Malheur 12

25cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex brew, very heavy, not balanced, hazy, good head, good brew, but too sweet

Bottled. Dark and hazy brown with a rather large tan head. Somewhat sweet with notes of malt, prunes, raisins, caramel and cocoa.

Bottle date 13.11.10; Sampled July 2008
A careful yet vigorous pour easily produces a three-finger thick, lightly browned, dark tan colored head. The beer is very dark, deep amber, concentrated brown color that shows a brilliantly clear, dark ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma is a mix of fruity plum, warming alcohol and sweet spice notes. The nose reminds me a bit of molasses rich ginger bread, some touches of cane-rum soaked raisins, dried figs, Brandy fusels, and fermented prune juice. Spicy notes of clove, a touch of ginger. Buried in the aroma towards the finish is a nice, toasty malt character that contributes some browned biscuit like notes. An interesting, very fruity aroma that definitely shows its 12% abv strength, but somehow manages to come off as being fairly mellow.

Sweet tasting with some toasted, dark malt flavors. This is quite light bodied, especially given the strength though I wouldn’t quite call it quaffable; it is close though and could certainly be dangerous if drunk by someone not realizing its strength. The ample fruitiness continues through to the flavor of this beer with notes of prunes, caramelized raisins, dried figs and even a bit of cherry (in that order of intensity). Some dry cocoa notes come through in the middle, but then the sweet fruit notes seem to sweet the palate clean of this flavor. Noticeable alcohol flavors combine with the other flavors to produce notes of dark Rum, caramelized Brandy and a touch of some tongue numbing, spiced liquors. Speaking of which, flavors of clove, turpene like allspice, light ginger and some pepper notes play a sometimes substantial role as well.

An tasty beer, while it does not do a good job of hiding its substantial strength, it never gets hot or harsh and the alcohol seems to integrate with the other notes. The light body on this brew was also quite nice, never cloying or sticky, yet still rich, satisfying and a sipping brew.

Bottle at Monks 7/15/08...Brown body with an off-tan head....this beers aroma really changed nicely from start to finish...it began with almost nothing in the nose except distinct licorice Mike and Ike style....it then opened up to a wonderful candy sweetness...the body had a lot of carbonation...that eventually settled....flavors of licorice....light malt and a spiciness... this is the first beer ive dug that has licorice qualities....finishes with a candy sweetness and the alcohol is extremely well hidden

Pours a hazy copper with a frothy off-white head. Spice, bubble gum, caramel, plums, figs, and yeast in the nose. Rich, velvety mouthfeel. Vinuous taste along with molasses and the darker fruits. Heavy malt, but more like a sweeter cognac than caramel. Warm alcohol finish. A very nice beer.