7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Belgian attempts at imperial stout are still not very common and with the notable exception of Struise’s Black Albert family, has not produced many beers of international class so far, so I am curious to find out what this one has to offer. Medium thick, creamy, dense, tan head leaving an irregularly shaped membrane of lacing around the edge of the glass; black appearance with chestnut brown edges, but the actual colour is barely visible. Aroma of bayleaf, old dried thyme, old cocoa powder, cold black tea, cloves (phenols!), dried fig, raisin, spice cookies, dried blueberries, leather, melting mocha ice cream somewhere, hints of olive, stewed beef, green peppercorns. Fruity onset, a bit too fruity in fact for the style, with hints of green banana, date and blackcurrant, sourish with a light sweet touch as well as an olive-like umami edge; medium to somewhat spritzy carbonation impairing the mouthfeel in relation to the style, making it lighter than it should have been; still thick and filling, but lacking the heavy ’oiliness’ of a true imperial stout. Nutty malt middle quickly turning bitterly toasted with a hint of cold black coffee in the end, a bitterness accentuated by a peppery and herbal hop presence leaving spiciness on the back of the tongue after swallowing. Clove-like phenols rise up retronasally but really have no business in this style of beer, and a dash of warming, even slightly astringent, ’jenever’-like alcohol is thrown in at the end; a treacle-like creaminess and bittersweetness remains in the end, not unpleasant, but certainly not roasted enough for the style either. Well, here we are again: a perfectly acceptable and enjoyable beer without any obvious flaws, like the other Hopscheppers, but still clearly too ’Belgian’ to deserve the much-acclaimed imperial stout status. I guess we could make an argument for Belgian imperial stout as a substyle, but in truth, this would likely be more of a cover-up for the fact that most Belgian brewers do not understand the style and end up somewhere halfway between Belgian strong ale and actual RIS. This one belongs in that category, but I do admire the fact that these guys at least make an attempt at this style, and as said, if you forget everything you know about imperial stout, this is a perfectly fine beer by itself.
Tried
on 07 Aug 2016
at 08:21