18/II/22 - 33cl can from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ home, BB: XII/2022 (2022-192)

Pretty cloudy dark brown to black beer, small creamy beige head, unstable, bit adhesive. Aroma: very lemony at first, sourish impression, lactobacillus, good roast, sourish impression, coffee and chocolate notes, fruity, grapefruit. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: sourish start, pretty lemony, good roast, bitter, dry and acidic, some grapefruit, very bitter, lots of lemon juice. Aftertaste: acidic, lot and lots of citrus, gentle roast, grapefruit, citrus notes, dry, more citrus, nice one!

8/II/22 - 33cl can from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ home, BB: XII/2023 (2022-148)

Clear blond to beige beer, big creamy bit irregular off-white head, little stable, bit adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: lots of banana, bit malty, herbal touch, sweet, bread crust, rural impression. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: nice stuff, slightly acidic first, then lots of bread notes, malty, some banana, herbal bitterness, bit peppery, little fruity. Aftertaste: good bitter finish, some fruity notes, apricot and banana peel, herbal, a little grassy, metallic, bread yeast.

Newish pastry stout by inexhaustible Totem, intended to evoke a marshmallow effect this time. Can at the Nieuwjaarsreceptie of the Ghent beer club. Medium sized, moussy, yellowish-beige, slowly opening head, black robe with thin burgundy edges. Aroma of chocolate sauce immediately followed by indeed marshmallow – or, much more accurately, Flemish ‘spekken’ or ‘nonnebillen’ (which is essentially the same thing), of the pink and white coloured versions I vividly remember from childhood, next to aspects of toffee, almond, white chocolate, walnut liqueur, pecan nuts and a very subtle background hint of beef stock. Very sweet onset, again that very vague beef stock umami note but fading very quickly in favour of candied date, pear syrup and, of course, marshmallow, again reminiscent of those pink-and-white ‘spekken’ my grandmother gave me when I was a child – an effect that never relents and dominates the whole beer till the last drop. Meanwhile, a soft carbonation effect adds some liveliness, in a syrupy, slick but very full, viscous environment. Layers of toffee- and milk chocolate-, eventually lightly cappuccino-like maltiness ensue, some peppery hops are tucked away deep into the finish, but the ‘spekken’ effect, as said, prevails throughout, even when a heating bourbon-like booziness sets in (a bit much so for me personally, even). It takes an accomplished brewery like Totem to come up with an idea like this and execute it to perfection, delivering a ton of marshmallow without any flaws or distractions from other flavours – there are very, very few breweries like that in Belgium and even if this may not be my preferred kind of beer, there is no denying that it is very well executed and therefore deserving of a high score.

33cl can. A very dark reddish brown beer with a big tan head. Aroma of sweet and strong dark malt, chocolate, vanilla, some coconut. Taste of sweet chocolate, vanilla, coconut, brownies.

Pours slightly hazed blonde. Medium white head. Stable and creamy . Scent is green fruitjuice, harsh citrus, tropical notes. Certainly specific ! Taste is full, very pronounced hops. Fatty fruit. Tad grassy, coconut tones , green fruits. Milder citrus and tropical notes. Not my favorite.