Dunkler, süß rauchig malziger Beginn. Etwas torfig, minimal bitter, geringe Karbonisierung. Leder, Schokolade, harmonisch. 10/9/10/9//9

Tap. Hazy dark brown color with beige head. Aroma is salty, peat, chocolate. Taste is chocolate, peat, seatang. Oily mouthfeel with low carbonation. Quite good for a Laphroaig BA.

Laphroaig barrel aged imperial stout (the basic beer is apparently not commercialized, strangely) from this microbrewery linked to a bed and breakfast in Lubbeek, sampled at ZBF, thanks to the brewer. Thick and dense, creamy, beige head over a black beer with hazy burgundy edges. Aroma of strong Laphroaig, i.e. iodine-like peat plus whisky but the peat is much stronger, black chocolate, liquorice, cappuccino, salmiak, bladderwort, pear syrup, dry earth, baked banana, toffee. Sweetish onset (raisin, fig) with sourish undercurrent, medium to fizzy carb (bit much for the style), thick nutty and caramelly malt body with chocolatey edges, long warming finish with unmistakable whisky booze yet managing to avoid unpleasant wryness, strong retronasal iodine-like peat, lingering bitter chocolatey and nutty maltiness which eventually becomes a bit toasty but never strong roasted coffee bitter. You will need to like peated stouts in order to appreciate this one and for me the iodine aspect is a bit too outspoken here, but admittedly it is well-done from a technical viewpoint so have a point for that. After a dark tripel and a couple of other ordinary Belgian beers, I must say it was quite a surprise to encounter something this modern (and, from a Belgian perspective, foreign) being executed by this brewery – must begin keeping a closer eye on them, it seems.

29 April 2018, at Zythos Bierfestival. Deputy Taster: Anke.
Hazy dark brown with a lasting, small, frothy, off-white head. Aroma of oats, raisin, licorice, roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee liqueur. It tastes light to medium roasted bitter, notes of fondant, and light malty sweet, hint of oats. Dry, toasty, malty finish, with warming whisky alcohol, not too wry. Medium body, oily texture, fizzy to lively carbonation. Enjoyable winter warmer.

‘Dark tripel’, so in practice a dubbel, by this microbrewery set in a bed and breakfast in Lubbeek, an attempt to recreate the late 19th-century brewery once located at the same place. Thin and loosely structured, off-white head, quickly reduced to a thin ring over a hazy bronze-brown beer with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of hard caramel candy, diluted coffee grounds, nutmeg, dried banana, medlar, cloves, tea bags and a vague hint of DMS (overcooked vegetables) but in this case – luckily – not to the extent that it puts me off too much. Sweetish dried banana- and fig-like onset with sourish edges, fizzy carbonation, slick and bit resinous mouthfeel. Very thoroughly caramelly and nutty malt body developing a toasty, even very thinly coffeeish bitterness towards the end, working with a dash of herbal hops to create a finish a bit more bitter than average for a Belgian dubbel. Soapy coriander and clove-like phenols linger along with the caramelly character of the malts and an earthy yeasty note. Flavour-wise decent if nothing special, perhaps lacking a bit in body and a tad overcarbonated but I had way worse in this style.

28 April 2018, at Zythos Bierfestival. Deputy Taster: Anke.
Hazy black with a small, foamy, tan head. Aroma of smoked malt, peat, earth, rubber, dark fruits, cigar ash. It tastes medium malty & chocolatey sweet and light to medium roasted bitter, with a peaty back, a bit umami (bacon & beef stock). Shortish, roasted finish, lingering peat, well-hidden whisky alcohol. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. A bit one-sided and unrefined; this could have been even better!

Thank you for sharing RB People! Sampled @ ZBF 2018. Black, little mocha head. Nose is plastic, peat, rubbish, plastic, varnish, iodine. Taste is flat plastic, sugar, peat, iodine, herbal, peated, totally flat plastic, not as bad as feared but still just iodine plastic syrup.

Sampled @ Zythos Bier Festival 2018. A almost black beer with a small off-white head. Aroma of mild peated Whiskey, dark malt. Taste of peaty malt, sweet dark chocolate malt, some vanilla.

Black with thin head. Aroma and flavour have some sweet malts and smokey, meaty tones too. A bit thin bodied.

Dark brown with thin head. Aroma and flavour have some sweet malts and a hint of roasted nut. Some banana yeast sweetness.