Rum barrel aged Canadian stout with seven spices; sampled at BXL Beerfest. Yellowish mocha-beige, moussy, stable head, ink black robe. Intensely spiced aroma, clove, cinnamon, anise and allspice upfront, far less obvious but still noticeable cardamom, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla, very clear rum as well, unsugared black chocolate, burnt toast, wet wood, black coffee, dried prunes, paraffin, ‘Borstbollen’ and Christmas cake. Dense, dryish onset, hints of dried fig and dried blueberry, lively carbonated for style with full, oily body; rich smooth maltiness shifting between sweet toffee and bitter black chocolate and roasted coffee bitterness, under an enormous amount of ethereal, warming and inevitably astringent ‘wintery’ spiciness, further enhanced by the spicy character of the rum, which also adds a warming afterglow. Again it is the clove, allspice, cinnamon and anise which are very prominent; nutmeg, cardamom and ginger are less clearly distinguishable and vanilla is all but lost in this spicy violence. Technically a perfectly fine barrel aged stout, ruined by a complete and near-fatal overdose of spices, not my personal cup of tea but some will certainly enjoy this.

Magus, mõru, vürtsine, kohv, alks. Ok.

At BXL. Black. Massive spices, chocolate, roasted notes. Quite OK but a little bit over the top.

Brown bottle, 500 ml, date: May 16, 2022, via Chantal Nantel (merci!) on July 5, 2022, savoured on July 12, 2022; eye: black, opaque, no effervescence, small ring and island of dark brown head, some alcohol beads; nose: malt, rum, ginger, alcohol, nutmeg, allspice, slight molasses; mouth: malt, rum, ginger, alcohol, nutmeg, allspice, slight molasses, light alcohol warmth, finale in rum with presence of spices, medium-full body, average carbonation, mildly sweet, silky and lightly syrupy texture; in summary: quite likable FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 500 ml, date : 16 mai 2022, via Chantal Nantel (merci!) le 5 juillet 2022, savourée le 12 juillet 2022; œil : noire, opaque, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau et île de mousse brun foncé, quelques perles d’alcool; nez : malt, rhum, gingembre, alcool, muscade, tout-épices, très léger mélasse; bouche : malt, rhum, gingembre, alcool, muscade, tout-épices, très léger mélasse, léger chaleur d’alcool, finale en rhum avec présence d’épices, corps moyen-corsé, carbonatation moyenne, moyennement sucrée, texture soyeuse et légèrement sirupeuse; en résumé : bien aimé