Imperial Stout Mélilot

Imperial stout flavoured with sweet yellow clover seeds - which seems to have a certain historical background, though not much information is to be found about it; the coumarin in this plant species is also found in tonka beans, cinnamon and fenugreek, so I guess this is a 'local' kind of way to provide an answer to all those flavoured U.S. 'impies'. It is brewed by a microbrewery in a village located about 25 miles west of Paris. Waferthin, greyish beige, open and even incomplete to eventually vanishing ring of tiny bubbles on a very dark caramel brown robe - not entirely black though, held under bright light it remains even translucent, with mahogany core, but otherwise still looking pretty black. Aroma of dry caramel, brown stock, 'Haagse hopjes', liquorice more than tonka or cinnamon though both these elements are suggested as well in the background - all thanks to that sweetclover seed, treacle, dark chocolate bars, solventy effects (nail polish!), cheap brandy, salmiak, clove, something vaguely minty but this is probably just that annoying solventy effect again. Sweet onset, dense but far less so than I am used to from this type of beer, raisin, dried fig, pear and medlar notes, flanked by a stock-like umami note but this aspect luckily remains very light; soft carb, vinous and smooth body palpably thinned by the alcohol - the proportionally 'paler' hue compared with most other contemporary strong stouts already gave that away. Caramelly in its core, even a bit toffeeish, with only minor 'chocolateyness' as well as minor 'coffeeness' - two typical strong stout flavour elements I kind of miss here a bit. Treacle, walnut oil and lingering beef stock and dried fruits fill the middle, retaining considerable sweetness while roasted bitterness remains altogether limited; a strong liquorice-like flavour does set in early, shifting to a more tonka-like effect - doubtlessly the coumarin from the sweet yellow clover seeds, which must have been applied quite generously. Quite 'hot' finish with solventy effects - though luckily a bit less so than I was fearing based on orthonasal perception - as well as brandy-like, warming alcohol, which burns through the texture just a bit too easily; hops are there but hardly add much bitterness, so that this stout ends with lingering sweetclover seed aroma (as said: tonka- or cinnamon-like), lingering caramelly sweetness, too little body and too much heating alcohol. I like the idea of applying sweetclover seed to achieve the tonka bean or cinnamon effect in a strong stout from a native European source and this one does that generously enough, but it lacks the thick, dense structure and roasted effects any stout at this ABV demands - making it collapse a bit, or at least keel, under the weight of the alcohol. Needs work in its basic structure - but if they can get that right, I am looking forward to revisit this altogether originally-flavoured stout.