4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Date: October 22, 2011 Mode: Draft Source: Darkness Day. Full description not available as I sampled way too many beers during Darkness Day! Had both the 2010 and 2011 vintages.
4.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Now this was a classic! A big thanks to my cousin for sharing a bottle with me. I don’t recall which horror movie character was on the label - I dont much care for labels like that - why put a great adult product in a juvenile wrapper? Very interesting pour - dark with a sinister foam lurking on its surface. Smooth, coffee aroma. Darkness is a sweet, forthright, farm fresh, bready, malty, hop shake. Loads of chocolate in there too - after it warms a bit it gets very rich and chocolatey. A robust weekend breakfast draught. A massive, rich RIS that deserves it is Top 25 ranking.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Sampled at an esbls tasting. An ’08 and an ’10 were side by side. the aroma in the 08 is my preferred yearvwhichbis not the majority here. It is syrupy with beans and just so much. The flavor is delightful. Soy sauce, beans, huge malt, syrup. This is so flavorful and good.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: DEC 16, 2011 75cl, Vampire Edition, no mention of ABV, exclusive American brew, from De Hopduvel Gent, very complex Stout, sweet/roasted and slightly fruity/bitter, not too heavy, very balanced, hazy, good head, top class!, yet very expensive!
4.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
2010 bottle, rating #500. Dark black with a nice brown bubbly head that settles down to a velvety layer across the glass that leaves dark tan lacing all the way until the end. Chocolate, coffee, light molasses, lots of sweet malts but not cloying, very well balanced with nothing too strong. Full bodied, very smooth, creamy and incredibly balanced. Sweet with some bitterness, bit of alcohol, long finish of molasses, caramel, malts, chocolate and deliciousness. Didn’t know what to expect but this definitely lived up to the hype - try this if you can!
4.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Bouteille de 750ml. Version 2010 Vampire. Bue en compagnie de Patrick et Boul et merci Julien et Pier-Luc. Bière brune noire avec une mousse brune. Le nez de mélasse noire, réglisse, anis, de bonbon, pruneaux et une légère touche fruitée. La bouche est imposante, les goûts sont de mélasse, réglisse noire. La texture est incroyable, créemeuse. Wow. 9/10
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle at Iceland super tasting ’10 vampire bottle. Nice dark pour with a slight ruby tint, creamy tan head. Tons of licorice, molasses, port and dark fruits (plums) dominate the aroma. Very sweet taste, super fruity prune flavors, honey-molasses sweetness. Carbonation is a little too soft for my liking, very silky and heavily bodied. Delicious impy.
4.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
(Vampire bottle, many thanks to JulienHuxley and P-Luc for this world class beer) Une petite tête mousseuse dense et brune flotte sur un liquide très foncé, à la limite d’être noir. Au nez, les malts rôtis sont riches, intenses en mélasse et en fudge, touchés par des fruits noirs, très goûteux, aux notes légèrement vineuses. L’alcool est imperceptible et insidieux. Les saveurs offrent un tout un spectacle pour les papilles : les notes rôties partagent un espace considérable avec des notes chocolatées et des notes assez lourdes de mélasse fruitée. Des notes de café apparaissent dans un doux fracas. En bouche, le liquide a une structure étoffée, forte, musclée. Le pétillement est très bas, réconfortant et plaisant pour le palais. La texture est riche et soyeuse. Une véritable caresse. La finale se fait sur des notes amères de torréfaction agréablement fruitées, complexes et déroutantes.
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