Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Imperial Stout
Moen, Belgium

Serve in Snifter

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Black plum. Soapy, big-bubbled voluminous grayish head. Very sweet aromas of molasses, blackcurrants, and brown sugar. Hints of rum-steeped prunes, graham cracker, and candy sugar. Off notes of pen ink and plastic. Loose carbonation deposits a foamy residue on the tongue. Sharp alcoholic zing collides with clingy molasses-soaked bread. Rather dull and one-dimensional from the outset. Sugary to the point of becoming gritty, and certainly overtiring as there is no bright fruit character or cleansing dryness to help restore balance. Timid black malt bite lends a dab of crunchiness before giving way to the pervasive sugar-derived sweetness and limp body. Muted yeast character comes across as somewhat moldy, but fails to lend any supportive or defining character to the beer. Simplistic finish is heavily worty and perpetually sweet with molasses and cane sugar. Seems unfinished to me, and very, very simple to boot. No bright esters or clean depth of malt, among other things. There’s nothing stoutlike about this.

Aroma is loaded with roasty malt, dough. Color is black and very hazy with a full tan head that dismisses quickly. Taste is quite sweet with the presence of dried fruit. Very carbonated, lively, with medium body and oily texture. Finish is smooth and long. Just an average stout for me, I prefer a bigger body and creamy texture with much less carbonation.

Let me preface this by saying I think I got a bad bottle. It poured very fizzy and even had a coke like vanishing head. It continued bubble for several minutes. Aroma is creamy with strong vanilla and toffee. Flavor reminded me of a flat coke float with a hand full of toasted malts.

I’m disappointed after picking up the last bottle on the shelf. For the price and the fact it’s Belgium, I was expecting to be blown away. The smell and the pour are great for the anticipation, but the taste is bitter and this does not drink as smoothly as I want my stouts. On top of that, I can’t get much flavor either.

12 oz. bottle, pours black with a large foamy beige head. Aroma of yeast, toasted bready malt, molasses, a sort of fungal quality and marshmallows. Flavour is quite acidic and lactic-feeling, with metallic sour notes, a milky texture, and a nastily acidic finish. Is this how this is supposed to taste? Can’t say anything positive about this. Not pleasant.

33cl bottle @ home shared by Joes. Opaque very dark brown colored beer with a very small off-white to beige head. Smell malts, sweetness, red and dark fruits, hints of coffee, alcohol, raisin, grapes. Taste is not like an imperial stout, to me it’s more like a barleywine: sweetness, grapes, raisin, some alcohol, overripe fruits. Very complex, very good, but not an imperial stout at all imo. Something in between an old ale and a barleywine. [rating based on this bottle] After this bottle we tried a December 2005 vintage bottle: dark brown color with a dark red glow coming through, small beige to light brown head. Smell is also overripe fruits, some roasted / burned malts, little bit alcohol and some hints of mocca. Full body, medium carbo. Still very good!

Pours a nice black. Coffee/chocolate and little tobacco aroma. Flavor is awesome, rich and smooth, like roasted espresso loaded with dark bitter chocolate and kinda sweet. The alcohol is well hidden among the massive flavors.

Bottle. Dark brown with a small slightly tan head. Aroma of dark chocolate, yeast, wood, grain, something sour and licorice. The taste reminded more of a Belgian Strong Ale than of an Imperial Stout. I was not that impressed about this beer, it was a little to weak.

Lame. Beer poured everywhere! Stupid stupid beer. Brown beer poured out with a light brown head. Only about half left to try. Booo. Smells and tastes pretty malty and chocolate. Pretty tasty actually. Except it spilled all over. Boo.

13/07/2011 33cl bottle @ home - BB: 1/2015 (2011-324)

Very dark brown beer, light beige creamy head, unstable. Aroma: sweet malts, caramel, chocolate, dried fruits, mocha. MF: almost no carbon, medium body. Taste: start is a bit tart (and that rhymes), citrus notes, sour berries, milk chocolate, mocha, raisins. Aftertaste: sour & citrus, mocha and dark chocolate, pretty dry finish. A very mild and surprisingly citric stout. Alcohol is noticeable in the mouth.

Malzig-alkoholischer, etwas säuerlicher Geruch, in dem auch noch der Hopfen Platz findet. CO2 ist hier nicht vorhanden. Süßer Antrunk, etwas alkoholisch, dabei malzig-süß werdend, um den Alkohol zu vertuschen. Dabei wird mir das Bier etwas zu süß, der Hopfen zu kratzig. Der Nachgeschmack ist wunderbar schokoladig. Test vom 4.3.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 8,8,8,12,-,8 - 8,63