7.4

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

Bit fluffy cream-brown head; virtually black beer. Roasted, nutty nose, peanuts, sweet roast, Trockener Schinken dried Ardennes' ham, and smoked trout. Taste is - sorry, this is liquefied smoked trout, fat fishmeat included. Special for sure! Stearine/candlewax, and again peanuts. Ridiculously full-bodied, fatty, sleazy feel, soft carbonation. Searching for the limits again, Klaas? Thanks to Stef!

7.6

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

Can. Color: Black, thin light brown head. Aroma: Roasted malt, smoke , molasses. Taste: Roasted malt, 'molasses, lactose, smoke. Herbal and wood notes both from the used Beechwood, I presume. Tobacco, fig notes, some vanilla. Over moderate sweet, moderate to over moderate bitterness and salty hints. Smoked fish associations. Smooth and quite dense mouthfeel. Over medium to full body, below average carbonation. Alcohol is well hidden. Long lasting sticky finish. I'm not a fan of lactose but otherwise this is a nice beer.

8

LCI

7.9

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

23/I/21 - 33cl can from Bierhalle Deconinck (Vichte), shared @ home, BB: IX/2022 (2021-80)

Clear dark brown to black beer, small irregular beige off-white head, unstable, dissipates quickly, non adhesive. Aroma: lots of chocolate, some crème brûlée, caramel, nice roast, little medicinal, sweet impression. MF: soft carbon, medium to full body. Taste: very smoky start, good roast, medicinal bitterness, dark chocolate, some band-aid, lots of alcohol, caramel, hint of vanilla. Aftertaste: more smoke, chemical touch, pretty bitter, good roast, lots of alcohol, sweet and sugary, burned caramel, some charcoal, wood stove smoke.

8.4

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Can from Geers. Cloudy black, stable, small, foamy, beige head. Strong aroma of smoked herring, extinguished bonfire, bacon, tobacco, charred beef, soy sauce, toast, fudge, dried fig. Taste has rather salty herring & bacon mixing with umami soy & leather, the malty sweet undercurrent has molasses, chocolate, fudge & fig whilst a smokiness is prominent throughout. Ends smoky-umami, tobacco & bacon again, decent amount of herbal hops, some 'powdery' chocolate, warming whisky-like alcohol. Full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Bold creation by Totem; as much as I like Smoked & Stout this is perhaps a bit too much, so a delicate amount to taste is just about enough.

8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

33cl can from Bierwinkel De Hopduvel in Gent. F: thin, some tanned bubbles, quick gone. C: dark, opaque. A: rich chocolate, smoky tones, bit tobacco, smoked meat, marmite touch, hint of vanilla. T: full body, smoked meat, chocolate, tobacco, ash touch, umami, dark dried fruits, decent long lasting bitterness, oily mouthfeel, low carbonation if any, very nice balanced for the style, fully enjoyed.

8.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Imperial stout with Rauchmalz, one of Totem's new beers; can bought at Dok Brewing Company in Ghent. Pale yellowish beige, mousy ring with thin 'veils' in the middle, black robe with hazy mahogany edge. Aroma is a strong perfume mixing sweetness with smokiness, both equally intense; I get marmite, molasses, incense, Brazilian cigars, paraffin, chocolate sauce, liquid beef stock, vanilla, almond, barbecue sausages and smoked bacon, bonfire, brown rum, salami - quite unique, but appealing enough. Very sweet onset, fig compote, blackberry jam and candied dates, cooked pear even, softish carb, full and oily body; big chocolatey, toffeeish and pecan-nutty layers of thick dark maltiness ensue, with a light umami effect (beef stock) on its edges, merging with the smoky factor in the end, salami- and bacon-like but also a tad ashy (bonfire, incense again); a brown-sugary and very chocolatey sweetness lingers along with cappuccino-ish bitterishness and warming, rum-like alcohol. Intense, very surprising and altogether very distinct from other smoked porters and stouts I had before - very aromatic in both its smokiness and its sweetness, but still Totem manages to marry both forces into one delicous whole. Another masterpiece by master brewer Klaas Dellaert.