Draught at Foeders, Amsterdam. Very thick and creamy, regularly shaped, pale cream beige head consisting of rather large bubbles but retaining very well, atop a jet black beer that does not allow any light to pass through. Rich, enticing bouquet of dry leather, hazelnut oil, ’fondant’ chocolate, brown rum, candied fig, bayleaf, vanilla (wet oak wood), caramel, kahlua, elderberries, brambleberry juice, Grand Marnier, thyme, blue plums. Sweet, candied, rounded onset, fig, raisins and baked banana, noble and balanced by a light meaty umami touch as well as blackcurrant juice-like sourish notes, medium carbo, rounded and thick, bit oily mouthfeel. Big nutty malt core with sweeter caramelly aspects, fluffy with ongoing esters (feeling a bit like a strong dark Belgian), shifting to chocolate flavors and toast, leading to a softly bitter, spicy ending with peppery hops, drying wood (including retronasal vanilla) but not - at enough - harsh on the tannins, candied orange peel and dried thyme colours here and there, and a lot of warming but not wry, kahlua-like alcohol. Mouthwateringly tasty stout with strong Belgian tendencies, very rounded and ’fluffy’ in character with just a subtle degree of woody tannins, well-balanced. Better than expected, to be honest, and if such a thing as "Belgian imperial stout" deserves recognition as a substyle, this would be a typical example.

Bottle from het Biermoment, BB 12-2018, 33 cl sample. Hazy orange to amber color, short bubbly head. Aroma of funky wooden barrel, some sweet vanilla and spicy and flowery saisonesque beer. Bit rhummy sweetness in taste, dry wood, spicy bitterness like some coriander or juniper berries can give. Quite interesting stuff actually. Not perfectly balanced, but quite complex, and if it would be from a well respected craft brewer, it would probably score sky high. But it isnt. Unfortunately. A bit messy, but still decent though.

33cl bottle shared with maakun and Kermis. Thin white head. Hazy amber pour. Not great.