De Molen Hemel & Aarde (Heaven & Earth) Bruichladdich Barrel

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

Serve in Snifter

Pours a dark black with a light brown head. The nose has a raisin flavor with a smoky peat. Has hints of wood, fig, coffee and burnt sugar. It has a medium to full body. The flavor is rasin, black lucorice and fig followed by a smoke wood. Finishing with hints of vanilla and coffee. A very complex beer that is very delicious.

75cl bottle @Kaisla 1.2.12. Poured black color with a huge brown head. Whiskey, smoke, malt and cellar aroma. Flavor is smoke, roasted malt, whiskey, vanilla. Finish is long with smoke and chocolate. Oily mouthfeel. Loads of whiskey notes in this, making it even tastier and more complex than the normal version of this great IS. Just awesome.

180ml bottle, bottled june 7 2010, no 1754 of 1776 for this batch, deep black color, with a creamy bubbly tan head, nice dark chocolate, coffee, mild peated smoky malt, burnt wooden barrel, faint burnt fruitcake nose, with some mochaish, molasses, roasted, chocolate, black maltiness accents, and some brownie, cappuccino, chocolate chip cookie dough, subtle whisky notes in the aroma follows through on a full-bodied palate with a warmth, syrupy, chocolate syrup, dark bitter chocolate, black coffee, mild burnt whisky wooden barrel, smoked peated, black, chocolate, roasted, toasted malt character, with some yeasty, burnt dried fig, date, fruitcake, brownie, chocolate puding, semisweet baking chocolate bar flavors, and a burnt toast, burnt bran muffin, licorice undertone, leading towards a warming, chocolatey, chocolate pudding, coffeeish, molasses, soft peated smoky malt, lingering leafy, grassy hop bitterness finish.

18cl bottle dated June 07 2010, thanks to Jeffo. Awesome, dark nut brown pour with huge tan mocha head with medium retention, great lacing. Aroma of caramel chocolate, espresso and roasted malts, vanilla, heavy peat, whiskey finish. Taste carries rich chocolate, dark roasted malts, vanilla, brown sugar, smokey peat in the finish, not too salty, continues into a long aftertaste. Characteristic De Molen smoothness in the mouth. Very enjoyable.

Bottle 33 cl. Pours pitch black with a tiny and quickly fading tan head and an aroma of earth, wood, smoke, peat and some whiskey. The taste is pretty complex, with heavy roasted malts, coffee, cacao and hops. The finish is a mixture of bitter hoppiness and alcohol. I really like this one!

Bottle courtesy of RasmusOtt -- many thanks! Pours a viscous black with a trim beige head. Smells heavenly -- a blend of whiskey, cocoa, and sweet malts. Tastes earthy -- loaded with tire rubber, asphalt, and ash. Certainly lives up to it’s name.

In short: A bit round, peaty and woody imperial stout. Easy to drink. Very good.
How: Bottle 180ml, consumed a bit more than 1.5 year after bottling date. Side by side with the regular version of about the same age
The look: Black body topped by a small tan head with low retention
In long: Nose is earthy wood barrels with a notes pf peat and light notes of smoke. Taste is peat soaked in imperial stout, lots of earth, a bit of chocolate. Only a mild whisky presence. The barrel aging really smoothened the edge of the overly roasted base beer and made of a rounder and surprisingly smooth big imperial stout. Even the booze very much present in the base beer is barely noticeable here. I prefer this Bruichladdich Barrel version over the regular Heaven & Earth. Pretty cool I was able to get this rare beer delivered home simply by being a member of a private importation club. Sometimes getting a rare beer can be as easy as taking candy from a baby, but sometimes it can be as hard as taking candy from an obese American baby.

Bottle from bvc. Thanks! Nose of peat, dark roast, a touch of earthy bitter notes, nice smoke and some wood/whiskey. Pours black with a tan head. Nice flavors of smoked malts, dark roast, earthy bitterness, peat, and mellow whiskey throughout. Nice barrel treatment, solid balance, decent bitterness. Dry finish .