One of the very, very few ’newer’ sweet stouts in Belgium, a style once introduced by the English and very popular in especially West-Flanders, but since then all but disappeared. This one shows a thick and dense, deep brownish beige foam, stable, on a very dark ruby beer, almost black, revealing its red skin only under very bright light and only around the edges. Chocolatey and caramelly aroma, candied dates, raisins, grassy hops, brown sugar, pear, cinnamon, faint hint of coffee far away in the background. Sugary and caramelly sweet taste, soft and mellow, somewhat fluffy, estery fruitiness, a bit cloying in the finish with a very low hop bitterishness. Should indeed be evaluated as a sweet stout, which is a very different thing from dry or other stout substyles, and in that style this is one of the best I tasted so far.

How: Bottle.
Where: From Dranken Geers, had at home.
Appearance: Dark brown colour with a tan head.
Aroma: Sweet, malt, some chocolate, caramel.
Body: Medium body and carbonation.
Flavour: Very sweet, caramel, sugar.

Bottle from Willems. Clear dark brown with a lasting beige head. Aroma is sweet, malty, a little roasted malt, caramel and dark fruit. Flavor is quite sweet and light acidic. Sweet and light acidic finish. 100914

Bottle. Brownish black with a frothy tan head. Aroma is sweet malt. Flavour is milky sugar, some liquorice, dark malt on a sweet finish.

Bottle courtesy of Kermis. Gushed a hazy dark brown with a frothy light tan head. The aroma is earthy peat dry light resin hop. The flavour is medium to strong sweet with a light creamy malt yeast bubbly palate. Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. A real sugar bomb. I can feel my teeth rotting already!

Bottle shared. Pours dark brown with a big bubbly beige head. Aroma of dark fruit, alcohol, yeast. Flavor is heavy sweet like spoonfuls of sugar have been poured in. Some lactose, chocolate and fudge evident in the palate. Light bodied with high carbonation.

The Belgians find it hard to let go their trademark sweetness in this beer. This stout is way too sweet.

33 cl. bottle @ home. Procured from Willems. Bottled on 03/2013. Ruby very dark brown with fizzing away beige head. Smell is very grainy, cocoa powder, grainy chocolate, roast & something off, metallic, liquorish, something fermenting spoiled,… Taste is bitter grainy chocolate, high carb, thin metallic, thick liquorish, old chocolate, huge sweet banana, overripe, touch metals, touch honey, light minerals in the back,… Grainy cocoa & too high carb. Ah, messed up stout.