Newish pastry stout by inexhaustible Totem, intended to evoke a marshmallow effect this time. Can at the Nieuwjaarsreceptie of the Ghent beer club. Medium sized, moussy, yellowish-beige, slowly opening head, black robe with thin burgundy edges. Aroma of chocolate sauce immediately followed by indeed marshmallow – or, much more accurately, Flemish ‘spekken’ or ‘nonnebillen’ (which is essentially the same thing), of the pink and white coloured versions I vividly remember from childhood, next to aspects of toffee, almond, white chocolate, walnut liqueur, pecan nuts and a very subtle background hint of beef stock. Very sweet onset, again that very vague beef stock umami note but fading very quickly in favour of candied date, pear syrup and, of course, marshmallow, again reminiscent of those pink-and-white ‘spekken’ my grandmother gave me when I was a child – an effect that never relents and dominates the whole beer till the last drop. Meanwhile, a soft carbonation effect adds some liveliness, in a syrupy, slick but very full, viscous environment. Layers of toffee- and milk chocolate-, eventually lightly cappuccino-like maltiness ensue, some peppery hops are tucked away deep into the finish, but the ‘spekken’ effect, as said, prevails throughout, even when a heating bourbon-like booziness sets in (a bit much so for me personally, even). It takes an accomplished brewery like Totem to come up with an idea like this and execute it to perfection, delivering a ton of marshmallow without any flaws or distractions from other flavours – there are very, very few breweries like that in Belgium and even if this may not be my preferred kind of beer, there is no denying that it is very well executed and therefore deserving of a high score.