4.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Malziger, relativ getreidig-brotiger Beginn. Leichte Süße, wenig Tiefe, kurzer Abgang, meh. 9/6/7/6/8/6

5.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Trocken kräutriger Beginn. Helles Malz, herb, dunkel malzig, Karamell. Deutliche Bitternoten, schwacher Hintergrund, trocken, ok. 9/8/8/8/9/8

6.8

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

Day 9 of my Mr Hop advent calendar, picked up from the webshop, Vernray, Netherlands. Had this Wednesday 10th December 2025 listening to Huw Stephens on 6Music and about to cook Gorgonzola and Walnuts with Penne Pasta. Pours dark brown with a busy but rapidly subsiding light cappuccino coloured head. Nice mouthfeel, lots of dark fruits, caramel and with a spicy edge. Good winter ale and would be nice to sip near a roaring fire when it's very cold outside, which is exactly what I'm doing today, sadly the snow has mostly disappeared. Score 6.8

6.9

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 7

330ml bottle. Clear, chestnut colour with ruby shimmer and small to average, frothy to creamy moderately lasting, minimally lacing, dark beige head. Toasty and nutty, caramel malty aroma with minimally grainy and sugary undertones, weak, grassy and resinous, minimally floral hoppy overtones, a touch of Brazil nut, weak rye malt spiciness, whiffs of lavender, viola. Taste is minimally soapy, floral hoppy, minimally herbal-grassy, resinous hoppy, slightly toasty, nutty and minimally spicy, caramel malty basis, a touch of malt lozenge, "Ricola" herb drops, rye malt spiciness, viola, lavender.
Oily texture, smooth and soft, slightly greasy palate, medium to fine, dense, soft carbonation.
Very nice mouthfeel, surprisingly light, not overly Bock-ish, relatively cautious maltiness, rather unusual hop flavours - not bad nevertheless.

7.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

330ml bottle. Clear, dark ruby colour with average, dense, creamy, moderately lasting and lacing, beige head. Mildly smoky, caramel malty and minimally herbal, hoppy aroma, hints of smoked wood, smoked ham, caramel, some dark caramel, barbeque, a touch of juniper berry. Taste is mildly smoky, caramel malty, slightly herbal hoppy, hints of smoked wood, caramel, a touch of Genever, juniper berry, low residual sweetness; minimally mineral finish.
Dissolved sugar enriched, watery texture, minimally dry palate, medium to fine, mildly prickly carbonation.
Very nice composition, mild smokiness, well matching, earthy herbal aspects, wonderful colour - good!

7.3

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

A very dark brown beer with a beige lacing. Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, dark malt, coffee. Taste of sweet oak chips, whiskey, chocolate, some coffee.

5.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Herb-malziger Beginn, deutlich schwächer als erwartet. Wenig würzig, trocken schokoladig, laffer Körper. Milde Kakaonoten, ok. 9/8/9/8/12/8

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

330ml bottle [as "Smokkelbok"]. Minimally cloudy, auburn colour with ruby shimmer and average, frothy to creamy, moderately lasting, minimally lacing, beige head. Sweet-ish, caramel malty and minimally nutty, dark malty aroma, hints of nougat, caramel, hazelnut, a touch of malt lozenge. Taste is sweet-ish, toasty, minimally nutty, caramel and dark malty and mildly bitter, earthy-grassy hoppy, hints of hazelnut, caramel, a touch of malt lozenge, nougat.
Slightly creamy, watery texture, smooth and soft palate, medium to fine, dense, creamy carbonation.
Nice malt flavours, minimally mismatching hop flavours - decent.

7

#nl500

7.4

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

Cremiger, runder malziger Beginn, etwas Schokolade, weich. Noten von Alkohol, moderat röstig, eher trocken im Hintergrund. Würzig, etwas Kakao, langer Nachhall. 10/11/11/11//11