On tap @Barcelona Beer Festival 2021. 4 y 5 DICIEMBRE 2021. Color negro espuma beige, aromas tostados, café, bourbon, madera, sabor tostados, madera, cuerpo sedoso.

Barrel aged version of a hefty stout by the great English pioneer Thornbridge, at Billie’s Craft Beer Fest. Open, mocha-beige, moussy head on a jet black beer, no light passing through (but admittedly circumstances were not well lit). Quite intense and distinct aroma of black chocolate, port sauce, liquorice, even marzipan somewhere, beef stock, molasses, bourbon. Sweet onset, deeply chocolatey core, softly carbonated and very full and oily yet remaining easily drinkable, lots of toffee with a dash of beef stock thrown in somewhere, while this liquorice element grows stronger and becomes quite pronounced in the end, mitigated a bit by warming bittersweet bourbon and vanilla-scenting oak wood. Potent, spicy and complex, nowhere harsh, in fact highly drinkable compared with many other stouts of similar strength – but the liquorice-like flavour lingering around will probably not be to everybody’s liking.

13/XI/21 - sample @ Billies Craft Beer Festival Day 2 (Waagnatie, Antwerp), BB: n/a (2021-1350) Thanks to the Brewver crew and other beer buddies for sharing today’s beers!

Clear dark purple brown to black beer, practically no head. Aroma: lovely, nice roast, caramel, vanilla, some chocolate and coffee, alcohol, oxidized, complex, nice! MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet start, bitter roast, hoppy, more roast, sugary, caramel and vanilla notes. Aftertaste: complex, bit oxidized, honey, sweet, nice roast, alcohol, caramel, lots of chocolate and vanilla.

Taster as the keg kicked at Cloisters. Pours black with merest tan head. Aromas of bourbon, coconut, dark chocolate and raisins. Taste has all of that plus leather, tar almost, stewed prunes and fruity coffee beans. Very rich. Lovely stuff.

375ml bottle from hopt.it. 2019 vintage. Pours pitch black, with practically no foam. Aroma is intense of chocolate, molasses, vanilla, sweet wine like Porto, plums, figs. Body is dense, with minimal carbonation, tickling though. Fairly sticky. Taste is markedly sweet, with quite a spiced final.