Heaven & Hell

0.33l bottle. Black body, brown head. Aroma of caramel, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, caramel, figs and dates. Taste of chocolate, caramel, floral hops, vanilla, reisins and dark rum. Full bodied with a creamy texture. Awesome beer!

0.33 l bottle from ’De Bierkoning’ as ’Heaven & Hell’ at 11.9% abv, bottled in September 2014 (over one year old). Clear, very dark red to black with a medium large, creamy, stable, brown head. Roasty-malty aroma of dark chocolate, coffee, dark ripe fruits and minimal hints of alcohol. Sweetish, roasty-malty taste of dark chocolate and coffee, later joined by dark ripe fruits (raisins, prunes), followed by a medium long, roasty, pleasantly bitter finish with notes of dark chocolate and coffee again. Full body, very creamy mouthfeel, very soft carbonation. Absolutely harmonic, wonderfully creamy and totally balanced. A bit simple though, lacks a bit of complexity.

330 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 8/6/2013. Pours dense pitch black color with a thin dense dark tan head with solid retention; that reduces to a patchy lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted dark bread, molasses, raisin, prune, licorice, vanilla, char, leather, light smoke, herbal, wood, and roast/smokey earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of big dark/roast/bready malt; with light-moderate dark fruit, smoke, and earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted dark bread, molasses, raisin, prune, licorice, vanilla, char, leather, light smoke, herbal, wood, and roast/smokey earthiness. Good amount of herbal and roast/char bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, raisin, prune, licorice, vanilla, char, leather, and roast/smokey earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of big dark/roast/bready malt; with light-moderate dark fruit, smoke, and earthy hop flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and very full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this was an awesome Russian imperial stout style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of big dark/roast/bready malt; with light-moderate smoek, dark fruit, and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.

English label version with 11.9% ABV. Medium sized, moussy, lightly lacing, yellowish beige head over a pitch black beer, reddish-brownish burgundy on the edges. Dense and rich, very typically RIS-like aroma of coffee grounds and espresso, bitter chocolate, cigar ashes, charcoal, bayleaf, whisky, black pepper, wet leather, black tea, salmiak, roasted peanuts, concentrated caramel, wormwood, dried plums. Concentrated, candied sweetness opens the palate, Belgian chocolates spring to mind, but restrained by sourish and umami-like accents of brambleberry, black olive and beef stock; soft carbo perfectly fit for the style, allowing the thick layers of malt to shine, with a fat, oily, viscous mouthfeel; a deep structure of caramel, bitter chocolate, toasted bread, roasted chestnuts and - eventually - strong and refined black coffee fills the mouth cavity and continues down the throat, where it is perfectly balanced by peppery, spicy, drying hop bitterness along with warming, whisky-like but well-controlled alcohol. Another great RIS from the king of this style in the Low Countries, as far as I’m concerned. Opening a bottle from this wonderful brewery is always an adventure, though this, in comparison with some of their more exotic experiments, is very classic in terms of style. It has the thickness, blackness and bold roasted bitterness one expects from an imperial stout, cast in a very well-balanced, rich structure. Exemplary in every way.

Bottle. Dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, vanilla, wood. Also floral and earthy notes. Slightly bitter and sweet. Bold.

11.9% ABV bottle. Aroma strong strong cocoa and chocolate, pleasant dark malts, not harsh at all. Pitch colour, solid head. Taste has alcohol evident right from beginning. Intense dark malty flavours, dark chocolate, coffee, roasted. Despite alcohol being all over the place it does not seem harsh. Pleasant, but a true sipper. Very good.

Bottle kindly shared by Gurthnar, many thanks. Dark brown color with small beige head. Coffee, dark malt, licorice, smoke. Taste, dark malt, coffee, burned sugar, light peat, licorice, alcohol. Tasty.