Süßlich hopfiger, mild herber Beginn. Geringe Würzigkeit, leicht bitter, spritzig herbm eher trocken. Langer alkoholisch hopfiger Nachhall. Gut! 10/11/11/10/7/11

33cl bottle (vintage 2019, 18%) from Etre Gourmet web shop. F: thin, egg-white, quick gone. C: brown, hazy. A: mellow fruity, caramel, toffee, bit vinous, bourbon, bit buttery, pine, grapefruits, bit mellow tropical fruits. T: full malty base, mellow fruity, warming alcohol, bourbon, bit pine, citrus, nutty, caramel, decent bitterness, bit woody, soft carbonation, very dangerous even as s slow evening sipper, for such strong beer and 309IBU not bad balanced.

Ultra strong IPA by Struise, the kind of beer that drew a lot of 'beer geek attention' back in the earlier days of craft brewing, when bigger was always better... First brewed in 2012 in honour of fighter pilot James Schmidt, with the huge ABV being the result of well-studied fermentation combined with a treatment in bourbon barrels; now resurrected by the brewery and released together with several other new beers (like Tom8) and other resurrections (Xenophon's Wine) as Vintage 2019. This new version, however, differs from the original one in being even 2% stronger - and as if that wasn't enough, a freeze-distilled version of 29% called Little Boy & Fat Man has also been made now. Anyway, for the new, or Vintage 2019 edition of Kill & Destroy then: thinly mousy, pale greyish beige, bubbly and irregular, shred-lacing head, immediately opening and dissolving until only a few 'edge bubbles' and a disparate thin veil are left; misty 'fox brown'-hued amber colour. Aroma of walnut cheese, old Camembert even, butterscotch, bourbon and again bourbon, wet paprika powder, methylated spirits, dry cotton cloth, peanut butter, wet wood, bitter green tree leaves, 'madeleine' cookies, heated sunflower oil. Sweetish onset but only very restrainedly so, hints of dried apple and orange peel, softish carb, 'viscously' oily body, with lots of thinning alcohol burning through it from the start; meagre remnants of a once full, peanutty and biscuity malt profile in the middle, reduced to ruins by the alcohol, which indeed feels bourbon-like but crudely so and without much of its caramelly sweetness; bone dry woody tannins and strong leafy, spicy and citrus pith-like hop bitterness further amplify the astringent effect of the alcohol, while the hops have turned utterly cheesy as a result of the aging. The combination of cheesy hops and nutty malts together creates a somewhat walnut cheese-like effect which is not at all unpleasant, while some honeyish sweetness seems to linger around at the back as well; the burning alcohol is however so dominant that it almost destroys these 'finesses'. An echo of the fine (even barrel aged) IPA this could have been at, say, half its ABV - in this form, however, way too boozy for my personal taste, though the original version may have been considerably better (also judging by some of the ratings of it below). Not for me, but this is clearly personal (my girlfriend did like it, for example) and I must admit that arriving at an 18% IPA without freeze distilling (compare with the usually much sweeter, actual 'Eisbock IPAs' like e.g. Uiltje's Old Enough To Drink) is a 'tour de force' that commands respect.

33cl bottle. A clear dark amber beer with a small white lacing. Aroma of dried fruits, caramel, wood. Taste of sweet strong reddish malt, resinous hops, spruce, boozy finish.

Bottle from Kraddel. Many thanks! Hazy amber colour, almost no foam. Soft carbonation. Sweet nose of sweet malts, citrus, honey, some sugar. Some tropical fruity notes also. Alcoholic, sweet, syrupy. Held up really well.

Mystery brew from Kraddel and it’s a doozy. I should reallly look into details on beers before I crack a bomber at 11pm on Tuesday night that turns out to be 17% craziness. Anyways pours flat amber it is an older beer after all. Nose resinous pine and lots of alcohol. Tastes of rhubarb, cantaloupe, pine, medicinal, and tons of boozy wild turkey. Obviously palate is flatter than attended now and finish is sweet withnhot booze. When I visited wild turkey distillery I was ridiculously hung over and I forced down the bourbon, I think this is first time I’ve tasted since. 2nd glass better than first and we’ll see how 3 and 4 go should be buzzy soon.

16.06.2014, 0,75l bottle @ BBGTC tasting:
Tiny bubbly shortlasting head. Aroma is slightly sweet boozy, caramel malts, grass, oak, thinner, alcohol, dried fruits, hay, leafs. Taste is slightly sweet, dried fruits, grass, alcohol, oak, thinner, caramel malts, hay, citrus peel. Longlasting bitterness, dry harsh boozy mouthfeel. Not my cup of tea...

Bottle 750ml @ ClubGonzo
Pours slightly hazy amber with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, dried fruits, alcohol, orange, raisin, vanilla, coconut and oak. Taste is medium to heavy sweet and medium bitter with a long warm, sweet, fruity, oak and vanilla finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

Bottle, 75cl. An almost clear one, dark golden in color and with a minimal-sized off-white head. The aroma is vinous and piney, with some fluor and pine cones. Alcohol and a booze touch. Some tropical fruits as well as pine cones, resins and fluor in the flavor, the maltyness in the far back. Lots of sweetness. Full body, soft carbonation and a good warmth. Yes, it’s good, even though there’s quite a lot of it. The bitterness is heavy enough to deal with the malty sweetness, some coconut and vanilla hints show up towards the very en. Lasting bitter and warming finish. Ok, I admit it, it’s too warming this one, but the levels of alcohol, bitterness and sweetness match very good. I couldn’t finish a bottle on my own, but I’d be very happy to have it again. 140616