Struise Black Damnation III - Black Mes

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers
Style: Imperial Stout
Oostvleteren, Belgium

Serve in Snifter

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I really loved this beer from the first taste. It’s a nice black beer with a thick foam. It’s almost think as fuel. The taste is somewhere between coffee and chocolate. Very interesting taste.

Pours thick and straight black with an excellent thick foam brown head. Nice lacing as well. Wonderful chocolate and roasty aromas as well as hints of alcohol and wood off the barrel. Chocolatey with a nice roasty finish and slightly sweeter through the middle. The barrels’ influence is not overly pronounced to me, but definately noticeable. Really a great beer. Notes: Case from the schoolhouse ’10

Bottle. Pours dark brown/black, with a solid brown head. Aroma is malt, whiskey, wood, and fruit. Flavor is whiskey, roasted malt, dark fruit, coffee, and wood. Nice, full body. Another good one in this series.

colore molto bello nero opaco schiuma marrone densa e pannosa... al naso è presente la botte di caol ila e tutto il tostato torreffato di fondo... buona al palato leggermente carbonata componete fruttata leggere note tostate e affumicate... good

courtesy of Jrallen34, thanks for the trade. I read Islay being used, and suddenly I thought about the mess that Brewdog did with their Islay serie. Luckily, Struise pulled a fantastic brew. Pours dark brown, thick tan head and golden lacing. Aroma, light barrel booze, chocolate malts, definite Islay signature with a mild peat/smoke scent. A little of a let down on the aroma. Flavors, Islay barrel is present, and this time it’s the right use, add a nice peat/char mouthfeel that adds a new dimension to the thick chocolate mouthfeel of Black Albert. Some hints of roast and coffee and dark fruits.

A: Pours a deep dark flat black with a nice mocha head. Okay retention with some nice spotty lace. S: Bold aromas. Lots of raw cocoa, fresh espresso, green hops, and light barrel. T: Nice flavors. Sweet chocolate, very rich raw bitter chocolate, ash, oak, whiskey, and mild dark fruits. M: On the fuller side of medium, rich, bold, good. D: Very nice.... wonderful beer.

My favorite of the Damnation series (despite not the highest rating). The nose is rather closed, but the palate is thick, fruity, with coffee, chocolate, hop, some sweetness, malt. It has got power and it has got character! Feel lucky I got a crate of it!

In honor of Mes, I’m reviewing your beer. First one ever on ratebeer. Pours deep midnight black with a cloudy murky brown tinge held to the light. Half inch semi-frothy head with tight and open air pockets that disintegrate within a minute or two in time. Lively carbonation brings honeycomb structure around ends of the glass. Smell is of dusty cardboard, iodine, smokey peat, ocean saltwater, and 75-85% couverture chocolate. Definate Islay whiskey in there. Great smokey peat with a deep heavy roast of toasted grain. A hint of soured cherry pie much like the Cuvee Delphine I had last weekend. Glorious mouthfeel with seemless carbonation that reaches every morsel and crevice in my mouth. Midpalate is dry and becomes increasingly more so after each sip. Phenomenal beer that will make me trade for some more bottles. However, with having put Mes’ name on the bottle, I’d almost expect a bit more.

Bottle courtesy of Mes, drunk on 21st April 2010 (33rd Birthday drinks). Ok, the Prestige was special but this was even better. Thanks for bringing this along and once again, thanks for introducing me to the wonderful world of Ratebeer when we first met. So much drinking pleasure and so many good drinking companions. So, onto the beer itself... Black with a dark tan head. It’s got an ultra rich and creamy texture. Slightly foamy. Flavours of rye bread and vanilla custard with a light peaty note and some good fruitiness. So drying yet so creamy - there’s no burn from the alcohol - it only warms you when it sits in the stomach. Very, very special.

33cl Bottle acquired via trade with Glouglouburp, thanks Dany! Pours black with a dense brown head. Aroma of strong peated whisky, iodine, chocolate, some earthy liquorice, a bit dusty. Flavour is sweet, chocolate, berries, sinaspril (children’s aspirin), strong whisky notes, wood, bit of iodine and earth, strong bitter roasted finish that lingers. Fullbodied, fat mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Loads of flavours, but it appears a bit all over the place for me.