@Brouwers in het bos 2022

33cl can. A dark reddish brown beer with a tan head. Aroma of roasted dark malt, chocolate. Taste of roasted dark malt, some coffee, chocolate, mild bitterness.

Black with thin head. Aroma and flavour have some malt and chocolate sweetness. Also roasty bitterness and a hint of cappuccino coffee. Nice texture too.

Oatmeal stout by this new brewery in the Heirnis quarter of Ghent, tasted from a can at café Ghitane. Medium thick, tiny-bubbled, yellowish beige, shred-lacing, breaking and thinning head on a jet black beer. Aroma of coffee grounds, unsugared chewing gum, toffee or even Ovomaltine, wet tree leaves, broad beans, Cécémel, ground hazelnuts, brown bread pulp, whiff of rusty iron faraway in the background. Sweetish onset, a tad bubblegummy, very slick with dark-fruity notes of raisin, dried apple peel and fig, vague sourish undertone, medium carb; rounded, smooth mouthfeel, the smoothness amplified by the oatmeal, edging a caramelly and thinly nutty, Ersatz-chocolatey and Ovomaltine-like core, with toasted bread- and coffee-like bitter aspects appearing in the finish, becoming quite strong and mouth-filling, overpowering a much softer herbal hop bitterness which in my view could have been more outspoken as well. Clean, slick, streamlined stout, nicely balanced between sweet and bitter, but I prefer even more ‘end bitterness’ – hoppy ànd roasted – in this type of beers; nonetheless, there is no denying that this one is very well made and confirms my expectation that Stroom is indeed tightly connected with international beer styles. Motivating to try more of their beers – I heard their West Coast IPA is excellent, and there is enough room in Ghent for another postmodern style craft brewery.

Quite tasty light oatmeal stout from Gent.

5/XII/21 - 33cl can from the brewery, shared @ home, BB: XI/2022 (2021-1540)

Pretty clear dark brown beer, big creamy solid beige head, pretty stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: lots of CO2, coffee notes, roasted malts, some caramel, grains, bit of milk chocolate. MF: soft to no carbon, medium to full body. Taste: sweet start, nice roast, chocolate, some caramel, soft acidity. Aftertaste: malty, grains, bit roasted, caramel, more milk chocolate, little bitter, nice, I like it!