Clear medium amber colour, good frothy white head, dissipates slowly, fair lacing. Aroma pale malts, peach, Belgian yeast, cloves, light alcohol. Taste light heavy sweet and slightly bitter, malty, light toffee, candy sugar, light fruit, alcohol, yeast. Short sweetbitter aftertaste, alcohol, spicy notes, full-bodied, oily texture, soft carbonation. Pretty straigh-forward heavy duty tripel.

Almost clear deep coppery amber colour, small frothy off-white head, mostly diminishing, light lacing. Aroma roasted malts, cherries, wood, vinous. Taste light heavy sweet and light bitter, malty, fruity, woody, spicy. Abrupt malty and metallic finish, papery and bitter herbal notes, medium body, watery texture, soft carbonation. Disappointing, taste starts good but in the middle part metal and old herbs take over in an unpleasant way.

At Hopishop 2017. Aroma of raisin, booze, rum and chocolate. Taste has sweet rum, chocolate, raisin, booze, malt and some meh-ness. Bit dusty and uninspired.

Limitedly made, rum barrel aged stout bij Jef Pirens, with thick and dense, cobweb-lacing, pale greyish beige, frothy head and black robe with hazy chestnut brown edges. Aroma of old dusty black chocolate bars, dried plums, dry tree leaves, brown sugar, cloves, incense, old red wine, varnish, rum, dry earth, slight hints of balsamic vinegar and liquorish. Sweetish (old raisins) and sourish (elderberries) onset, both more or less equal in strength, softish carbo, thick and greasy mouthfeel. Malty middle phase of old nut shells, toasted bread and caramel, black 'fondant' chocolate, with that initial sourishness stubbornly persisting and hinting at mild infection; earthy, even 'dirty', very phenolic finish, lingering esters, some old wood tannins and warming rum- or eventually even gin-like, bit wry alcohol. Typical 'new Belgian' attempt at RIS, too earthy, dirty and phenolic, even solvent-like (as is the case with Oude Maalderij's 'monster' barleywines but fortunately much less strong), but by itself enjoyable enough - if you don't mind that Belgian yeastiness, and the almost 'old red wine'-like astringency running through it.

Bottle at de Molen 2017... Amber.. Thin white lacing.. Soft herbal fruit nose.. Soft sweet toffee... Oily toffee.. Big spirit. Heavy spirits