Collab of Oedipus with De Prael from Amsterdam, a smoked porter, bought at the Mitra shop of Lelystad. Moussy, frothy, pale greyish beige head, quickly thinning and opening in the middle but firm on the edges, very dark chestnut brown beer, black in general looks, with hazy burgundy edges. Aroma of charred wood, black coffee, campfire, smoked mackerel, cigar ashes, leather, dried fig, walnut, forest mushrooms, old raisins, bayleaf, dry beef stock cubes, dried thyme, old red wine, burnt toast, honey-glazed spareribs, blueberry. Restrained raisin and old dried plum sweetishness in the onset surrounded by a deeper berry-ish sourishness and a thick beef stock- and mushroom-like umami edge, softish carbo, smooth and supple, lightly oily mouthfeel but perhaps a bit less thick than expected from a near to 7% beer; caramelly malt sweetness is almost immediately overcome by a strong, gently but decidedly bittering toastedness, eventually increasing to black coffee-like bitterness paired with the charcoal-like smoky factor, but both well in balance and the smokiness not becoming overly sharp; it does, however, establish a new umami flavor at the back (even slightly but quite deliciously smoked bacon-like), though it is the roasted bitterness, reinforced with a generous dosis of peppery hops, that lasts. Some caramelly notes remain too, making it rounder and a tad softer, which in my view is a welcome feature in smoked porters. Nothing out of the ordinary for this particular new hybrid style - clearly inspired by the archetypical Alaskan Smoked Porter - but it says a lot that these adventurous Dutch craft brewers (Oedipus being the real adventurer here, with all due respect for De Prael) come up with thoroughly American beer ’styles’ like this without much compromise. Exemplary, could just as well have been an American craft beer to me, hadn’t I known it comes from the Netherlands.

0.33 l bottle at ’Joost’, bottled in December 2015. Pitch black with a thin, tan layer. Sweetish-malty, roasty and slightly smoky aroma of dark chocolate, coffee and some ash. Sweetish-malty, slightly roasty and moderately smoky taste of dark chocolate, coffee, some licorice and light ash, followed by a short, slightly roasty-bitter, moderately smoky finish. Medium body, slightly oily mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Okay!

Tasting glass draft @ BAF 2015. Dark brown, creamy mocha head. Nose is smoke, big bread, lightly metallic, sugar, sweet dark bread. Taste is sweet dark bread, sugar, candy, bit dull, smoke is barely there, sweet, bread,… Body is bit weak, bready. Okay, bit dull.

Mild rauchiger, minimal herber Antrunk. Steigende aber mild bleibend hopfig, etwas herb. Ok. 11/11/10/11//11

Keg at borefts. Pours deep ruby brown, nose is toffee, light smoke, taste is sweet, dry, toffee, thin.

On tap at Borefts 2015. Black beer tan head. Smoke aroma. Some chocolate. Some juicyness. Some sourness. OK.

Tap at CBC15 . Brown... Thick tan head.. Soft chocolate roast malts nose.. Soft chocolate.. Smoke malt..big smoke malt.. Too smoke malt for me

330ml bottle from drinkmonger. Pours dark brown with a thick beige head. Aromas of smoke, leather, light roast. Taste is more smoke, toffee, chocolate. Smoked roast finish.