Mélange No. 3
(has 6 batches)

De Grote Black Tuesday Tasting: 13 Versions. For all versions: 750 ml. bottles sampled. 2011 Black Tasting (4.1/5) vs. 2013 Black Tuesday (4.3/5). Neither were gushers unlike the 2012 I tried once before. Both pour very dark brown with some black, virtually no head in both cases. Some lone bubbles with the 2011, nothing at all with the 2013. Alcohol is huge in both cases, a touch lower in the 2011, some light oxidation & varnish notes in the 2011, thick bourbon, mocha,… Alcohol is even bigger in the nose with the 2013, harsh & brutal. Raw white spirit almost. More mocha, sweeter chocolates & very thick mocha in the nose in the 2013. 2011 carries some light oxidation in the taste, less raw, big burning alcohol in the finish but overall a bit muted, some weird notes here, leaves, varnish, touch oxidation, making this one the lesser one of the two. You also get hugely thick molasses, harsh bourbon,… Body is low carbonation & molasses, pure syrup. Booze is huge, in the 2013, vodka, raw spirit, burns, the taste is niches, thick syrup, more cacao, chocolate, sweet cacao nibs, not getting oxidation here, molasses, chocolate syrup. Same thick molasses. Overall a fun beer due to its extremity but it is also bit of a caricature, too excessive. Overall I am not crazy about it but I do like but it far from all that impressive. Winefication I (4.2/5) + Winefication II (4.4/5) (obtained in a trade with AdamChandler. Thx!) side-by-side. Winefication I pours a very deep red Bordeaux, little bubbles. Nose is quite strange, the two components seem to clash a bit here, molasses, mocha, sweet, umami, big roasted oak, soy sauce with thick dry sweet red wine, odd. Taste is huge oak, massive roast, wine character dominates, this one is a bit hard to describe for me, raisins, huge dry strong boozy red wine with huge church incense taste, dry, red grape skins, touch plastic, fruit punch,… Thick & dry. Very much a strong basic red wine with some components that clash a bit, interesting to say the least. Winefication II is hugely different, also massively wine-like but just a different wine. This one is a better wine, less conflict here just a supper thick wine. Pours a very dark red Bordeaux, little bubbles. Nose is light mocha but largely hugely vinous, lots of oak, dry red grapes. Taste is huge oak, lots of roast (very much as was the case with the I), lots of roasted barrel, interesting mix of licorices, wine leaves, wine ranks, red grape, huge dry red frape spins, light plastic, vinous, warming (strangely tasted about as strong as I despite the huge ABV difference),.. Very thick, weird, unique & interesting. Melange #1 (4.5/5).Very dark brown, solid mocha head. Nose is huge red wine, balsamic vinegar, very tart, puckering red fruit,… Not getting any Black Tuesday here. Taste is puckering sour red grapes, wine, faint glue, balsamic vinegar, pomegranate, sour cherries,… Very thick body & puckering. Lovely. Not getting any Black Tuesday here oddly & like it more than Oude Tart. Quite simple but also very nice. This should be the 3rd batch made. Melange #3 (3.8/5): Very dark brown with a deep red hue and no head. Nose is weird, almost a bit like Black Tuesday (dominates heavily) with something sourish (White Sap I suppose), glue, bourbon, heavy alcohol, glue, oak, lots of bourbon. Taste is weird, faintly sour vanilla, thick bourbon, boozy Black Tuesday, molasses, thick basic licorice, syrup,… Thick, boozy. Strange mix. Doesn’t fully work for me. Least favorite of the 13. Chocolate Rain 2013 (4.7/5): Very dark brown to black, only some bubbles as is usual. Nose is huge thick sweet mocha, milk chocolate, vanilla, sweet bourbon, thick candy, molasses, thick & sweet. Taste is huge vanilla, bourbon, warming, mocha, vanilla, cacao, sweet chocolate, molasses, thick, sweet. Awesome, this is the 3rd time I have this beer, still surprised by how well it really works. So much better than the base beer. Grey Monday (4.2/5): Black / brown, zero head as usual. Hugely alcoholic nose, syrup, mocha, molasses. Taste is hugely boozy, molasses, thick syrup, very straightforward & basic, mocha, exotic sugar. Very basic, body is alcohol & molasses. Second time I have this beer & I am still not getting the hazelnuts. This one is still a bit pointless for me. 2013 Mocha Wednesday (4.4/5): Black, dark brown with no head. Nose is weird charcoal, ashes, burned wood & hugely roasted espresso beans. Taste & smell carries so much more roast & coffee than I remember this one having. Taste is burned mocha, charred barrels, huge roasted espresso, molasses, charcoal, mocha, sugar & molasses sweetness in the back. Basic but nice, quite an interesting heavily roasted espresso tastes & charred barrels. Thick body as usual. Rum (4/5), Madeira (4.4/5) & Port BA (4.4/5) versions next to each other. First two look as expected, very dark brown, dash black with basically no head. Port one has very dark red hue. Rum is the least one, even less than the base beer. Kind of pointless since the rum is far too muted & doesn’t seem to add much, the base beer sort of drowns it out. Nose is sweet booze, mocha, very basic, pretty much Black Tuesday without bourbon, more sugar. Taste is boozy overly syrupy, barrel, big oak, very alcoholic, basic brown sugar, candy, mocha, roast, brown sugar. Okay but less than regular Black Tuesday & clearly lesser than Madeira or Port. Madeira: nose is hugely sweet mocha, sweet sugar, light complimentary barrel, sweet light red wine, faint red fruits. Taste is hugely sweet, spirit, coated in oak, old strong wine, huge brown sugar, vinous alcohol, sugar, oak, molasses. Thick chewy. Works rather well. Better than regular Black Tuesday & prob. my fav. of these 3 (Rum, Madeira & Port). Hard to choose between this one & port. Port: nose is huge red wine, massively so with strong alcohol, candy & lots of barrel. Taste is huge port, red wine, booze, light molasses, plenty of barrel, roast, oak, light chocolate, thick. Quite interesting & nice, also better than the regular one for me. Final one: Black Tuesday Reserve (4.6/5). Usual appearance. Nose is huge bourbon, warming, toffee, molasses, bourbon, boozy but oddly less so than the regular one, this is one is much rounder, chocolate, caramel, fruity even. Taste is vanilla, huge mocha, chocolate, overripe fruit, molasses, cereal, sugar, warming, syrupy, finish is heavily booze but the booze is in the back here as opposed to everywhere in the regular, barrel, oak, cacao, mocha. So much rounder, richer. Way better than expected, nice surprise, very big beer.

