Black Damnation IX - Beggars' Art
De Struise Brouwers in Oostvleteren, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Stout - Imperial Regular|
Score
7.71
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Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle from Tidens Farver @ Home. Pours black with a small brown head. Aroma of light roasted malt, caramel, little meaty, smoke, peat, light whisky. Flavor is light sweet, roast malt, caramel, whisky, light smoke, light peat, some alcohol. Medium body, soft carbonation, light sweet light smoked finish. 030226
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle at home, 24th December 25. Pours black and daily light for the hefty ABV. Aroma is booze, barrel, liquor, chocolate. Taste is smooth, chocolate, liquor and peat, Ardbeg is there and well integrated, another good one in this great series
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Frothy off-white fair mostly diminishing head. Black colour. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma. Heavy bitter flavor. Long heavy bitter finish. Creamy palate.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 3.5
Bottle tried blindly. Boozy and extremely thin with hints of glue and no barrel character whatsoever. Poor and underwhelming, not sure if faulty bottle or otherwise what's everybody on about this
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle from Drankenhandel Leiden. Abv at 18.1%. Aroma is heavy on the Ardbeg barrel with dark malt, caramel, oak, chocolate, alcohol. Flavour is moderate sweet, some bitterness in the finish. Heavy and boozy. Body is above medium. Rather massive, boozy but drinks below the 18.1%.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Bottle.Pitch black colour with small head.Aroma of earth and soya tart and oily not long sweet after taste but just strong boozy finish really boring overall.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5
There are not many more attractive beers to me than a barrel aged imperial stout. And I have one from Struise, even better. This 33 cl bottle was acquired from Finest Belgian early last year, saved for the winter chill. I have taken down a tulip glass to sample Beggar's Art and it is in place for the pour. An absolutely dark, mahogany brown body with a spare ring of light tan bubbles. I lift the glass for a smell and get lots of chocolate, scorched grain, booze and berries. And the taste now. This is an outstanding imperial stout. Baker's chocolate, malt, strawberries, whisky, toasted wheat bread, dark plums and earth. Slightly sweet and the same with the bitterness, a complement to one another. The carbonation is minimal but the beer provides a surprisingly complete sensation. The high ABV, label confirms the 18.1%, is not obvious but it adds to the fullness. I appreciate the simplicity to this brew, no long list of added flavors like with pastry stouts, it does not need them. This is easily one of the best beers I have rated in quite a while.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Bottle at home in Hackney - picked up from HOTM. Pours clear, deep brown with a small, foamy tan head. Medium sweet flavour, mellow smoke, roast, dark fruits, berries, raisins, chocolate accents, earth, pear. Medium to full bodied with fine carbonation. Moderate warmth in the finish, some iodine, mild smoke, burnt wood, old barrel, torched caramel, alcohol, earth, raisins. Very tasty stuff, drinks impressively for the ABV.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
33cl bottle. Deep brown color, with almost no head at all. Aroma of dark chocolate, toffee, coffee, roasted malt, something liquorous too. Taste id dark malts, coffee, chocolate, vanilla. Alcohol is there but well hidden considering what shows the bottle. Very low carbonation. Not much of the whisky barrel though. Not the best of the black damnation series, but still a great imperial stout.