Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

Stu Mostów x Funky Fluid ART+43 Imperial Pastry Stout Dark Chocolate Carmelized Almonds Nitro

Brewery: Browar Stu Mostów x Funky Fluid
Country: Poland
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Stout – Pastry Imperial
Other Notes: 35 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) To the extractive, Imperial Stout base we added extremely aromatic caramelized almonds, cocoa nibs, and infused it with the nitrogen to obtained the smooth & velvety texture!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.2
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of 29th March 2024. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a thin tanned head, that had pretty good retention while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt, chocolate, caramel, almonds, with light dark fruit notes, plum, prunes.
Taste: Sweet malt, light roast, dark chocolate, almonds, caramel, dark fruit, plum, prunes, with a lasting nutty finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper. It’s sweet, but I think that there’s just enough bitterness from the dark chocolate, roasted almonds, and hops, to balance out that sweetness.

Lervig Rackhouse Black Forest Picante

Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 13%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Rackhouse. Stout aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels for 10 months

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We took our 3 bean stout a step further and spiced it up with a bit of heat and give it nudge with Norwegian cherry juice. And of course the barrel aging is the icing on this cake. Vanilla, coconut, oak and a touch of the bourbon will satisfy your senses in full.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A black waxed 375ml bottle, with a best before date of 9th August 2026. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour, with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, chocolate, cherry juice, vanilla, coconut, with bourbon notes.
Taste: Moderately sweet, light roast, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, tart cherry juice, with a splash of chili spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable dessert like sipper, as the chili spice, tart cherry, and bourbon notes, balance out a lot of the sweetness.

Lambiek Fabriek Juicy & Wild Gros-Elle

Brewery: Lambiek Fabriek
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of unique unfiltered blend of self-brewed spontaneous fermented lambics, aged in oak barrels and macerated with red currant and muscaris grape (+/- 300 g/l).

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in October 2021, with a best before date of bottled date +5 years. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a pinkish tint, and a two fingered white head that had pretty good retention, and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, grape skin, red currants, gooseberry, rhubarb, damp hay, band-aid, lemon zest.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, red currant, grape skin, underripe fruit, gooseberry, green apple, lemon juice, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Red currant and muscaris grape just seems to work together, and with each sip, I seem to be liking it more and more. Crisp, dryish, and easy to drink.

Mikkeller Black Hole

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 13.1%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Stout brewed with coffee, honey & vanilla.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, coffee, chocolate, molasses, caramel, vanilla.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, coffee, caramel, vanilla, licorice, pine, hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to no carbonation.
Overall: A decent sipper, probably past its prime, based on my previous ratings, but definitely worth trying.

Three Floyds Dark Lord

Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 15%
Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
Other Notes: Maroon wax

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plums with a port wine alcohol undertow. Mochachino notes buried within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2015 vintage, very nicely maroon waxed, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with only a thin brown head and sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Coffee, dark fruit, plum, prunes, fig, molasses, oak, chocolate, light roast.
Taste: Sweet, dark fruit, charred notes, plum, prunes, fig, cherries, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, coffee, burnt sugar.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice warming sipper. Maybe approaching too sweet, but the charred and burnt notes do sort of keep it in line.