Duchesse Chocolate Cherry
Verhaeghe in Vichte, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Flemish Red / Bruin Special|
Score
7.29
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Chocolate Duchesse Cherry“ is as its name suggests a chocolate and cherry beer. This beer is an ode to Belgian know-how. We are known and recognized for our delicious beers and exquisite chocolates. We had the crazy idea of mixing the two and making them a unique product.
Brewed only with real Belgian cherries (no flavor enhancers or cherry extracts). The fruit comes from the region of Sint-Truiden in Limburg (Belgium).
The base beer of the “Chocolate Duchesse Cherry“ is a red-brown from West Flanders with mixed fermentation. This beer has a high fermentation base and is then matured in oak casks where it undergoes a second wild fermentation. The tannins in the casks (very large barrel used for the storage of great Bordeaux wines) give Chocolate Duchesse Cherry its sweet, fruity, refreshing and bittersweet taste.
Once the base beer is ready, the master brewer adds 20 Kg of "Kriek Gorsem" (Belgian sour cherries) per 100 liters to the beer. For 6 months, the beer macerates with the cherries. The cherries give a fresh and fruity taste to the beer which has a sweet and sour base. After, we add cocoa to the beer which will soften (without going overboard) the beer and give it a chocolate aftertaste. the total process take 24 months.
Brewed only with real Belgian cherries (no flavor enhancers or cherry extracts). The fruit comes from the region of Sint-Truiden in Limburg (Belgium).
The base beer of the “Chocolate Duchesse Cherry“ is a red-brown from West Flanders with mixed fermentation. This beer has a high fermentation base and is then matured in oak casks where it undergoes a second wild fermentation. The tannins in the casks (very large barrel used for the storage of great Bordeaux wines) give Chocolate Duchesse Cherry its sweet, fruity, refreshing and bittersweet taste.
Once the base beer is ready, the master brewer adds 20 Kg of "Kriek Gorsem" (Belgian sour cherries) per 100 liters to the beer. For 6 months, the beer macerates with the cherries. The cherries give a fresh and fruity taste to the beer which has a sweet and sour base. After, we add cocoa to the beer which will soften (without going overboard) the beer and give it a chocolate aftertaste. the total process take 24 months.
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8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
11.2 oz bottle. Tavour Mystery Advent Beer #3. Aroma is almondy cherry pits, overripe cherry flesh, chocolate, vanilla, wood. Pours a gorgeous clear ruby red with a one finger reddish brownish-white head with decent retention. Taste is moderately sour (7/10) and a bit sweet, finishing dry, with notes of chocolate, cherries, balsamic vinegar, oak. Highly carbonated with a somewhat foamy mouthfeel. Takes the original Duchesse, one of my favorite sours of all time, in a really interesting direction. Rad stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Dec 2018
at 02:23
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
330 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 8/14/2020. Pours crystal clear ruby red/orange color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/lightly tart/tangy cherries, fruit skin/pits, almond, milk chocolate, cocoa, peach, plum, pear, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with light notes of pepper, musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, chocolate, oak, and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy/lightly tart/tangy cherries, fruit skin/pits, almond, milk chocolate, cocoa, peach, plum, pear, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with light notes of pepper, musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and slight yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of juicy/tart/tangy cherries, fruit skin/pits, almond, milk chocolate, cocoa, peach, plum, pear, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, light funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, chocolate, oak, and dark/bready malt balance; with a great malt/tartness and tangy fruit balance; with no puckering flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tartness and tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly acidic/tangy, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 6.8%. Overall this is an excellent Flanders red ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, chocolate, oak, and dark/bready malt balance; very smooth and pretty refreshing to drink with mellowly acidic/tangy/drying finish. Awesome balanced juicy/jammy cherries, chocolate, and Brett/Bacteria complexity; great malt balance and nice oak presence. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Nov 2018
at 23:23