3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20 diabel (1506) - Aarschot, BELGIUM - JUN 20, 2005
Bottle - many thanks to mullet for bringing this over to Europe Black bodied. Light brown head, which diminsihes totally. Nose of spices and malts (tofee, coffee). Moderately bitter, moderately sweet initial flavour. Lightly bitter finish. Very nice stout. I really enjoyed this beer.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20 Stew41 (1413) - Woodend, AUSTRALIA - MAY 17, 2005
Very dark brown, almost black. Looks serious. Attractive creamy coffee coloured head. Soft nose, sweet notes on the nose with a savoury edge. Long palate length that shows quite impressive complexity for an Oz macro. Starts out a fraction lean but develops nice chocolate notes with a clearly defined sliver of tangy oatmeal. Finishes strongly and just a smidgen hard. As per comments below this is a strong contender for Australia’s best macro.
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20 highlandlad (1319) - Blue Mountains, AUSTRALIA - APR 22, 2005
A brute of a foreign stout and a strong contender for Australia’s best macro brew. Credit to Lion Nathan for continuing to make this in a country where there’s a limited market for stout, let alone one that weighs in at 7.4%. This is far from perfect but I’ll take it over 99% of Australian brews. Poured jet black with a quick-diminishing 1cm head that laced. Aroma of dry cocoa powder, molasses, bananas and brandy-like alcohol. Quite restrained for the abv. The palate is lean for the abv and changes significantly with temperature. Fresh from the fridge, it’s quite full and creamy but nearer room temperature the mouthfeel is lighter and fizzier - generally less satisfying. The flavour is initially sweet and malty, with typical stout chocolate and molasses. The alcohol is pretty well integrated, although there is a bit of a flourish in the finish. (750ml bottle, Camperdown Cellars, best before 5/1/06)
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20 caesar (3724) - Bunnik/Utrecht, NETHERLANDS - APR 15, 2005
Cloudy bronw color, short brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, licorice, bit spicy. Roasted taste, very malty, some oatmeal? Bitter and malty.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 skortila (4035) - Baarn, NETHERLANDS - APR 13, 2005
Aroma of roasted malts, coffee and fruits. Opaque, black coloured with a lasting, medium, brown head. Taste is sweet, roasted malty with coffee and some fruit. Well balanced brew, but not too complex.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 jerohen (1776) - Bussum, NETHERLANDS - APR 12, 2005
Dutch Ratebeer meeting. Damnit, i was laughing at caesar because he forgot to write down comments for a beer, but now i see i forgot to write down a rating myself! So this one’s from memory (not my strongest point). Opaque, lasting brown head. Roasted malts, coffee and quite some sweetness. Thick mouthfeel, but not overly complex.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20 bierkoning (7777) - La Tropica, NETHERLANDS - APR 11, 2005
Black, opague. Roasted malt aroma and flavor with grapes. Hints of coffee and caramel. Thick, but also a bit watery for its ABV. Lacks complexity, but the flavor is quite OK.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20 jbrus (4989) - Delft, NETHERLANDS - APR 10, 2005
Bottled. Earthy chocolat and fruity aroma. Black color, brown head, good lace. Straighforward sweet strong stout, fruity and roasted chocolat. Pours thick and feels full.
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