4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
To my surprise i really liked this, a great take on and Imperial stout form a belgian brewer (even though it did have a very belgian character). Nose is fresh roasty and even a bit floral. Palate is smooth, quite dry. Taste is of roasty coffee, chocolate, licquorice and slightly yeasty (quite a soft character though). Quite belgian in character for an Imperial as i mentioned. i’m glad it brought up the 800!!!!
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: FEB 10, 2008
No. 400 is certainly unique. Somewhat smoky, and chocolate malty, but with a hop bite, and also mellowed by Belgian sugar accents. Smooth and almost creamy, huge head. A delight.
A mere hour later, and more comments to add from the end of the bottle. Belgian sugar, yes, and also yeast. And more hops than I would suspect in a beer of this type, making the finish really lip-smacking as all the elements come together. Tremendous. I’m saving my last one for a special occasion, it’s that good.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
UPDATED: APR 1, 2006 100% blind rating.
Head is initially large, frothy, light brown, mostly diminishing.
Body is dark brown to black.
Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (milk chocolate, caramel), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with light notes of raisin, vanilla, and plum.
Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter.
Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter.
Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic.
Mild porter-ish, chocolatey-caramelly beer. Nothin’ special but nice. Now that I see what I’ve rated, clearly not what it once was (although this is the later, 8.4%, version).
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: JAN 15, 2006 An explosion of gigantic purple grapes surrenders to milky cappucino…Ashes flying around in a spring meadow…Suave and leathery roasty creaminess and bitterness, worthy of the Belgian imperial stout moniker…Nice to play detective with this one as the grapeyness is sometimes much more subdued, leaving the way for the dark malt to shine…But it is a variable number...Definitely more Belgian than Stout, but that’s not necessarily a problem...
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: AUG 26, 2006 Best before Aug. 2002- Putty colored foam which resembles the buoyancy and density of a lily pad. Smooth giant roastiness dominates the nose. Aroma is also vinous with hints of Concord grape and cardboard. The palate packs a whallop with a hot fudge-like texture and unique carbonation. Oily, fluffy, and smooth. A light chocolate tinge hits before an array of flavors. Coffee leads most of the way, with whispers of chocolate and caramel. Oh so slight trace of alcohol. The finish is rich, grainy, and burnt. A most brilliant concept here. I expected more Belgian yeast traits and fruitiness, but the chocolate/coffee surprisingly dominated. Good, but merely a shadow of its former self.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: FEB 19, 2004 Very smooth and round taste considering the 9%alc. Belgium is not a country you usually think of when talking about stouts, but actually this is a very tasty and interesting one. --------&# new version with 8.4% ABV is quite boring and not worth a very high rating.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
This beer taste of all the good things in life
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Beautiful dark colour. Malty, fruity, full-bodied, complex and a note of liquerice.
4.8 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Beautiful thick black appearance with a darkish head that fades a little too fast. Nice hop bitterness with a wonderfully roasty flavor as well as some nice chocolate undertones. A wonderfully Belgian slant on a stout.
4.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
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