BFM La Mandragore

Brewed by BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Style: Foreign Stout
Saignelégier, Switzerland

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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A vinegary concoction. Normally I’d assume I have just a bad bottle and not rate, but since a bottle of BFM La Torpille was just the same, I think they deserve this. 33 cl bottle, BB Oct/2012.

Bottle 33 cl, Fleurs du Malt. Pours brown black with a great creamy light brown head leaving lacing. Aroma is roasted, sweet, acidy, fruity, coffee, chocolate and some tones of vanilla. Flavor is acidy roasted malty in start adding more sweetness and fruits in the middle, coffee, chocolate and bitterness with hints off pepper towards the end. Finishes bitter, sweetish and chocolate with some vanilla tones.

Bottle from Bierkompass
The beer in the glass is pitch black with pearly head. It smells like roasted malts, caramel, raisins and plums, with some chocolate in the background. Starts sour-malty, lots of roasted coffee, and chocolate. Some plum and raisin in the background. The middle part is slightly acidic, lots of roasted coffee, again with lots of plum and raisin. Goes into a malty finish with a sour plum aroma and some dark roasted malts!

A black colored beer, with a thick beige head. The aroma some sour, with dark malts, some chocolate and fruits. The taste of sweet fruits, a little sour with bitter. The aftertaste is bitter and a small sour.

Cask. sweet and smoky aroma of chocolates and figs. Taste is moderately sweet with chocolates, light roast, some toffee and prunes.

330ml bottle (Bierkompass.de)
6+ malty mashy roasty aroma, quite cocoa-powdery in places. More chocolatey as it warms.
4 Deep brown, brief tan head.
7 Not a big stout at all, very much the subtle belgian approach. Full maltiness, a touch porridgy, but not indistinct. Some flapjackiness in places, but dominated by the cocoa-ey roast.
4 Smooth palate, pleasant carbonation. Fades to a sharp cocoa finish with a gently bitter bite that leaves just a gently brief tingle. Some dustiness in the late finish.
14 No sign of alcohol, excellent belgian-style stong stout.

Bottle from Bierkompass. Dark brown color with a beige head. Aroma,fruit, caramel. Taste, starts as dried fruit, continues with chocolate. Nice coffee finish. Alcohol is well present. Nice beer.

Bottle. Half-finger of light tan head that dissipates very quickly; almost black in color but more or less dark, dark brown. Tart cherries and yeast in the aroma, with some dark sweet fruits, some sourness and spices. Sweet cherries come through in the taste first, touch of metal, sour, yeastiness. Little viscous and soft carbonation. Not the easiest drinking.

bottle, courtesy of Allen. Deep black colour, mid-sized beige head. Malty, hints of caramel and chocolate, also raisins and prunes, perhaps some smoke. There is a shy sourness present, which I don’t like very much.

Bottle 33cl. Good old porter like beer, near to Fuller Old Porter. Good toasted and chocolate malt basis with a dry finish and smoked malt aroma. Globally dry but very drinkable and not astringent, nice beer;