RateBeer
Score
9985
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Ellezelloise (Brasserie des Légendes)
Style: Imperial Stout
Ellezelles, Belgium
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 757   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.84   EST. CALORIES: 270   ABV: 9%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Bottle; Unfiltered.
The only self-proclaimed ‘Belgian stout’ – 9% by volume – named after famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirrot and considered a World Classic.
Made in small batches, then lagered for ten days in German oak casks.
"The Hercule is considered by many to be a classic – very malty, but dry, with a hint of sweetness in the finish, and perfectly hopped. It has a very distinctive and intoxicating spicy aroma of fresh spruce that suddenly, irresistibly, fills the room when the swing-top is released. This unique house character probably derives from the strains of yeast used by the brewery – and possibly from the fermentation in oak – because the beers are made entirely of malt and hops, without any spices or sugar."


5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
CamdenD (825) - Madrid, SPAIN - JUN 25, 2003
A perfect beer -- in every sense. The aroma is elegant yet forceful; it feels like a divine syrup going down your throat; the taste is that of viscosity and a bit of daring fruitiness for a stout. The only belgium stout? Come on!!! Let's get more of these!!

5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
DeadGuyFrank (347) - http://westchesterbeer.com, USA - DEC 29, 2007
This is a real monster of a stout. You can tell right off the aroma this is a Belgian stout, one of the finest I have tasted. Super rich, but very drinkable....the swing top cap is a marketing home run....nice hop flavor and very chocolately malty good.....One of the best stouts, period.

5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
SanfordBrewer (1261) - Sanford, Florida, USA - APR 23, 2010
opaque black, thick bubbly head, medium body, medium co2.

aroma: warm, roasty, slightly burnt

taste:
T1= leafy hops.
T2= chocolate malt, slight charcoal, tobacco leaf.
T3= alcohol warmth, charcoal, sticky tobacco leaves.

more like a chocolaty porter.
great balance of leafy hops, chocolate malt, charcoal, and alcohol.

4.9
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
argo0 (9226) - Washington DC, USA - AUG 25, 2002
I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while, and it’s everything I could have hoped for! Black body with healthy beige head. Aroma is complex and malty -- dark chocolate, toffee, coffee, and roasty. Flavor is even better -- chocolate, coffee, ginger, roastiness, and slight alcohol (an insufficient reminder of its 9% abv). Very creamy and stays nicely on the tongue. Definitely worth having as a milestone beer (my 500th beer rated here) -- it ties my highest rating overall.

4.9
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
ARMed (526) - Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, USA - FEB 27, 2003
Thank you CaptainCougar for this fantastic brew! Wonderful fresh aroma with the faint smell representative of Belgium yeast. Poured with a thick light brown frothy head with small bubbles and a long lasting appearance. Almost black appearance with 1/4 in of the top filtering light enough to see a deep brownish red hue. Excellent frothy lacing that resembles a slightly watery Guinness. Smooth taste with minimal carbonation but enough bubbles to tickle the throat. Excellent balance between malt and hops. No aftertaste at all. The taste has hints of cocoa, roasted malt, licorice, and vanilla. This is by far the most enjoyable stout I have had in a while and it matches the best of the catagory. The 9% alcohol seems a bit high as it is perfectly masked. There is nothing I can say bad about this beer.

4.9
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
eczematic (1297) - Sydney, AUSTRALIA - AUG 15, 2002
i thank ratebeer for this one - ive been reading about it for the last year, and now ive finally got around to drinking it. and it did not disappoint. fudgeen incredible rich toffee, asphalt and banana aromas, a bbbbig fat marmalade and charcoal flavour as you might get in ordinary stouts, but also richly spicy and somehow vegetablesque, like really good spinach. rummy and peppery finish fudgeen woah yeah i like it a LOT

4.9
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
NDmullet (208) - South Bend, Indiana, USA - NOV 6, 2002
Swing top comes off with a violent pop...instant aroma of red wine and blueberry pie, even before pouring. This looks amazing. Pours a little thinner than most imperials, with a creamy, lingering mocha head. The aroma is mezmerizing: more blueberry pie, cane sugar and yeast up front, with stouty, roasted malt, and a light bitterness lurking behind. Oh, how glorious. Dark, sweet fruit (berries and currants), doughy yeast. Definite Belgian malt presence, and an ample hop bitterness. I actually expected lower hop levels, but I’m not complaining. Silky and smooth texture, absolutely silky and smooth. When I imagined what I’d like a ’Belgian Imperial Stout’ to be, this almost perfectly hits the mark. Like a combination of Chimay Bleu and Old Rasputin. Simply phenomenal.

4.9
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
Pjones6738 (500) - Madison, Wisconsin, USA - NOV 26, 2002
Black color, with lots of head, which faded almost immediately. Chocolate (or maybe licorice?) scent, the aroma of this beer made me happy, like I knew just from the smell that I was going to enjoy this. Smoked chocolate flavor to start off with. Most chocolate flavor in beer is that of dark chocolate, this is more of a lighter milk chocolate flavor, without being too sweet. There’s certainly notes to this that I’m not learned enough to pick up and describe, but there’s a lot going on here. You get the slight burning effect of the high alcohol without the alcohol taste. Nice and creamy. Not so thick as to be syrupy, but thick enough. What a fantastic beer.

4.8
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
jcalbi (378) - New Jersey, USA - MAR 25, 2002
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.

4.8
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 20/20
Poirot2 (1) - Mantsala, FINLAND - FEB 8, 2006 does not count
The ultimate experience is fullfilled as the bang comes,when You open the bottle.I heard a rumour the brewery has a new owner.


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