De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis (Hell & Damnation)

Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
Style: Imperial Stout
Bodegraven, Netherlands

I tried the Oak Aged 40 year Cognac version at Portland International Beer Festival. I tried 13 beers there, the beers I tried averaged 3 tickets each. This is one was 5 tickets, one of only three that I would buy again, and the best tasting beer I have ever had! I read through the first page of reviews and agree with all the good things said. However, no one else has mentioned the obvious extreme quality of the Cognac flavor. Perhaps I have tried a very rare version!

An almost black colored beer, with a thick dark beige foamed head. It stays for awhile. It leaves a lace on the glass. An incredible aroma of burned/roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, dark fruits and nuts. The taste starts with burned malts, coffee combined with pure chocolate. There are fruits like, prune, date and raisins. Some sweet in the back. As the temperature is rising, there are aromas and tastes of liquorice. This gives a warm feeling. The aftertaste is a little dry roasted. A great beer.

Tap@Brewpub re-rate: This stuff, like many beers of De Molen, is amazing on tap! Would have given it a 5 but the score is the average between bottle and tap. Bottle@Home. Black chocolate, coffee, black currant and a hint of smoke in the aroma. Opague color, light brown firm head, very nice lace. Sweet, pretty bitter, loads of chocolate, coffee, black currant and a bit sugary. Thick, full, light dry in the finish.

This corked and caged bottled brew from a bottle shopmarked brewed 8/27/08 bottled 9/26/08 #244 poured a head of all foam. The fom came up and out of the bottle as it poured. The pour resulted in a head of fine to large sized dark brown colored bubbles that left behind an opaque black colored body, no visible carbonation and a sparce lacing. The aroma was mild vinous dark brown malt and a mild medicinal note. The strong vinous flavor contained notes of hops roasted malt and dark malt. Very yummy! Excellent brew. Watchout for this killer!

Shared a bottle with a good friend. Only share this with good friends! Pours a dark brown-black beer with a nice steady brown head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, burnt malts. Delicious taste of dark chocolate, coffee and ash in the background. Very well balanced and very drinkable. My favourite beer from Holland so far!

Bottle 75cl @ home by De Molen pre tasting before Ølfestival Aarhus with Menno.
Clear dark red brown almost black color with a average to large, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, dusty, roasted, dark chocolate, wood, oak - peat, smoke, moderate yeasty and hoppy, pine. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate to light heavy bitter with a long duration. Body is full, texture is oily oily - syrupy and very thick, carbonation is soft to flat. This is realy the best of the begian style and the danish imprial stouts .. Very good work Menno. A glas of this is nice but a bottle is much better it gettes better and better. ;o)) (150508)

Pours like a volcano - make sure its cold enough; I nearly killed Pat with the cork! Lost about 1/4 btl in the eruption. Brown head with lace that runs to a beer that is nearly black. Lots of floating goodies where the light shines through. Aroma rich earthy loam with chocolate and coffee. it was pleasant watching a video of the brewery while sipping what was left of this wonderful RIS. Unique flavor full of old wood and savory - cloves and tobacco perhaps with chocolate, licorice and coffee. The big three for me!

bottle, shared by SHIG, I was really excited to try this. Bottle, 354 of 570, pours viscous black, dark tan head. Dark toffee and expresso notes, with some dark malt aromas. Perfect flavor, bakers chocolate, expresso and alcohol. Special stuff.