#coffee

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Disparate russet head, however fairly persistent, over deep brown-black beer. Vanilla, (dry) roast, ink, coffee. Same in the mouth; vanilla, Bourbon, light coffee, ditto chocolated, rumbonen and swee-e-e-e-t, candy syrup. Full bodied, syrupy, sticky, over-rich, suave and fiery alcoholheat. Oversweetened Bourbon coffee. Txs to Stef!

Zo veel alcohol… te sterk, zure koffie, mist balans, hier ga ik mijn tijd niet aan verspillen, dnf

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

I’ve had a number of De Meester beers lately, liked them all. Mok Master this evening, a 33 cl bottle from Belgian Happiness. I have a snifter from an Austin brewery down for this tasting, lift the lid and make the pour. A dark mahogany body followed by a velvety head of eggshell tan foam. The smell is nice, rich chocolate, grain and a touch of alcohol. The drink finally, hmm, pretty great. Baking chocolate, vanilla, dark plums, wood, some whisky booziness and perhaps strawberries. Smooth and slightly bitter. I am an instant fan.

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

Another ambitious strong Meester beer, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout flavoured with coffee and chocolate. Medium thick, pale yellow-beige, fine-bubbled and creamy, membrane-lacing, slowly opening head on a black beer with hazy burgundy-red edges. Intense aroma of dusty old 'fondant' chocolate bars and chocolate sauce, strong vanilla-scenting oak wood, toffee, espresso and coffee powder in general but well integrated into the whole, raisins, old furniture, bayleaf, pipe tobacco, sweet and boozy bourbon, roasted almonds, hints of damp earth somewhere, liquorice, dust (old books even), cinnamon, very vague sweaty touch. Dense, sweet onset, but not too sticky; candied dates, 'sirop de Liège' and dried figs, very light sourish streak underneath, softish carbonation with very full, oily mouthfeel; multi-layered dark maltiness, bitter-chocolatey, sweet-toffeeish and roasted-nutty, with a good balance of sweetness and bitterness. The oaky effect sets in early and strongly, with that typical vaguely vanilla-ish scent retronasally but also very outspoken, almost astringent tannic effects; light notes of nougat, liquorice, bayleaf and thyme, with the spicy side of it accentuated by the strong woodiness on the one hand and equally strong bourbon booziness on the other hand, adding a heating glow to the finish - but somehow managing to avoid the unpleasant wryness I was dreading. The coffee is certainly there, sprinkled over all this booze, wood and bitter chocolate, matching quite well with a dusty, earthy note in the background - and indeed freshly made black coffee pierces through retronasally at just the right moment. I had many Meester beers before and very few managed to positively impress me: most of their previous attempts at prestigious genres like imperial stout and barleywine were rather crude, unbalanced and lacking in focus. This MOK Master, however, convinces me that indeed practice makes perfect, as they say: after all those attempts, this West-Flemish brewery finally managed to create an American style strong stout that impresses, captivates and commands respect. I honestly never thought they were going to become this good in this particular style, and that deep, earthy Belgian touch only makes it 'deeper' and more interesting. Best Meester beer to date for me - by far. I guess it is about time to begin taking this brewery more seriously than I did before...

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

Pours black, Small tanned layer of foam. Scent is bit plastic. Taste is fairly sharp, alcoholic, roasted grains, still a bit plastic, mild whiskey notes. Sweet finish. Medium carbo. Not convinced at all.