750 mL bottle poured and shared by Tcon. Huge thanks for sharing this one, with a nice touch of about a year of age on the bottle. I can only imagine it made this incredible beer even more enjoyable. Pours a dark muddy brown color with a thin ring head. What a fun blend this is. Heavy raisin, toffee, oak, and spice aroma. Flavor has some vanilla, wood, toffee, and chocolate. So much going on here. Very complex, which is no surprise, considering it’s a blend of three beers that are plenty complex on there own. Has a bit of a lingering bourbon finish. Slightly cool, and boozy, though not off putting. I can’t say that I absolutely love the flavor entirely, I am easily able to admire it. Overall, this was a fun beer to finally try. Very much a big league beer, and is an ass kicker, but enjoyable to say the least.

2012 vintage poured from a 750 ml bottle. Aroma is loaded with caramel, toffee and burnt sugar with hints of chocolate and roast. Moderate notes of dried figs, prunes and dates with raisin as well. Medium light oak character with faint vanilla and some spice. Pours a murky, burnt amber with a small, fairly thick, dark tan head that recedes to a thin film that lingers in the center and on the edges. Medium light lacing and moderate legs. Flavor is fairly sweet with a stupidly large amount of dark caramel and toffee with lighter notes of toasted bread and burnt sugar. Medium light chocolate character and faint roast. Lots of dark fruit, again most of it being figs, prunes, dates and raisins. Medium light oak note and light vanilla with some peppery spice notes. Medium light alcohol in the finish with lingering sweetness, burnt sugar and dried fruits. Mouthfeel is full bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth. Overall, a big, sweet beer with a ton of flavor and character. Lots of dark fruit with caramel, toffee and tootsie rolls. Not something you would necessarily want to drink by yourself.

Bottled 1 pt 9.4 fl oz, at rlgk + Aniela tasting, USA comes to Göteborg 2014, on October 18, 2014. Marked 16.8% ABV.Thanks to Marsiblursi!Clear dark brown color, small teal head. Sweet, alcohol, wood, oak, vanilla, resin, solvents scent. Very sweet, raisin, alcohol taste, also wood. Warming alcohol. Medium to smooth mouthfeel, medium bitterness. Sweet aftertaste, also oak.

Unclear deep amber color with a tan head. Vinous, bready and raisin aroma. Full body. A bit sweet and a moderate bitterness. Well the bitterness maybe drowns in the sweetness. Fruity, raisins, vanilla and oak in the flavor. Powerful ale. Also some alcohol coming up. Melange is butter in Norway. So I was a bit disappointed. Not much butter here. Well I do not like butter in beer anyway. Lovely balance at 15%!
[Bottle at rlgk plaza]