6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Brown bottle, 330 ml, from, with and at Alexandra Serre and Hugue Lebel (merci!), savoured on 24 November 2020; eye: dark brown, semi-opaque, small ring of brown head, no lacing; nose: malt, anise, coffee, slightly sourish; mouth : malt, anise, coffee, slight sourish, light alcohol, finale in coffee with presence of alcohol, medium body, averagecarbonation, lightly sweet, lightly alcoholic texture; in summary : fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 330 ml, de, avec et chez Alexandra Serre et Hugue Lebel (merci!), savourée le 24 novembre 2020; œil : brun foncé, semi-opaque, petit anneau de mousse brune, pas de dentelle; nez : malt, anis, café, très léger aigrelet; bouche : malt, anis, café, très léger aigrelet, léger alcool, finale en café avec présence d'alcool, corps moyen, carbonatation moyenne, légèrement sucrée, texture légèrement alcoolique; en résumé : bien

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Best before 07/2024, Batch 389, 330ml bottle purchased at the La Cave A Bieres d’Etre Gourmet (online beer shop); brewed with Trappist yeast

AROMA: loads of toasted sugars on the nose, dark sugars (impressions of molasses), caramel candy, hints of butterscotch, dry fruits like prunes & figs, indeed impressions of Belgian strong dark or quad; toasted bread, sweet bread crust toped with spices (glühwein like feel), bread dough underneath, hints of red wine (very soft tartness) & subtle berries, impressions of wood soaked in red wine, light sweet chocolate, pear candy, mild savory feel, no obvious roast profile (roast bitterness), very mild hop profile with notes of earth & flowers, no sign of alcohol;

TASTE: light carbonation, medium body, slightly thin on the edges, moderately oily & silky mouthfeel, fairly dry finish with a lasting bitterness from roasted malts (quite opposite to the aroma); light sweet onset of caramel & slick butterscotch (mild), red candy like esters, burnt bread crust, medium strong roasted bitterness of chicory, bitter barley coffee, hints of burnt wood/charcoal, soft red wine note, dry pears, subtle to very low metallic & mineral presence, also dry wood & faint lipstick; low spiciness from the alcohol, medicinal touch, subtle hints of sweet tobacco and faint ash in the aftertaste;

OVERALL: an interesting combo of Trappist yeast & Imperial Stout; the aroma is indeed quad like with a restrained roast profile but flavors show the roasted character as expected from the IS; as it warms up more Belgian character creep in the form of fruity esters (especially pear) and well integrated roast; enjoyable sipper

7.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Scottish impie apparently (implicitly) intended as a Belgian imperial stout, something I personally think has enough arguments to be recognized as a substyle of imperial stout. Medium thick, yellowish beige, mousy, quickly opening head leaving behind a steady ring and a waferthin greyish veil in the middle; black robe with hazy chestnut brown edges. Aroma of unsugared black chocolate, black peppercorns, beef stock cubes, treacle, coffee grounds, dried porcini, salmiak, 'blood'-like iron, dried elderberries, whisky, cigar ashes, bay leaf, prunes, bonfire, charcoal, pine shoots, gin, dry forest floor. Sweetish onset but not overly so and certainly not cloying, quite outspoken sourish undertone, blackberry-like; light beef stock-like umami, too, but it is the sweetness that prevails. Lively but refinedly tingling carb, full and rather vinous body. Bitter-chocolatey, toffeeish malt bittersweetness with 'blood-like' iron edges, walnutty core as well; liquorice- and bay leaf-like hints in the finish, over a roasted coffeeish bitterness enhanced by tangy, spicy hop bitterness. Toffeeish sweetness remains the main 'vein' in this flavour profile, however, highlighted by warming, whisky-like alcohol, turning a bit 'hot' in the end. Somewhat 'old school' British example of the style, perhaps a bit on the 'thin' side for this prestigious genre, but in any case offering an interesting balance of sweet, sour, bitter and umami. Enjoyable enough, though open for further finetuning (I would personally try to reduce the umami-ness and sourness a bit, as well as the carbonation).

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5

330ml bottle bought at Vinmonopolet Langnes. Pours a patchy fawn-coloured head slowly diminishing over a coal black body with a rustic shade. Tiny spots on the glassware. Well roasted aromas with black chocolate malts. Rich taste profile of grainy chocolate, prunes, and raisin. Welcome roasted bitterness to a long-lived ending, warming down the swallow. A fine slow sipper brew. (Tromsø 30.03.2020).

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Keg at CW Family & Friends, Session 2 @Manchester Central, 22/02/20. Black with a tan cap that escapes edgeward. Nose is dark malts, chocolate, dried fruits, Belgian yeast tickle, light pouch tobacco. Taste comprises cocoa powder, dark malts, dates, stewed fruits, more background yeast, light black peppery spice, toffee. Medium plus bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close with balanced alcohol. Interesting and fairly complex stuff.

7.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Draft @ Dynamo Bar de Soif, English cheese night.
Noire, col café au lait, le tout laissant une fine pellicule dorée huileuse sur le verre.
Arôme au nez marqué par de belles effluves de caramel, chocolat, toffee voire une petite pointe de mélasse, le tout ponctué par des notes fines d'amertume.
Palais est épais, chocolaté, toffee, cacao en poudre, léger café grillé, petite note rappelant la cannelle, mélasse, chocolat revient encore en retrait avec en toute fin un côté fruits noirs oscillant sur les dates et figues.

7.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Black with quick fading head. Aroma and flavour have dark malts and some dark berry fruits. 

7

Nieco niedopalona kawa, nieco jakichs ziolowych i chlebowych nutek, niemalo czekokakao gorzkawego, hint goryczki, muscovado nie czuje. Nie jest zle, ale brakuje ciala, ta paleta nie porywa... ok+, 3.4