Black Damnation XI - Special K (Kay)
De Struise Brouwers in Oostvleteren, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Collab with: The Portsmouth BreweryStout - Imperial Regular Out of Production
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Score
7.71
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Uh-oh, looks like we did it again. This big mother of a beer clocks in at 22% ABV and is nothing short of a flavor explosion. Special Kay is an unholy collab between Struise and Portsmouth Brewing company, well known for making one of the best stouts in the United States.
We first blended Portsmouth's Kate the Great imperial stout with our Black Albert. We then fractionally ice-distilled it over 20 days and ended up at a temperature of -15°C. The result is a white-knuckle thrill ride for your tastebuds: bitter, sweet and super intense. It was only made once, so get your hands on a bottle while you still might have a chance!
We first blended Portsmouth's Kate the Great imperial stout with our Black Albert. We then fractionally ice-distilled it over 20 days and ended up at a temperature of -15°C. The result is a white-knuckle thrill ride for your tastebuds: bitter, sweet and super intense. It was only made once, so get your hands on a bottle while you still might have a chance!
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5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
750ml bottle pours an oily black with zero head. Looks like soy sauce. Nose is boozy, coffee liqueur, apples, toasted bread, prunes, toffee. Flavor is straight booze, sweet brown sugar, coffee liqueur, soy, coffee beans. Full bodied (duh) hot finish. Heart burn city.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Jul 2012
at 08:20
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Tap at the Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2012. Pours black with a thick, beige cream head. Like topping. Nose holds musty cocoa, earth and roast. Medium sweet with lots of dirt, earth, some dark fruits, some baking cocoa. Very mellow considering the ABV. Medium to full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Mild warming finish with earth, raisins, cocoa. Nice, and inordinately mellow.
Tried
from Draft
on 30 Jun 2012
at 01:04
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle shared by GT2. Pours a dark brown color with a thin head. Decent head retention. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, raisin, sherry. The taste is roasted malts, bitter hops, raisins. Full bodied.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jun 2012
at 22:17
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Tap at CBC, May 2012. It pours jet black, with a thick tan head. The nose is roasted malt, coffee, wood, liquorice, treacle, dark fruit, toffee and varnish. The taste is rich-roasted coffee, ash, roasted malt, touch of soy sauce, liquorice, salted caramel, tar, burnt tire, hint of tanginess, dark fruit and wood, with a dry, warming finish. Full body, fine-high carbonation and oily mouth-feel. Complex and full on flavour.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Jun 2012
at 13:17
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2012. Black with a small tan head. Mild roasted aroma with fruity notes. Sweet and fill bodied roasted flavour with a touch of apple peel, some ink and lenty alcohol.
Tried
on 03 Jun 2012
at 12:08
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
CBC. Black with a brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, coffee and alcohol. Flavor is quite sweet and rather bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish with warming alcohol. 110512
Tried
on 25 May 2012
at 06:30
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft @ CBC 2012. Pours a black color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty chocolate and licorice aroma with hints of dark fruit. Roasted malty chocolate and licorice with hints of coffee. Has a roasted malty chocolate and licorice finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 23 May 2012
at 06:39
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Tap @ Copenhagen Beer Celebration, 2012. Black with little brown head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate and coffee. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, medium sweet, medium sweet, dark fruits and warming.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 May 2012
at 21:44
8.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Tap @ Copenhagen Beer Celebration. Pours pitch black with a creamy light brown head, very impressive for a 22 % ABV beer. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate. Taste is roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, dark fruits, raisins and plums, light oak and hints of vanilla. Medium body, low carbonation, no alcohol shows and very easy drinking even at this ABV. 110512
Tried
from Draft
on 19 May 2012
at 01:32
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap at CBC 2012. Black with a brownish head. A lot of coffee and chocolate in the aroma. The taste was heavy with a thick mouth feel. Notes of alcohol. I liked this one.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 May 2012
at 09:04