6.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Tan-cream head for a few seconds on viscously pouring black beer. Chocolate, cocos, vanilla and some roasted notes. Swee-e-e-et. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. And... nothing else. Finishes a bit drier. Quite well-bodied, slick to viscous, chewy. Alcoholheat. It remains drinkable, but it is way too sweet and the chocolate dominates everything. Txs to Stef!

7.4

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

Pastry stout – or, as the creators put it: a triple chocolate ice cream stout – brewed by De Man with the assistance of Galea from Antwerp; apparently a 2021 version with different ingredients has already preceded this one, so this 2022 edition is definitely a different beer. Can shared with my girlfriend. Creamy and dense, medium thick, mocha-beige, membrane-lacing, slowly opening head on a pitch black beer. Aroma weirdly less chocolate-forward than many other pastry stouts, with molasses and ‘Koetjesreep’ dominating, next to toffee, marmite, Ersatz chocolate milk, venison pâté, hazelnut, whisky, Brazil cigars, candied cherries, ‘Haagse hopjes’, blue cheese (!), fig jam, walnut butter, wet clay, black cherries, coffee powder. Sweet onset, candied fig and dried prune, soft beef stock-like umami accent, soft carb very full, creamy and smooth body – like completely molten ice cream, I guess… Molasses, ‘Koetjesreep’, treacle and sirop de Liège dominate the middle, with caramelly and walnutty edges; some spicy clove-, bayleaf- and coffee-like elements at the back as well as warming, whisky-like alcohol and a peppery hop bitter touch, but everything remains embedded in this very thick, caramelly and Ersatz-chocolatey core; oddly and unexpectedly, a hint of homemade chocolate milk or even Cécémel appears very late in the finish. A bit odd, less black chocolate- and coffee-like than usual for a big (pastry or other) stout, but interesting and tasty regardless. One to seek out for its distinct character if you are into this style.

4

In de basis had het best een leuk bier kunnen wezen, maar ja het smaakt ook veel naar zure koffie… en da’s niet goed… aangezien ik er gewoon voor betaald heb, waardeer ik hem ook als zure koffie

7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

25/VII/22 - 33cl can from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ Ardenne Holiday, BB: n/a, “second edition” (2022-929)

Clear dark brown beer, small aery irregular beige head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: lots of cough syrup, a bit oxidized, fake vanilla, medicinal touch, chocolate notes, some overripe banana, very intense. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: lots of very dark caramel, chocolate notes, vanilla, grains, ok. Aftertaste: quite some alcohol, roasted, some chocolate, dark caramel, vanilla, more chocolate notes, nice!

7.5

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

Pours black, medium sized, tanned head. Scent is raw, rough, chocolate sauce. Mild malty base. Taste is mildly bitter. Very roasty. Marshmellow, smooth, fairly sweet (not over the top) . Not very ice cream like to me, but the specific chocolate sauce- type chocolaty taste, does remind one of ice cream (with chocolate sauce) . Some hints of vanilla. Feels a bit simple, perhaps, but very enjoyable nevertheless.