Oh how times have changed.

There was a time when Oerbier Special Reserva was pretty ubiquitous in the USA, on the shelves of the best beer stores everywhere – no more. This bottle was purchased at Sergio’s, that Sergio himself pulled from a stash that was not on display. Also, my tastes have changed dramatically over the course of the last 20 years where I didn’t much care for this, to a point where I now adore the beer. The dislike was never born out of a dislike for the style as such, more that there was something about this that didn’t quite hit for me. Now it hits.

In strong light the pour is a beautiful, light chestnut amber. Head is amazing considering the ABV and the retention and lace are better than one would expect for the same. Nose has the classic, light ethanoic acid and woody sharpness.

You need to wait for this to warm up before even letting it touch your lips IMO. When the temperature is right, the first palate experience is exquisite, delivering every element of a classic Flanders Oud Bruin in globules. Light acidity gives way to sour, wood infused cherries for a second, and then a a follow up burst of vinegar attacks the mid-palate once more. Puckering is threatened, but in dramatic style the beer backs off to give all of the wood and light acidity that the nose promised. As smooth as silk, which might be the greatest achievement of the beer.

It’s hard to know where to start with a beer like this, and I always think that any notes that a person writes are somewhat pointless, meaning this is a beer that one has to experience. Even experiencing it can lead to confusion, as appreciation takes much longer. In that regard being exposed t it and understanding it are really two different things.