 Old_Mr_Crow (982), Seattle, Washington, USA
Apr 15, 2008
Swingtop bottle.
The cap pops off with a whoosh of CO2; the pours a deep black with a beautiful tall ashen-gray head reaching to the top of my tulip glass, deep cola highlights and small particles of floaty sediment. The beer has a marvelous malty aroma, light-roasted coffee and a whiff of chocolate, but also highly distinctive yeast aromas that provide a distinctive rustic profile to the beer. The flavor is simply exceptional. Perfect balance here: gentle roast coffee, smooth bitter-hop close, chocolate malt through the middle, sweetness flitting in but never intruding, never strong or sticky, again that rustic yeast character, and just a whisper of smoke on the close. Relatively abundant carbonation keeps the mouthfeel lively; the 9% alcohol is completely obscured as the beer never feels thick or hot and it’s hard to believe that this comes in about 6.5-7%. It goes down fast and easy and delightful; it’s hard to treat this one as a sipping beer and I very much wish I had a second bottle waiting in the fridge.
This masterpiece is all about balance, refinement, and a certain European sophistication. It’s a very different beer than the American imperial stouts and in my opinion deserves to be rated much hight; it’s Sean Connery in an Austin Martin rather than Roger Moore in a Lotus.
17thfloor (590), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jul 26, 2008 Pours thin black with a larger beige light sudsy head. fine carbonation bubbles on the side of the glass.
Sweet and tangy aroma, tart woody, chocolate, sour... lots of sour wood...mellow tangy tartness, wood... and some dark chocolate.. odd combination... 9%? no way... off dry... kinda winey, red fruits, candied malts, some charcol... very Belgian.
Very light and finely fizzy, for a stout, medium bodied. A very nice beer.
BoBoChamp (329), Gent, Belgium
Jul 22, 2008 33cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex dry Stout, hazy, good head, very good brew
Ansset13 (121), Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
Jul 21, 2008 This is an interesting brew, while it has classic Belgian quality, it’s a stout. Not the norm for Belgians. This is as fine as any other world class Belgian ale. The pour is deep sinister brown with a decent tan head. The flavor is nicely malted, touches of coffee, and balanced with just enough hops. The aroma matches the flavor and is also accented with fine yeasts, and the oak fermentation. A world class stout from an unlikely source. Worth a try!
travita (662), Lewisville, Texas, USA
Jul 21, 2008 Dark brown to black with red hightlights. Nice sized beige head. Smell is coffee, yeast, and roasty. Taste is coffee, roasty, dark malts. Smoother mouthfell. Good.
RollinHard (507), Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Jul 17, 2008 Word to jrob_21 for this beer. Pours dark brown with a large light tan head that lasts long. Looks light for the style. Aroma is mellow dark chocolate, unassuming coffee, perhaps some raspberries (or other dark fruit), and *maybe* vanilla. Lightish flavor of roast, wood, coffee, a bit of dried fruit; kind of astringent overall. Woody, almost salty finish with only a coffee/roast bitterness. Medium to light mouthfeel and the carbonation was easy going enough (I expected it to be high). Too light and I’m not a fan of the finish or astringent leanings. I’m a little let down.
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