Bottle. Black oily pour. Aroma of iodine, peat, roasted malt, red fruit and smoke. Taste of smooth peat, red fruit, smoke, booze, chocolate, soft green apple, roasted malt and a bitter peaty finish. Very nice, port Charlotte works well in this one. Good rich taste bomb.

Bottle from Wijnegemse Drankenhal. One of the many Hel & Verdoemenis variants, this one aged on barrels that previously contained Port Charlotte, the peated Islay whisky which was resurrected from the dead by Bruichladdich. Moussy, irregular, pale brownish beige head, coarse in structure but retaining densely on the edges, over a black beer revealing its mahogany yellowish brown edges only under bright light. Intense aroma dominated by iodine, wet paint or shoe polish and burning peat, initially covering but then slowly uncovering other impressions of chocolate liqueur, (evidently) whisky, coffee, roasted chestnuts, mocha, liquorish, bayleaf, stewed beef, black peppercorns, smoking pipe tobacco, toffee, dark candi sugar, fig, coconut, damp earth, Mars bars, hazelnut oil, raw celery, freshly grated horseradish, brown rum, cocoa powder, wet leather, dry tea leaves, raw green cabbage, ginger and almond. Candied sweet onset, lots of date and raisin, some baked banana and candied pear, residual brown sugar sweetness adequately balanced by a deeper, elderberry-like sourishness and a well-positioned, not overly thick, beefy umami touch; softish carbo, thickly oily and vinous, fat mouthfeel, gliding over the tongue in a very creamy way. An abyss of deep, dark malts follows, very nutty and toffeeish at first but quickly turning into bitter chocolate and ending in impressions of toasted bread and cold black coffee, supported by a spicy and leafy hop bitterness along with strong dry wood tannins and an earthy yeastiness, while the toffee- and black chocolate-like malt bittersweetness persists till deep into the throat; peated whisky rears its head in the end where it belongs, also in terms of alcohol heat, though this alcohol becomes nowhere burning or tiring. Long, warming, drying and complex finish. Peat is probably the last (indirect) beer flavor I’m still trying to acquire - as with all strong complementary beer flavors, I have the impression that it tends to become exagerrated quickly, casting a shadow over the elegant features of the basic beer. In this case, tasting it after the Bowmore version of Uiltje’s Meneer De Uil, it kicks off quite heavily in the nose, but seems to mellow a bit in the mouth, allowing enough space for the beauties of the basic beer to develop. Seems somehow a bit more refined and complex than the already great Bowmore Meneer De Uil. The Netherlands have experienced a craft beer revolution which is comparable only to the Scandinavian countries and Italy in Europe and De Molen very clearly played an instrumental role in this; this beer is a good example of how far these daring Dutch brewers have departed from the bland standard lagers that dominated the country a couple of decades ago. World class beer for sure, technically perfect and challenging from a mere flavor point of view, though the peat is still a bit much to me personally - yet I am beginning to appreciate this powerful flavor to an increasing degree thanks to masterpieces like this.

At a tasting, thanks, almost no head, pitch black color, aroma of coffee, charred wood, some vanila and a peaty hint, flavor of chocolate, cherries, apples, red vinous notes and just a hint of peat, sourness almot piercing but quite mellow. Highly enjoyable.

Sample at Hair Of The Dog during the Brouwerij de Molen and Shiga Kogen Tap Takeover on 07/30/2016. Brown-black color with a thin foamy light beige head that dissipates steadily to an outer ring. Small patches of lacing. Aroma of smoked malt, dark chocolate and oak. Full-bodied with flavors of earthy malt, oaky vanilla and bittersweet chocolate. The finish is peaty and earthy with a malty aftertaste. Good beer all around.

On tap at HOTD. Pours a dark brown color with a small white head. A big smoky sugary barrel nose. Dark fruit, tobacco, smoke, sweet whiskey. Damn this is good. Sugary but not cloying at all. Licorice, dark fruit, ash. Lovely.