Struise Black Damnation III - Black Mes

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottled. Meaty, salty, briney, smells strongly of Islay whiskey when first opened, but warming and breathing brings a lot more balance. Toasty, coffee, quite nice. Seaweed and brine. A very interesting beer, though I don’t think I like it as much as a couple of the Brewdog scotch-barrel beers.

This is great, rich, flavourful, beautiful! Dark and thick, but not sticky. Decadent aroma, chocolate and coffee but not bitter (bitter wouldn’t have been a bad thing!). Goes down easy, creamy, not chewy but full. Some mellow and flavourful....just really awesome.

Bottled, thanks baggio! Very black, dark brown head. Aroma of vodka and resin. Sweet and hugely full bodied with dense mouthfeel. Like dinking tar. Smokey and asphalt and petro - this is Jesus Built My Hotrod in a bottle. Inky bitter finish. I feel I just got hit by a train...

Bottled (from Struise Beershop). Pitch black colour with mediumsized reddish brown fluffy head, that disappears quite quickly. Aroma is nicely roasted malts, some alcoholic sweetness as well as mild peated and smoked notes. Quite stinging whiskylike sweetness. Flavour is roasted malts, quite peated and smoked as well with some wooden notes. Some liquorice, alcohol, toffee and dark fruits and berries have also found their way into this beautifully balanced beer. A very mellow and balanced Imperial Stout combined with some Caol Ila notes, but in a rather mellow way. As for whiskies I think Caol Ila is a borderline case for me, the 3-4 ones I’ve had have been way too aggressive and brutal for my likes.

Draught at Pre-ZBF 2010. Pitch black with a rich creamy brown head that slowly settled. Bitter dark chocolate, roast, vanilla and whisky on the nose. The flavour carries through the same but perhaps a little too much roast this early on. There is some berry sweetness that does cut through towards the end. Having said that it is very dry in the finish but I’m sure this will mellow out nicely in the bottle. Softly carbonated and one to sip on a cool night. Cheers Mes...good on ya mate!

UPDATED: JAN 31, 2011 Bottle at home. Tasted right behind the nr 4 from the same series. Looks are the same. Almost pitch black in the glass, little head, hold very good, but this one disappears a bit quicker i think. Aroma doesn’t feel that heavy in the nose, less coffee, more sourness and fruity. Taste about the same, softer then nr4, good biterness, roastiness, coffee, a bit more "fresher" then the 4, more fruity, something nice in the end of the taste/aftertaste. Very good beer, but right after coffee club, it misses something, and the sourness gets in front to much it seems. But ofcourse, again, very good beer! Retaste from tap at 31/1/11

Silky black. Nose presents a deep fragrance of chocolate cake and mocha, with a touch of peat. Drinks like a more mature Black Albert, with just light traces of peat and barrel. Insane richness. Decadent silky dark malt goodness, super chocolaty, roast, sweet dark fruit. Finish lasts for minutes, initially dominated by fudge and then black licorice. Will only get better with age.

POurs out black with some head. Smells roasty and woody. Flavors of coffee, chocolate, some wood and a little booze. Slight alcohol warming. Sticky creamy slightly carbonated mouth feel. Smooth subdue finish. Good treatment, but not favorite.

Had this one at the Pre-ZBF 2010. Black colored brew. Malty, roast in the aroma. Flavor is smooth, whisky, coffee, mocca. Nice.

UPDATED: AUG 16, 2012 33cl, new exclusive brew Anno 2010, from De Hopduvel Gent, very complex sweet Stout, not too heavy, balanced, cloudy, good head, very good brew, top class!, yet expensive