Struise Black Damnation VI - Messy

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

Serve in Snifter

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Urbain shared BD 5, 6, 9, 10 next to each other. Shit man! Jet black, thin coffee head, larger bubbles than the 5. Nose is even sweeter than the 5, sugar, paper, light cocoa, hints of cardboard. The only hint of the alcohol here is when it sits in your nose, stinging like a spirit. The caol ila is more noticeable in the flavor, accompanies the sugary, papery cocoa and explodes in the salty finish. I prefer this to the 5, but again, it’s too much for me personally.

UPDATED: AUG 12, 2011 Keg at Mesandsim’s wedding. Black with a thick off black head (yes, I’ve never seen a head this tanned before)!. I was very wary of this high octane beast and requested that my glass not be over filled, as I didn’t to want compromise my enjoyment of all the other delightful temptations on the bar that night. This was unbelievably drinkable for it’s strength and despite double ice distillation it still had plenty of smooth carbonation. Brilliant balance of immense complexities, but I find it hard to believe it is anywhere near as strong as 39%. Having said that, I have no reason to mistrust the brewer. I can’t wait to try this again, at any price.

I like most to rate this so far had it on tap at MesandSim’s wedding. Thought it’s a fitting beer to celebrate my 1000th on Ratebeer. Something from their wedding day is fitting but especially as it’s base is Black Mes. Black with a dark brown head. After drinking another beer of similar strength that day, this is a much different animal. Of course it’s strong but tastes nothing like 39%. Of the real insanely strong stuff, this is easily the tastiest and most palatable. I wanted to stand there all night drinking it but I heroically and unselfishly let others have some. Go me. It was funny watching the queue just pop up out of nowhere. I hadn’t heard the call of it going on but my beer sense started tingling and asked someone what was going on. "Messy" was the reply. So drinkable for the strength. You have to pay it respect though. Whisky, chocolate, coffee, coconut even. All backed up by alcohol like a big brother. Cheers to my big brother and his new wife, congratulations. And cheers to the Struise guys.

Small rim, probably black beer, but the light circumstances too low for adequate estimation. There’s some Islay malt in the nose. In fact, the Coal Isla whisky I tasted so far, rarely smelled that strongly iodine and phenolic. Alcohol bomb. Whisky in a beer disguise. Beyond mere words, like liquid brown bread with seaplants, drowned in maltwhisky. Heated, viscous, total spirit feel, and yet... This is truly impressive. Utterly beyond the scope of normal beer, neither spirit.

Draught at Mes & Sim’s wedding. Is it a beer? Is it a whisky? Pitch black, no carbonation to speak of. Smoke and liquorice, I feel this is more like a whisky with a sugary malt extract in it...

Draught@Mes & Sim’s Wedding. Pitch black colour, no head. Aroma is liquorice, alcohol, some slight smoked notes mild sweet maltyness. Flavour is liquorice, alcohol, some mild toasted notes as well as wood, dark dry fruits and raisins. Rather balanced, and actually a very pleasant sipper.

Tap @ Mes & Sims wedding.
Pours utterly black with a crazy-ass, staying, creamy, cappucino head. Super duration (on a 39 % beer!?). Aroma has light peity smoke, alcohol, whiskey, lots of viscous chocolate. Medium carbonation, great dry and fat creamy palate. The alcohol doesn’t excactly burn - it’s there in numbers, but not like drinking a whiskey (IMHO). Flavour is crazy, chocolate, peit, toasted, cocoa-powder, super vinious and warming. Sharp, but still impressive for the ABV. But even if this is seriously impressive, it lacks the subtle nuances of the magnificent Double Black. The alcohol penetrates too much, the sweetness does feel a bit layered on like icing on a cake. But an amazing achievement nonetheless!

18th June 2011
On tap at Mes&Sims wediing - Cheers Guys! Where do you start here? Opaque black beer with a good sized frothy head - creamy and chocolate coloured. A 39% beer that throws a good head? Smooth silky palate, inevitably slightly thick but that is not a bad thing. Big smoky Caol Ila nose. Then the beer - sweet sticky dark malt with sweet dark toffee. Big, but smooth smoky Caol Ila. This is all underpinned by some lovely plummy fruit. Soft dry finish with lingering Caol Ila warmth. Smooth beer and a re-definition of the phrase ’dangerously drinkable’. 2/3rd of a pint went down way too easily! Ridiculously so! This would horrify Roger Protz LOL! It’s like night and day compared to Schorschbock 31, 40 etc and Brewdog Bismarck. Those felt like spirits and this feels like a beer. If this really is 39% it’s a work of genius. I don’t even like Caol Ila but here it is smooth and sweet whilst still bold. I reckon if I blind tasted this I would have thought it about 16-18% abv. A remarkable beer!

Tap at MesandSim wedding do... deep deep rick black ... big tan head ... thick sweet rich roast toffee chocolate malts ... big whiskey nose ... thick oily body really rich ... wonderfully complex deep roast and chcocolate ... almost syrupy ... while high abv drinks very well ... very full and rounded ... but for me the big problem is the Cao Ila(sp) whisky, im just not fond of Islay whiskys and the whiskey is definitely present there... Nice but shame its Mes’s fav whisky as its just not mine :-)

Keg at MesandSim’s crazy wedding party! It pours jet black, with a thick dense tan head. The nose is charcoal, soy sauce, burnt sugar, molasses, caramel, toffee, smoke and dark chocolate. The taste is like a dense chocolate gateaux, there is lots of dark and milk chocolate, toffee, caramel, burnt sugar, liquorice and some soy sauce. It’s so viscous and indulgent. There is unsurprisingly some alcohol warmth, but more like that of a 10% beer. Is this 39%? I couldn’t believe it at the time of drinking, but the next day it took its toll. Mental!