with you, as the mouthfeel is definitely less than substantial which does sort of ruin it for me. I need a beer to fill my palate well. I will say, even though I don't love this style beer, this particular one does have a nice balance and very good complexity. The depth of this beer really shines when it starts warming up. I hope these age well for you.

JLAudio said:

Thanks for the review Justin. I agree with you, as the mouthfeel is definitely less than substantial which does sort of ruin it for me. I need a beer to fill my palate well. I will say, even though I don't love this style beer, this particular one does have a nice balance and very good complexity. The depth of this beer really shines when it starts warming up. I hope these age well for you.

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I'm totally with you on the mouthfeel. I realize that the style isn't supposed to have a heavy mouthfeel, but I would love to find one that does.

Thanks for the review Justin! This was awesome off of tap at the Stone 12th Anni Beerfest :thumbs:

Thanks for the review! I love this style for a nice departure...I'll have to keep my eyes open for this one.

I just bought a bottle of this today to take to a beer tasting on Monday. One of my all time favorites. A refreshing change of pace from in your face beers.

I bought a 4 pack of 330mL bottles a while ago, and I have to say I really enjoy this beer as a change of pace. It's definitely not something you'd sit down and drink several bottles of, but it is a remarkably tasty brew.

I has a bottle of this at the Stone Brewery Winterfest last week. A great beer and something that I'd definitely have again. I had this one in between about about 12 other 4oz tasters of their 50+ ltd beers (seems like all of them were 8.5-11.5%) so I cant give a very in-depth review beyond the fact that I really enjoyed it