New pastry stout by Atrium – and as is so often the case with this creative brewery, inspired by a Brazilian theme, in this case a dessert called ‘cocada’ (a coconut cookie). The brewer’s lovely wife even served actual cocadas at BXL Beerfest to go with the beer – an excellent way of introducing European consumers to the concept. Thick, yellow-beige, membrane-lacing, creamy head on an ink black beer. Aroma of coconut macaroon or indeed the cocada, Bounty candy even, sirop de Liège, burnt muscovado sugar, milk chocolate, fudge, latté macchiato, brandy, hazelnut cookies, granola, tea. Sweet onset but not overly cloying, candied fig and yellow raisin, very light blackberry-ish sourish edge, lively carb (perhaps a bit too lively for the style), very full, oily, rounded mouthfeel. Brown sugar lingers over caramelly, black-chocolatey and peanutty maltiness, but instead of maintaining sweetness, the whole quickly turns towards the dry side, becoming roasted bitter and black coffee-like when the cocada (coconut aroma) sets in. Spicy hops further accentuate the roasted and toasty bitter aspects, warmed by whisky-like alcohol; the bitterness and spiciness are in the end much more powerful than the expected sweetness – making this beer much more bitter than the actual cocada I tasted. In all, a clever and original idea well executed, one of the best and most ambitious Atriums I had in a while – I look forward to cracking the 75 cl bottle of this beer that came with the BXL Beerfest pack.

My tasting will come by way of a 33 cl bottle from retailer Etre Gourmet. I have my large globe glass in place, time for a pour. Very dark, fully black with a persistent skim of recharged parchment foam. Lots of chocolate, pecans and some roastiness in the nose. But I’m here for the drink. Well now, this is a good beer. Bakers chocolate, strawberries, booze, wood, pecans again and a touch of caramel sweetness. All this and a firm bitterness concluding. Quite all right.