Sour stout by one of Brussels’ most proliferous craft breweries, honouring the eagle owl, a magnificent creature rarely seen in Belgium (I saw a breeding pair in an abandoned quarry in the Ardennes once – but I digress). Thanks tderoeck! Pale greyish beige, moussey, creamy head on a blackish, but actually very dark chocolate brown beer with burgundy glow. Aroma of balsamic vinegar, moist black chocolate bars, oxidized red wine, dried prunes, caramel, damp forest floor, sourdough, elderberries, old wood, indeed a whiff of the whisky on which it is aged (Belgian Owl), grape skin, tea, some horseblanket. Tart, estery onset, prunes, blackberries and elderberries, some sweetishness and very light black olive-like umami, moderately carbonated with smooth, full mouthfeel; walnutty, caramelly and toasty malts fill the middle, some dark chocolate notes in a ‘dirty’ way (as if fallen on a forest floor and picked up again, but I mean this in a positive way). The tartness and woodiness from the barrel treatment work together to establish an earthy dryness, with herbal hops accentuating this earthiness further; berry-like fruity esters linger till the end, along with lovely bittering toastiness, ongoing earthiness and vinous tartness. Like other sour stouts, very earthy, ‘balsamic’, ‘foresty’ and oud bruin-like, with enough complexity to remain interesting throughout. We need more sour stouts in this world.

2/XI/24 - 37.5cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ home, BB: 16/XII/23 (2024-1176)

Clear dark brown beer, small creamy dense beige head, a little stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: fruity, brett notes, acidic, very sour, vinegar touch, dusty, some caramel, fruity touch. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: bitter, dry, soft acidity, bitter, some tannins, grapeskins, meh. Aftertaste: fruity touch, blackberries, spicy touch, decent!