One of several superstrong imperial stouts aged on barrels that go by the name Antwerp, this one on Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, thanks Pieter for sharing! Medium thick, open, pale brownish beige head, retaining as a thin ring over a black beer with mahogany edges. Powerful nose of Belgian chocolates, clear bourbon and strong wood (oak furniture), vanilla, toffee, fig bread, toast, crushed pecan nuts, some beef stock, black pepper, raw cinnamon, dry caramel, coffee. Dense flavours, sweet yet not too cloying, dried fig, raisin, vague umami in the background (beef stock), soft carb with full and oily mouthfeel yet a bit thinned by alcohol; pecan-nutty, bitter-chocolatey, toffeeish and eventually toasted-bready malt bittersweetness, with the bitterness enhanced by hops, pronounced woody tannins, roasty bitter accents and, eventually, a heating glow of clear bourbon, scorching a bit in the end. At this strength, it is not too surprising that the bourbon behaves quite intrusively - a bit too much perhaps, but as a whole this beer remains an intense, bold composition of flavours whilst avoiding the pitfall of the cloying sweetness one all too often encounters in present-day imperial stouts. Not my preferred one in this series, but high quality nonetheless.

Small cream-coloured head from viscously pouring black beer. Coffee, chocolate and... chili? Vanilla, Bourbon, rum. Lots of chocolate and really vanilla blossoms. Chewy coffee & chocolate, vanilla, mocha (very soft coffee flavour, sweet), hint of artichoke - and mole. The chili returns in the aftertaste, and warming up, I more and more am convinced there is capsaicin there somehow. Very chewy, thick & oily. Alcoholwarmth. Good carbonation. Quite good for a pastry stout, well worth trying! Txs to Stef!

Can from Stacks.
A: hazy black, stable, frothy, beige head.
A: coffee pad & bean, old fondant, toast, vanilla bean.
T: restrained sweetish fondant, blackberry, brown bread, coffee.
F: earthy hops, coffee & vanilla.
P: light body, slick texture, soft carbonation.
Not too bad at almost 0%, even though it's mostly watered-down coffee, but what can you expect...

21/VI/24 - 33cl can @ Kelderschatten Gentse Biervereniging at Baracuna (Gent), BB: 25/VI/25, LB06300523C 08:43 (2024-414) Thanks to Erwin for sharing the can!

Clear pale yellow blond beer, big solid creamy white head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: malty start, grains, wort, a little fruity, citrus, some canned pineapple, a little funky. MF: soft carbon, medium to light body. Taste: sweet, pretty sour as well, some pineapple, passion fruit, decent. Aftertaste: sourish, fruity, juicy, sugary.

8/VI/24 - 33cl can form Geers (Oostakker), shared @ home, BB: 12/XII/24, LB02261022C, 08:00 (2024-375)

Clear dark brown to black beer, big creamy irregular solid beige head, stable, a bit adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: all coffee, lots of coffee, mocha, sourish impression, some caramel, hint of vanilla. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: pretty sweet start, caramel, lots of cold coffee, mocha, pretty bitter. Aftertaste: more coffee, hint of cocoa powder, very bitter, hoppy, good roast, a bit sugary, more caramel, meh. Not very good, though it’s hard to tell why.

6/VI/24 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ Didier’s mansion, BB: n/a, bottled: 24/II/24 (2024-367)

Clear dark brown to black beer, aery irregular beige head, a little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: very oxidized, lots of soy sauce, unripe pineapple, a bit fruity, green apples, caramel. MF: soft carbon, medium to full body. Taste: lots and lots of alcohol, sugary, sweet, caramel, muscovado sugar, alcohol, some chocolate. Aftertaste: more alcohol burning the throat, very oxidized, a bit earthy, sugary, some vanilla, whisky, a bit acidic. Ok but not the best. Definitely not worth the price I paid for this.

One of - meanwhile - many variants on the Antwerp imperial stout by Galea simply called 'Antwerp', this time aged on a bourbon brand (Blanton) I never came across. Rather thinnish, immediately opening, dark beige, moussey ring and flat 'islands' of foam over a black robe with vague burgundy edges only visible under bright light. Intense bouquet of mint-filled chocolate bars, toffee, kahlua, Poire William, hard green apples or pears, fresh figs, cashew nuts, liquorice (not too intrusively though), quince jam, cocoa (actually added) and even more obvious cinnamon (dito) even though the latter is not too overpowering, vanilla-breathing oak, molasses, Tia Maria coffee liqueur, bourbon but not as vanillin-like as I am used to it, caramel sauce, shoe polish, fresh paint, faint stale sweat, Worcestershire sauce and Camembert. Sweet, appropriately dense onset, strong pear and green apple mixed with fresh fig and medlar impressions, with the softest blackberry-like sourishness underneath but no real umami; finely tingling, even somewhat prickly effervescence. Thick slabs of malt ensue, caramel candy, dark chocolate, molasses, pecan nuts and treacle all piled upon each other, with considerable syrupy sweetness and only little coffeeish or toasty malt bitterness to counterbalance this sweetness; sticky, yet remaining smooth (and thickly oily). The Blanton bourbon cannot wait to unveil itself, effectuating a rather 'methylated spirit'-like astringency and eventually pure ethereal booziness, over the expected notes of spicy hops (failing to provide enough 'anti-sweetness' though) and vanilla-like oak wood (dito). Faint notes of Worcestershire sauce and 'drop' linger in an intensely boozy, demanding, long and fiery finish, where Poire William or 'raw' cognac seem more likely as the added liquor than any kind of bourbon I know. The added cocoa accentuates the overall 'chocolateyness' of this hefty stout and the cinnamon indeed lingers as an extra decoration. In any case the tail is quite peppery - because of the alcohol and nothing else - a bit too much so for me, but what was I expecting of a 14.5% imperial stout anyway... Too boozy, sticky and hot for me personally, but that raw green apple- and Poire William-like 'greenness' of it all is admittedly entertaining.