De Dolle Dulle Teve, The Mad Bitch!

Another work of genius from De Dolle, The Mad Bitch, spicy tripel.
My first taste was in December of 2003, and I had it from a 750 ml bottle, as noted toward the end. Here are those notes:


"My first dance with this wicked woman, a dame so loco that she grits a rose between her teeth, thorns and all...a tango with the Mad Bitch...

Off comes the cork, and out wafts instant sweetness and spice, up into my nose, urging me to release her from this cage, and out she pours into the most appropriate Duvel glass. The incredible, fizzy, yet creamy as a cloud head fills up 3/4 of the vessel, the body is a hazy pale orange, riddled with floating yeasties. She puts on a pretty impressive show, though she contains mysteries within, which we are about to partake of ...

Aroma, fresh and spicy, while still driven by delicate fruit, pear, apricot, pineapple, banana...a lovely, inticing thing, directing my lips to drink, already...

Somehow, the brew slips out from under all that foam, and...Incredible! The shock of new, once again, sends a shudder through me, a paraxysm of delight...I'm left uttering epithets and interjections...what kind of incredible concoction is this, that leads with hot peppers on the tongue, followed by lush fruitiness, backed up by serious malt! A devilish delivery of hops, followed quick by that spicy kick, almost harsh, but not quite, for it's so adequately complimented by further flavors.

It may seem like a messy marriage, this union of hops, spice and fruit, with the more powerful flavors fully in charge of the palate, but it instead stands out as an immaculate integration, a wanton wedding that provides release as well as relief. Taboos are uncovered, old rituals discarded, and something completely un-thought-of starts to seem commonplace...this is a moment where what's in the glass wends it's way into your soul, by tasting the brew it becomes you, and now, you're that damnable dame! It seriously clings to you, never wants to leave the palate, doesn't take no for an answer, your brain says "no more", but your newly freed secret-self yens to stretch out some..."what's the harm?"


Of course, this beer has to available only in 750s,(I know now that it's not...) and at an incredible price (mine was maybe $9.50?), otherwise it wouldn't be so much the risk and the venture...if you're going to waltz with this wench, you're in it for the long haul, buckaroo!
{Shudder}
{Shudder}
"What did I do last night?"
"You messed with the Mad Bitch!"