About
Brewery Verhaeghe Vichte is a small family-owned Brewery in the southwest of the province of West Flanders, Belgium. The history of the brewery dates back to 1885. Brewery Verhaeghe Vichte was founded as a brewery-malterie by Paul Verhaeghe. Most of the Belgian breweries of this time organised their sales in the immediate vicinity of the brewery. In this sense we can say that the Verhaeghe brewery already showed a great commercial activity in the previous period to the great war. Through a railway line linking Vichte with Brussels, the Verhaeghe brewery was able to sell a significant part of its production on the Brussels market. At the outbreak of the first world war, Paul Verhaeghe responded to the call of the Belgian Government to resist the German occupation economically by stopping the production. The refusal of brewing during the war was responded in turn by the Germans by the dismantling of the brewery. After four years of inactivity, the brewery had lost all its customers in Brussels and was put in front of the investment of a whole new production equipment. In the post war period the brewery remained bind regionally and adapted to new trends in the market. The first brews of beer of low fermentation by the brewery date from this period. The brewery was focused also on the improvement of the quality of its existing beers.

At the present time the Verhaeghe brewery feels itself confirmed in its earlier choice : a little less, but better. Not only in Belgium, but also far outside the Belgian borders, the consumer prefers more and more beers of high quality with a unique identity. The commercial success of the "Duchess of Burgundy" beer,is the best proof : The Duchess of Burgundy is a red brown of West Flanders, matured in oak casks and is brewed according to an ancient method that is geographically linked with the southwest of the province of West Flanders.
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omhper (46303) reviewed
Felix Oud Bruin Speciaal Oudenaards from Verhaeghe
24 years ago
8.9/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 10 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Sampling of the 1998 version in 2002. Very dark brown. Wonderful balsamic, slightly acidic aroma. Medium bodied, vinuous. Perhaps not the most complex of beers, but I just love it.
Tried on 26 May 2002 at 03:25
omhper (46303) reviewed
Duchesse De Bourgogne from Verhaeghe
24 years ago
8.1/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Served from tap. Dark copper coloured. Nice balsamic vinegar aroma. Very vinuous, fruity, rather sweet. Well balanced and moreish.
Tried from Draft on 30 Apr 2002 at 00:48
caesar (10832) reviewed
Duchesse De Bourgogne from Verhaeghe
24 years ago
7.8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
For a flemish sour ale, this one is better than the Rodenbach Grand Cru IMO. A bit more yeasty and malty compared to the extremely sour taste some other flemish reds have. This one is a bit more subtle and balanced.
Tried on 03 Feb 2002 at 07:53
fiulijn (28377) reviewed
Duchesse De Bourgogne from Verhaeghe
24 years ago
9.2/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 9 Flavor 10 Texture 8 Overall 9

2024-08-14, bb 09/06/05, possibly bottled in June 2003, 21 years old, 8-4-8-3-17=40
Dark mahogany colour, rather impenetrable; it seems undercarbonated, and therefore there's just a small collar of large bubbles. Gentle aroma of balsamic, caramel. Ah, here's the sweetness that Duchesse de Bourgogne used to have 20-25 years ago! Decent body strength, sweet balsamic reduction, not too intense, and absolutely no sign of oxidation; the finish seems a bit thinner.
Amazing, even after so much time.

2023-08-30, bb 17/03/2012, possibly 13 years old, 7-4-7-3-15=36
As expected, no oxidation; but it's less vibrant, there's no bitterness; still mildly sweet and sour, fruity; maybe there a touch more of acetic acid than I could remember; good start, weaker finish. Still pleasant.

2013-07-10, bb 2012-03-17, possibly 3 years old, 8-5-8-4-17=42
Dark mahogany color with some red shade, medium sized head, mix of cream and big bubbles. It has the classic aroma, with fruity malt, balsamic, touch of vinegar; but it's also lightly metallic and dusty. Soft body, there is a sweet and sour caramel flavor, with notes of balsamic; the bitterness is quite low.
Overall, it's in good shape, with a reasonable degree of complexity, and with a fresh feeling, but lacking of a bite in the final.

2010-12-24, fresh bottle (bb 2012-10-06), 7-5-8-4-16=40
Brown color; medium sized head. Nice aroma, balsamic vinegar, caramel, prunes, but also very light acetone. Good flavor, caramel, with moderate sweetness, building a respectable body; good acidic and fruity level, with light vinegar too; low bitterness. Very good.

2003-02-01, 4 years old, 9-5-10-4-18=46
Dark amber color, with ruby shades; thick creamy head. Beautiful aroma, malt, caramel, liquorice, Porto wine, sweet & sour, notes of wood.
Full mouth, perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, fresh & fruity, grapes, raisins, wood, candi sugar, grapefruit; a faint astringency at the end. A 10 because in this style can't ask for more.
The bitterness doesn't succeed in dominating the palate, which is still pretty sweet.
One of the beers that I drink with the highest pleasure, my favourite summer thirstquencher, a classic.

2001-11-30, 8-4-9-4-15=40
Wonderful example of Belgian red sour ale. Strong winy aroma; sweet flavour, bitter-sour in the mid, then the sourness is back in the final. Complex, fruity, sweet, sour, bitter… All!
Tried from Bottle on 30 Nov 2001 at 21:04
Oakes (34715) reviewed
Felix Oud Bruin Speciaal Oudenaards from Verhaeghe
24 years ago
5.4/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Sweet and sour, with a hint of maple and molasses. ........................
Tried on 13 Nov 2001 at 22:23