Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

(Draft at Arendsnest, Amsterdam, 23 Feb 2025) Black colour with creamy, beige head. Malty, roasted, hoppy nose with notes of chocolate, coffee, grapefruit, pine needles and a touch of mint. Malty, roasted, hoppy taste with coffee, dark chocolate, citrus, pine needles, mint and a balanced citric/piney bitterness in the finish. Medium body, dry. Tasty and well made black IPA. Very nice.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

(Draft at Arendsnest, Amsterdam, 23 Feb 2025) Pale golden colour with foamy, white head. Fruity nose with notes of lemon peel, vanilla and a touch of funky yeast. Fruity, slightly tart taste with lemon peel, vanilla, meringue, grass and white bread. Low bitterness. Medium body, with a slight sweetness. Interesting, and the light tartness makes it quite refreshing. Nice one.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

(Draft at Arendsnest, Amsterdam, 23 Feb 2025) Golden colour with frothy, white head. Fruity, herbal nose with citrus, hay, flowers, ginger and oak wood. Fruity, spicy taste with notes of citrus, herbs, grass, lemongrass, oak wood, a touch of ginger and a balanced citric/herbal bitterness. Almost full body, quite dry. Herbal and refreshing. Quite interesting. Nice one.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

Mysterious bottle shared by Meeki - proving to be a dry stout by Rotterdam's Kaapse, whom I trust with dear life when it comes to solid craft beer... Medium thick, pale yellow-beige, dot-lacing, stable head on a hazy dark chocolate brown robe, approaching blackish but still with clear mahogany highlights. Aroma oddly 'oud bruin'-like, wet caramel, forest floor, old chocolate bars, sweaty note, passionfruit, moldy beech nuts, black tea, rotten wooden logs, wild brambleberries, old port wine. Tart onset, lots of dark fruitiness in the way of blackberries, elderberries and prunes, restrained in sweetness though with a dimly but persistently and somewhat 'dirty' sour undertone, medium carbonated with supple body. This 'dirty' tartness continues round a brown-bready, bit hazelnutty core and ongoing dark fruitiness; moldy wood- and dead tree leaf-like elements show up towards the end, adding to a very earthy, dirty finish. Allegedly aged on Speyside whisky barrels, but neither myself nor the others (including a whisky connoisseur) could find any trace of that. Something of a happy accident, I think: interesting as a sour stout of sorts, but probably infected against the brewers' will - this is more akin to a dark sour than to a dry stout. Weird, but nowhere unpleasant.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 7.5

(Draft at Arendsnest, Amsterdam, 22 Feb 2025) Reddish brown colour with frothy, beige head. Fruity, malty, vinous nose with caramel, oak wood, raisins, dates and a mild acidity. Fruity, malty, vinous taste with notes of caramel, dried fruit, figs, raisins, oak wood, vanilla, a touch of calvados, hints of tannins and a balanced spicy bitterness in a warming finish. Full body, quite sweet. Rich, powerful, a bit boozy. Very nice.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8

(Draft at Bierlokaal de Uiver, Haarlem, 20 Feb 2025) Black colour with creamy, beige head. Malty, roasted nose with coffee, oak wood, liquorice and aromas of cognac. Malty, roasted, vinous taste with notes of dark chocolate, espresso, dark bread, cognac, oak wood and a balanced cacao bitterness in a warming, slightly boozy finish. Full body, quite sweet. Rich and powerful, with a generous wood character. Very nice.

Lci