Tag Archives: ba

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Damnation XVI – Ivan The Terrible

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 979/2000, 2012 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A massive stout from Flanders, matured in Glenlivet barrel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, number 979/2000, 2012 vintage, bottled on 31st March 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, whisky, brown sugar, with light caramel notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet, chocolate, roasted malts, whisky, oak, some fruity maybe apple sauce notes, caramel, toffee, and maybe a slightly burnt like moderately bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Slightly boozy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper, maybe a bit boozy, but it’s got good sweet and bitter balance, and nice whisky notes.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Damnation XIII – More Anger

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 1000/2000, 2012 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A massive stout from Flanders, matured in Glenmorangie barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, number 1000/2000, 2012 vintage, bottled on 3rd April 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Boozy, whisky, chocolate.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, coffee, caramel, whisky, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma felt overly boozy for me, to the extent that experiencing it with each sip was quite overpowering. It also felt that the taste had more booze and alcohol than the other Black Damnation variations, but at least unlike the aroma, it was still acceptable. Obviously not one of my favourite variations.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Damnation XIV – Talisman

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 769/2000, 2012 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A massive stout from Flanders, matured in Talisker barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, number 769/2000, 2012 vintage, bottled on 2nd April 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt, chocolate, dark dried fruit, raisin, prunes, whiskey, boozy.
Taste: Lightly sweet and a touch bitter, roasted malts, chocolate, molasses, whiskey, with some light smoky, burnt sugar, and dried dark fruit notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable nice sipper, but there’s less smokiness in the beer from the Talisker than I expected.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew, Sour Ale

Siren Pombango

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 8.8%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Barrel aged grapefruit & mango sour

Brewer Description: (from can) A rare treat from our barrel store, only previously available at very special events! Pombango is a bourbon barrel aged Pompelmocello, blended with mango purée and fresh Pompelmocello. The resulting beer is cocktail-esque, vibrant with tropical fruits and refreshing sourness.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 19th August 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A nice clear dark copper orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet-ish, dark fruit, raisin, brandy, bourbon, oak, with notes of mango and even lighter notes of grapefruit peel.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, sweet and sour, dark fruit, raisin, grapes, brandy, bourbon, oak, mango, grapefruit, a little syrupy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I’m a little unsure about this one as I’m on and off with each sip. I think in the end, it has this sweet syrupy note, like raisins doused in sugar syrup, that I found to be too much, probably from the barrel. Maybe if it was more sour, I would have enjoyed it more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brasserie Le Détour, Farmhouse Saison, France

Le Détour Saison Festival

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Brewery: Brasserie Le Détour
Country: France
ABV: 6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A beer brewed for the 2021 BXL Beer Fest. Our take on the classic saison style aged in Chardonnay barrels. Diastaticus will prevail!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a best before date of August 2023. From the 2021 BXL BeerFest beer pack. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden blonde colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Brett, clove, banana bread, light Chardonnay, with floral notes.
Taste: Light funk, brett, white grape, apple, pear, a touch floral, with an interesting citrus lime peel bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable and very easy drinking Saison.