1001 Beers

Beer No: 73
Page No: 877
Category: Specialty

It really is a shame when good beer goes bad.  I can't quite remember where I picked up this specific bottle of Duchesse de Bourgogne, but in the process of shipping it to Belgium, stocking it on the shelves, and waiting to be purchased, something went horribly wrong.  And, judging by the reviews on RateBeer.com, I'm not the only one it's been happening to.  The problem is, when I originally rated this beer back in January of 2009, I liked it.  The bottle I bought back then must have been fresh, exhibiting a malty sweetness that balanced the tart sourness perfecty.  Unfortunately, this time, the taste was completely off.  There were heavy alcohol flavors and vinegar off-flavors that just shouldn't have been there.

The real problem I have is that printed right on the bottle is "Best Before Feburary, 2011."  Now, I'm way short of that "Best Before" date and still the beer was rancid and an immediate drain pour.  I even offered it up to someone else at the house and he knew right away that something was wrong with it.  There's usually always two different sour ales available at most beer stores in the area - this and the Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale (review tomorrow).  This is clearly the better of the two, but only when you get a good bottle, and it seems there's been a rash of bad bottles and it will easily turn people off from ever buying this brand again - and perhaps from ever buying sour ales again - which is the true shame.

Since I know this bottle had gone bad, I will not be re-rating it, instead here's my review from January, 2009 when I know I had a good bottle.  If I were to rate it today, it would have been a 2.3 (or maybe a bit lower when I put the ratings in category by category).  But hopefully my original rating still represents the bottles that the majority of people are able to buy here in the U.S.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne by Verhaeghe

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

2009.01.11 - From Bottle. I’m a fan of sour ales and found this one to be a welcome departure from the norm. The smell is tart fruits with malts, a very pleasant aroma. Color is reddish-brown (more brown) with little foaming and good lacing. I expected a bit more tartness when I tasted it, but it ends with a sweetness that was quite unexpected. The more I got into it, the more I enjoyed it. Though a bit more sourness would have been a welcome addition. In all, a very strong beer, and I’m glad I picked it up.