Pours a clear, very dark brown to black. Red glow. Small tanned head. Scent is fairly mild, some roast, mild PX. Rum is more hidden. Taste is sweet, full, roasty, elegant - yet noticable booze. PX, chocolate, mild on the rum. Sugary. Medium body (which is very thin for the style and ABV) , low carbo. Nice, for sure ! love the intensity of the PX barrel.

Verzet’s newest, a very potent stout aged in both rum and sherry barrels – one I was definitely looking forward to. Third beer of 2022 for me… Pale greyish beige, moussy, opening head retaining thinly and irregularly around the edge of the glass; black robe with hazy mahogany brown edges. Strong bouquet of indeed immediately recognizable dry sherry, far less rum but still there, hard caramel, old oak wood, reduced port sauce, wet clay, moist cinnamon powder, cognac, dried porcini, burnt brown sugar, old leather, damp tree leaves, elderberry, marzipan, shoe polish-like solventy aspect. Notably sweet onset, quite some brown sugariness, candied dates, yellow (rum-soaked) raisins, soft carb with full and vinous mouthfeel; pecan-nutty, toffeeish and vaguely (‘fondant’-)chocolatey malts with gentle but clear woodiness at its edges, typical ‘oaky vanilla’ retronasally but also cinnamon- and almond-like aspects – again with the sherry a bit more prominent than the rum (perhaps luckily so, I might add). Hops remain low, earthiness begins to prevail, while the alcohol, unsurprisingly perhaps, gains momentum in the final stage and eventually takes on a quite aggressive form, with a burning, astringent, gin-like booziness erasing all those lovely details that had been built up by that point. Overly boozy for me – the finish is like an anticlimax after such a wonderful start. Why does it need such an exaggerated ABV anyway? Not Verzet’s finest creation to date, but still an impressive construction worthy of a reasonably high score – and doubtlessly very suited for extended cellaring.